What is OneDrive?

OneDrive is a part of Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365, or “Microsoft Office”), just like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. OneDrive is an internet-based service that can be accessed directly on your computer by installing the OneDrive App. OneDrive can also be accessed through a web browser if you are using someone else’s computer. OneDrive is compatible with Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. If you are using a Linux computer, like a Chromebook, you can access OneDrive through the browser as there is no official app for Linux. OneDrive is included in the university’s subscription to Microsoft and every university member has 5TB of storage available to them.

UConn’s data storage background

Faculty, staff, and students who were at UConn prior to 2023 are likely familiar with the P Drive and the Q Drive. These drives are different than OneDrive because they existed on campus. In the UConn datacenters, there were specialized computers, full of hard drives, that acted as personal and shared storage (the P and Q Drives respectively). Whenever someone signed into a university computer on campus, that computer would reach out to the datacenter and link them with their files. This allowed users to begin their work on one computer, and then continue their work on another.

However due to the nature of these files and the ecosystem they lived in, they could not feasibly adapt to the changing workplace. These files were physically on campus, and you needed to be on campus in order to access them. Or, users could use a VPN (virtual private network) to have their computer behave as if it were on campus. In the case of the P Drive, users could not share files with each other, they could only make copies of the file to send to one another. If you needed to share a document from your P Drive, you could have either sent it to your coworker and have them send it back when they were done, or you could have copied the file and sent the copy to them. However, this copy would be totally independent from the original file.

Advantages of OneDrive

In 2023, UConn expanded its use of Microsoft365 (formerly Office365) by incorporating OneDrive into daily use, replacing the legacy P Drive system. OneDrive is hosted on the cloud (internet based, not physically on UConn campus), this means a VPN is no longer needed to access your files. This also means that any computer connected to the internet can access the files, whether it is a university computer, a personal laptop, or even a smartphone/tablet.

OneDrive allows for multiple, simultaneous editors in Microsoft365 files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.). Unlike the legacy P Drive system, OneDrive can recognize when multiple users have the same file open and will allow multiple users to edit the file at the same time. This means a user typing in a Word document will see their coworker typing along with them. This allows users to divide the work and to collaborate in real-time. If you have used Google Docs in the past, this is a familiar experience.

When you share/email a OneDrive file, you’re giving access to a file, you’re not sending the file itself. The recipient of the share will have a link that they use to access your file; the updates they type are saved to the file in your OneDrive. This, along with real-time collaboration, solves the issue of sending files and creating discrete copies in the process. When it is time to revoke access, their access link stops working, and they no longer have access to the file. In the past, when emailing a file to someone, they would have a copy on their own computer that would not update your original file. When it was time for them to send their updates back, you would then have two copies of the file. However, if needed, you can also include your file as an attachment and the recipient will receive a discrete copy that is not connected to your OneDrive.

OneDrive is a part of our university Microsoft accounts, which means your user-presence is tightly integrated with your UConn account that you use every day. Sharing files with another university member is as easy as knowing their name. If sharing with a university member, their name will appear in OneDrive share fields. However, if you’re sharing with someone outside of the university, you simply need to know their email address.

How much storage space do I have?

Every user has 5TB of available storage. But how much space is this really?

1TB (terabyte) is 1,000GB (gigabytes)* and 1GB is 1,000MB (megabytes)*.

For reference: a standard 4-page Word document, without any pictures, is less than .05MB, and you have 5,000,000MB available.

*Depending on the computer system, the values above are expressed as either 1,000 or 1,024. This does not affect your usage of OneDrive or your computer.

Is my data safe?

OneDrive offers an encrypted file storage solution. Your files are encrypted during travel (downloading / uploading) and while at rest (you’re not interacting with it). But what does it mean to be encrypted?
You can compare an encrypted file to a secret message you are sending to a friend. Beforehand, you both decided on a cypher that you will use to scramble your secret messages. Now, when you are finished writing your secret message to your friend, you scramble all the letters using the cypher. When they receive the letter, they use that same cypher to unscramble, or decrypt, the message. If anyone were to intercept the letter, they would have no idea what it says.

When uploading / downloading files, a 2048-bit encryption key is used. This means there are 2²⁰⁴⁸ possible combinations to decrypt your data. This would take a computer 300 trillion years to unscramble without the cypher.

