MS OneDrive: Microsoft OneDrive Browser Overview

Microsoft OneDrive Browser Overview

Microsoft (MS) OneDrive is a file hosting and synchronization service operated by Microsoft, as part of their suite of MS 365 applications. MS OneDrive allows users to securely store, share, and synchronize files and folders from anywhere at anytime.

OneDrive has replaced UBC Workspace 2.0.

OneDrive is free to use for students, faculty, and staff. To access OneDrive, students must opt-in to receive a UBC Microsoft account. See the MS OneDrive Student Guide for details.

Overview

OneDrive holds 1TB of data storage. You can install OneDrive onto your devices, or access it from anywhere using the online portal. To access OneDrive online, follow these steps:
  1. Go to portal.office.com Links to an external site. and sign in with your UBC email account. firstname.lastname@ubc.ca for faculty and staff. cwl@ubc.ca for students who have opted in to a Microsoft account.
  2. Select the OneDrive icon on the left side of the screen (a blue cloud).
  3. The window below will appear. See the notations below this image for more details.
    OneDrive

  1. The left side panel:
    1. My Files: See all of your OneDrive files and folders. This is the display shown above. 
    2. Recent: See the files that you have most recently opened, whether they have been modified or not.
    3. Shared: See items that you've shared with other people and that other people have shared with you.
    4. Recycle bin: See items and folders that you've deleted.
    5. Shared libraries: When you're working as a team — in Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or Outlook—a shared library allows your team to store and access files that your team members work on together.
Left Panel
 
  1. The top menu bar (with no items selected):
    Top menu
    1. New: Create a new Office file or folder.
    2. Upload: Upload any file or folder to OneDrive.
    3. Sync: Click to sync any awaiting files or folders that have been updated or added to OneDrive with your devices.
    4. Automate: Set up automated tasks.
    5. Sort: Documents are typically sorted by name. Click Sort to specify the order your files are displayed in, such as by Type, Name, Modified, etc.
    6. Viewing Options: By default, OneDrive contents are displayed as a list. Alternately you can choose a compact list, thumbnails or large images.
    7. Details pane: select this to open a right side pane showing Activity details in your OneDrive.

  2. The top menu bar includes additional options when a file or folder is selected.
    Menu
    1. Select: To select a file or folder, click to the left of the item name; a checkbox in a circle will appear.
    2. Share: After selecting the item, a share icon appears on the same line as the selected item. Click here to share the item with others.
    3. Actions: Click on the three vertical dots to open the Actions menu. Actions include Share, Copy Link, Manage Access and more.
    4. Share: You can also share an item from the top menu.
    5. Copy Link: Copy the share link to send to others.
    6. Download: Download the selected item to your device.
    7. Delete: This will delete the item from all of your connected OneDrive devices.
    8. Rename: Rename the item (on all devices).
    9. Move to: Move the item to another location within your OneDrive or to one of your Shared Libraries.
    10. Copy to: Copy the item to another location within your OneDrive or to one of your Shared Libraries.

 

UBC Okanagan Centre for Teaching and Learning Microsoft OneDrive

Updated December 2020