Why use OneDrive

You have a huge 5TB of storage in OneDrive which is enough to store:

• 2,500 hours of video
• 85,000 hours of music
• Millions of essays, presentations or spreadsheets

So you should never worry about running out of space.

There’s no need to send anymore large files over email. With OneDrive you can easily share documents, photos and more.

What can I use OneDrive for?

Your University OneDrive can be used to store your University work or study related documents. If you need to collaborate on documents consider using SharePoint instead. You will have access to your University OneDrive for as long as you work or study at the University.

You must not use your University OneDrive for non-University work or study related storage. There are a number of free cloud-based services you can use instead for personal files, such as Microsoft personal OneDrive, Google drive, etc.

University OneDrive vs OneDrive

The University provided OneDrive (which may also be known as OneDrive for Business) is different from the personal Microsoft OneDrive you may also have. You log on to the University OneDrive using your normal University username and password.  A personal OneDrive account will be linked to your personal email address (eg personal Microsoft email).

Remember - don't use the same password on multiple accounts, and don't use your University email address to sign up to non-University systems.

Accessing OneDrive

• You can access OneDrive from any cluster PC at the University by visiting the URL- https://office365.leeds.ac.uk/, you’ll need to login with your username followed by @leeds.ac.uk and Windows password
• You can download the OneDrive app for your smartphone and tablets via the appropriate App Store - More Information
• Through the OneDrive app for your university Staff PC, Mac or personal computer.

NOTE: When using OneDrive University staff must follow the linked Terms and Conditions for OneDrive, and the Information protection Policy.

Sharing individual files or folders

OneDrive makes it easy to share files, but remember to regularly review your shared settings. Why not try sharing with:

• colleagues when drafting a document
• coursemates when completing group or teamwork

There is an expiration time on documents/folders shared anonymously through OneDrive to minimise the security risk. As confidential information can be stored on OneDrive there is a risk that sharing files anonymously may allow this information to be shared inappropriately. To help to mitigate this risk, the maximum you can anonymously (publicly) share a document is set to 30 days.

You can change the default to share documents longer than 30 days if necessary.  

Your files are safe

• Files are encrypted so nobody can read them as they go across the internet
• Deleted items are moved into the recycle bin, and these items can be restored within 93 days
• You can return to the previous 500 versions of a file if you decide to undo a change

Saving files

The amount of files you can save to your computer will be limited by the amount of space you have available; many laptops only come with 256GB storage (about 5% of the size of your OneDrive quota).

We would encourage you to use the files on demand feature within the OneDrive Application. For more information please read the following Microsoft Article

Consult this Microsoft guidance for more information on how to upload and save files and folders to OneDrive. It is very important that you save your files and documents in OneDrive to ensure that they are available on other devices you might use or on new devices you might receive.

Unfortunately, it's not possible to sync OneDrive to a cluster desktop.

Finding your files and documents on OneDrive

You can access your files and documents and use OneDrive in two different ways:

Using a web browser

• Sign into the University of Leeds Office365
• Select the Microsoft 365 app launcher on the top left corner of the screen (it looks like a square with smaller squares inside)
• Select the OneDrive icon (the blue cloud)
• The OneDrive page will open. Navigate to the relevant folders where you have saved your files and documents

Using the application in your device

• The OneDrive application is available on Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices as part of the Microsoft Office package. Select the OneDrive icon (the blue cloud) from the bottom right corner of your screen (where you can see the date and time). Please note you might need to click on the arrow pointing up to find the OneDrive icon

• Select ‘Open folder' to open your OneDrive folder in your computer. Please note, if you select 'View online', your OneDrive will open in the web browser

• The folder explorer will open. Navigate to the relevant folders where you have saved your files and documents to access them

 

• The option to back up local folders is blocked, as it would breach our information protection policy. Your OneDrive account should only be used for University related work only.

Naming your files

When saving a file, you need to be aware that there are certain characters you cannot use, such as, ~ " # % & * : < > ? / \ { | }.The maximum file size you can upload to OneDrive is 250Gb.

OneDrive dislikes the mixture of Latin and Arabic characters. Naming a file in this way will make OneDrive crash whether you are using the web version or desktop application. When OneDrive can't sync a file or folder because its name contains invalid characters, OneDrive can sometimes rename it for you. For more information please visit the Microsoft Article about when OneDrive can rename files with invalid characters

More information

OneDrive is provided for the University by Microsoft who provide lots more short training videos about how to get the most out of OneDrive. 

We've also attached a useful cheat sheet to help you navigate your way around OneDrive - see the attachments box to the right.