This article gives answers to some common questions relating to OneDrive - University of Leeds
We encourage students and staff to use OneDrive -University of Leeds to save all their documents and images because this back up all your work and will allow you to access them away from the University, for example when you are working from home.
OneDrive for Business is a service provided by Microsoft, but administered by a business or academic institutions.
OneDrive - University of Leeds, is the OneDrive for Business service administered by University of Leeds and available for use by all staff and students at the University. It provides up to 5 TB of cloud storage so that you can create, edit, store and share files and documents from any internet connected device.
You can get OneDrive for Business by the Accessing OneDrive article.
You'll need to activate your OneDrive - University of Leeds space before you can start using it. All you need to do is log in to your account before you can use it.
You have up to 5 TB storage available in OneDrive. You can still find out how much data you have stored in the service by logging in to OneDrive using the web browser and selecting Settings > Site Settings > Storage metrics from within the Site Collection Administration section.
Yes, OneDrive - University of Leeds is provided to you as part of the Office 365 suite of services available to all staff or students studying or working at the University of Leeds. It is administered by University of Leeds staff and is only available to you while you are studying or working at the University. You can use it to store University data, share documents across devices, collaborate with other members of the University or external collaborators.
OneDrive is a consumer service, provided and administered by Microsoft as part of Outlook.com or Hotmail service and is a personal storage area which should never be used to hold University data.
Storing work related documents, sharing individual documents with other members of the University or external collaborators. You must only store files related to your work or studies at the University.
By using a OneDrive App you can create a locally synced copy of your OneDrive - University of Leeds documents on a device which you can then use for offline working. You must follow the University's data protection policy and not store confidential or highly confidential information on personal devices.
OneDrive - University of Leeds is not a fully featured document sharing solution, as there are no shared document checkout services and you cannot assign administrative rights to other users if the documents you are sharing are in your OneDrive.
No, OneDrive - University of Leeds can only be used for storing files related to your work or studies at the University (institutional data).
'Institutional data' refers to data that contributes to or supports the University's ongoing operations, projects, or academic responsibilities. This can include data that is not strictly necessary for the University's functioning but is still relevant to its activities. Examples of institutional data could include research data, student records, administrative documents, and other data that supports the University's operations.
Personal usage refers to the storage of files or data that are not related to your work or studies at the University. This could include personal photos, documents, or other files that are not directly connected to your role or course.
There are a number of free options for storing your private information online, for example Google, Dropbox and Microsoft (a personal version of OneDrive that is not linked to your University account). When choosing a service, check if they provide automatic backups and how secure they are (eg do they provide two factor authentication).
Remember, you must only store files related to your University work or studies on University approved systems.
You can share files, folders or documents from within OneDrive. You should avoid sharing the whole area, and should only share the specific files or folders you need to have access to. Find out how to share your OneDrive for Business files.
You can do this using OneDrive after you have activated it. OneDrive - University of Leeds stores your files, folders and documents in the cloud allowing you to access them from any internet connected device. You can also use an App to create a locally synced copy of your OneDrive for offline working.
You can use your OneDrive - University of Leeds storage area to share folders, files or documents with people outside your organisation.
There are several ways to share sites or document with people outside your organisation as described by Microsoft. You should refer to the section on "Share a document requiring sign in to your site" which is a secure way to share content with people outside the University of Leeds.
This will send an email to the person you would like to share with, requiring them to create a Microsoft Account the first time you share documents with them.
You can do this using OneDrive after you have activated it. OneDrive - University of Leeds stores your files, folders and documents in the cloud allowing you to access them from any internet connected device. You can also use an App to create a locally synced copy of your OneDrive for offline working.
Yes, OneDrive version control is available by default on your OneDrive. This means every time you edit a file, a copy of the previous file is saved. If you delete a document (or folder) from OneDrive then this item gets placed in the recycle bin. You can also recover deleted items from the recycle bin for up to 90 days.
You can read more information about how to empty the recycle bin or restore deleted files on the Microsoft site.
By default, your OneDrive documents and files are can only be accessed using your University username and password. University IT support staff can also access your documents under strict controls which comply with the University's Access control and Account Management policy (see related articles). The files held in OneDrive are automatically backed up, but you can also create a locally synced copy of your OneDrive files using the OneDrive client.
All data on University systems needs to comply with data protection regulations and the University's own data retention schedule. Files which do not comply may be moved into quarantine, and you will need to request access to them if they are still needed. For more information see the Data Quarantining article (in related articles)
The policy means that all files on the University's filestores, including those synced from your personal device to the University's OneDrive, will be scanned for personal data. If these files meet the criteria for quarantining, they will be moved to a secure quarantine area within the University's systems.
No, files stored locally on your personal device that are not synced to the University's OneDrive will not be affected by this process.
If your personal files are synced to the University's OneDrive, you should remove them as personal usage of the University's OneDrive is not allowed.
The OneDrive policy complies with legal obligations such as the UK GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) and PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) by ensuring that personal data is properly protected. This includes scanning all files for personal data and moving files that do not meet data retention guidelines to a secure quarantine area. The policy also revokes personal usage of the University's OneDrive, further protecting personal data.
If you have problems accessing OneDrive - University of Leeds from a University of Leeds managed device please contact the IT Service Desk or your local IT Support teams.
If you have problems on a personal device when using the web browser to access OneDrive - University of Leeds the IT Service Desk will try to assist you. Errors on your device browser may not be able to be resolved by the IT Service Desk.
If you have any problems when using an App on a personal device, please contact the App or device vendor. There is information about using an App to access OneDrive in the related articles or please raise a ticket using the general request link on the right-hand side of this article
Before you try using an app, you must click on the OneDrive tab using Outlook Web App on a web browser. This activates your OneDrive - University of Leeds account. It won't work if you haven't done this.
If you can't connect to OneDrive - University of Leeds, then you might be logged in to a personal Outlook.com or Hotmail account. It won't work if you are. Try the following:
Now you should be able to access both services.
If you are a student studying at the University, or a member of staff working at the University, then you will have access to OneDrive which you are here. When your study ends, or you leave employment with the University, access to your OneDrive - University of Leeds will also end.
If you are a member of staff, you should ensure all work related information is made available to relevant colleagues before you leave - this is a requirement of you working at the University.