On the other side of this coin, what if a user makes a mistake on a file? OneDrive keeps up to 500 versions of each file. This is called Version History. Every time someone opens a file (for example), an invisible copy of the file is saved. If needed, you can restore the file to this invisible copy. Let's say the coworker opens the file and believes you want them to delete an entire column in Excel. They delete the column and then save the file. Next week you discover the mistake, however you do not worry because you know that you can go back into the file’s history (versions) and restore the file to a previous point in time. With the Q Drive, this was only possible with the help of ITS. To learn more about version history and when versions (restore points) are captured, view the guide below when you are done reading this page.

How do I access my data?

ITS recommends that you “sync” OneDrive with your computer. Doing so will allow your OneDrive files to appear in File Explorer (Windows) and Finder (macOS) as if they were on your computer like any other, non-backed up file. However, if you are on a public computer, like one at your local library, you can simply use the OneDrive website to have full access to your files. Be sure to log out when you are done!

What does it mean to “sync” my computer?

As mentioned above, OneDrive is an internet-based system. However, completing the “sync” process will allow you to access your files without using a web browser. By following the "sync" help guide listed at the bottom of this page, you can have your files appear in File Explorer (Windows) and Finder (macOS). If you’re unsure of what these are: when you’re in any program editing a file and then click “Save As”, a File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (macOS) window will appear and let you navigate your folders to find the location in which you would like to save your file. Your OneDrive files will appear in the File Explorer and Finder windows just as your other files do. To see what this looks like, be sure to visit the guides below!

A “sync” happens when you install and set up the OneDrive App. If you are given a computer that already has the OneDrive App installed, the “sync” happens when you sign into the App.

When you “sync” your Windows computer, you will be asked if you would like to back up your Documents folder. When you “sync” your macOS computer, you will not be asked if you would like to back up any existing folders. If you tell OneDrive to back up your Documents folder, then all your existing files in that folder will be backed up; ITS recommends this. If you are on a MacBook, or other macOS device, you will need to copy-paste, or drag-and-drop, files into your new OneDrive folder in order to back up your existing files.

Where does my data actually reside?

In OneDrive, you will see the terms “local” and “online-only” very often. What do these terms mean?

• When a file is “local”, that means the file is physically on your computer. That file is on your storage drive (general term for “hard drive”, “hard disk” or “SSD”), taking up space. If you were to sail out into the middle of the ocean, you would be able to open and edit the file without issue.

• When a file is “online-only” (you can also consider it to be “remote”, to contrast the previous term), that means it is not on your computer, and you need internet access in order to open and edit the file.

OneDrive has a feature named Files On-Demand that automatically handles the transition of files from online-only to local, and vice versa. With On-Demand enabled, only the files that you are working on will consume space on your storage drive. This feature is enabled by default when you first install OneDrive.

A real-world scenario: I have tons and tons of files on OneDrive. I log into my laptop and open the OneDrive folder and I see every folder that I own in front of me. I dig into a couple folders to find the Word document I want and double-click on it. The file automatically downloads from OneDrive and then opens in Word. This file is now local, it can be edited and then saved once more, and it is consuming space on my storage drive. When I click on Save, my changes are automatically sent to OneDrive. I then close Word. If I do not touch that document again within 30 days, it will remove itself from my computer and return to online-only. It is no longer consuming space on my storage drive. If I need to edit the file again, I double-click on it, and once again it downloads to my computer. If I edit the document again 10 days later, the 30-day timer resets.

This is how “Files On-Demand" works. The files appear as if they are on your computer allowing you to double-click them. Once double-clicked, they download to your computer so you can edit them. Once the file goes 30 days without interaction, it silently removes itself from your computer and returns to an online-only state and frees up the space on your storage drive that it was using.

OneDrive Photo Backup

The OneDrive App on your smartphone or tablet can double as a picture and video backup tool. Using OneDrive to back up your pictures and videos protects them from physical damage to your mobile device. This feature of the app is a backup solution, not a picture viewer. To view your pictures/videos, return to the Files section of the app, or visit the Camera Roll folder in OneDrive on your computer. To learn more, visit OneDrive Photo Backup.

Recycle Bin

With OneDrive, all users have access to a Recycle Bin. Users of the legacy P Drive will know that this was absent in that system; those users needed to reach out to ITS to receive help in restoring their files.

When you delete a file in OneDrive, it will sit in a user-accessible recycle bin for 93 days. If a file is manually deleted from the Recycle Bin, it is sent to a “second-stage recycle bin” where it will sit for another 93 days.

Related Help Guides

• OneDrive - help homepage: Microsoft OneDrive

• Install and “sync”: Connect Computer to OneDrive

• OneDrive Files On-Demand

• OneDrive Photo Backup