Cloud based storage is a great new capability that many of us have incorporated into our daily lives. Here are some OneDrive tips to get the most out of your cloud storage. The first two items are really applicable for any cloud storage, and the remaining 3 are more specific to using OneDrive specifically. OneDrive personal options are 5 GBs of free storage, 50 GBs for $10/year, or, if you get Microsoft 365 Personal ($69.99/year) or Family ($99.99/year for up to 6 users), you get 1TB / user! There are also a number of business options as well; if you are interested please reach out to us at info@space-cadets.co and we can help get you setup (no charge on the consultation and you get the product at market rates – we aren’t up-charging you on the products)
If you already have a Microsoft 365 account then you have OneDrive as well. On Windows OneDrive is already baked into Windows in Windows 10 and 11, but for Mac OS you can download the application at the link below. OneDrive will no longer sync files to the cloud for Windows 7 and 8, so you should upgrade the OS first before looking to use OneDrive.
#1 – Put everything in OneDrive! –
To get the most out of one-drive, the best thing you can do is ensure it is your starting point for your data. Depending on how much data you have it may make sense to keep big bulk items like music or videos out, but it should be the starting point for your all documents. Specifically, move your files on your computer into OneDrive, and any new documents you create should be housed in OneDrive.
While OneDrive does work as a backup if your computer crashes or breaks, you get the most value out of the platform by enabling access to all of your documents and important information wherever you are and with whatever device you have available.
#2 – Access Anywhere, Including via Web Browser
One you have your important information housed within OneDrive, the next step is ensuring you can access those documents when you need them in whatever way fits the circumstance. Once you have a OneDrive account setup, make sure you download the OneDrive app onto your phone and tablet devices and sign-in. Now, assuming you followed step 1 and put all your documents into OneDrive, you can access any file you want.
The unexpected scenarios are often the most valuable. For example, I recently took my son to an allergist specialist; while filling out the initial paperwork I was able to look up important details from some of our healthcare documents right from my phone. Or there was the time I was able to go and find my wife’s drivers license number on the fly. School reports, order confirmations, you name it. All or your digital files are available whenever you need them.
You can also access all your files from any computer via the web at https://onedrive.live.com.
#3 – Sharing files with link
The benefits of OneDrive also extend to how you can share and coordinate information with others. It is incredibly easy to create a shareable link to any file or folder you have on your computer. Simply right-click on the file (or the appropriate equivalent on your device) any file or folder and select share. You can specify specific users, set a password, only allow read access, or even put an expiration on the link so users can’t continually access your files for longer than you’d like.
I had two recent personal experiences with this where this functionality was super helpful, but this is obviously applicable with 3rd parties and in work scenarios as well:
- My Dad wanted to coordinate RSVPs for an event. He had an Excel file that had all the invitees. The first thought was to create an Evite or Paperless post, including account sign-up. Instead, over the phone I talked him through creating a sharable link in 2 minutes, which he sent to his friends. They all directly edited his file, and he probably saved an hour+ of time and a lot of headaches.
- My family needed to compile some documents related to family business permit. This required the collection of tax returns. Instead of having everyone emailing these files everywhere, we set up a simple shared folder with a link that expired after 15 days for everyone to submit their information. Secure and incredibly easy.
#4 – Document Scanning on Phone / Tablet
A quick, but incredibly useful tip. At any time, you can quickly scan a document using your tablet or camera phone. Simply open OneDrive and click the camera button in the bottom of the application. Ensure you have it set to Document in the Camera setting. You can scan multiple pages, and then specify where you want to save it within your OneDrive infrastructure.
#5 – Mix Personal & Business – without mixing anything…
One of my favorite OneDrive features is that you can easily set it up with both your work and personal accounts. The accounts are always distinct, but by having multiple accounts signed into the app, you can access anything you need from both your personal and professional life. This means that when I’m on my work phone, I can still easily access my personal files. Doesn’t sound like much, but in practice this makes managing your personal and professional lives much easier when you aren’t having to manage multiple devices or applications. Simply click the icon in the upper left (for me it’s the KW circle in the image), select settings, and then hit add account and sign in. Now, on any device, I have complete access to my personal and professional devices with no co-mingling of the two.
Note: you need to hit that same button in the upper left to switch between accounts.
BONUS: Personal Vault for OneDrive for personal use.
One last item I’ll quickly note. If you have a personal OneDrive account, there is a specific location, the ‘Personal Vault’ that you can use to store sensitive documents like birth certificates and tax returns. The data is heavily encrypted and any access requires an additional authentication step and a time-out to ensure your information is never exposed. This takes the anxiety out of storing sensitive documents while still enabling all the benefits of accessing your information wherever you need it.
We hope these OneDrive tips help you take better advantage of a phenomenal tool. If you have questions on OneDrive or would like support for your business technology solutions, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@space-cadets.co.
