OneDrive for Business is a cloud-based file storage service offered by Microsoft as part of Office 365. It allows you to store, share, and collaborate on files from anywhere, on any device.
In this article, we'll answer the top 10 frequently asked questions (FAQs) about OneDrive for Business.
How much storage do I get with OneDrive for Business?
OneDrive for Business offers 2GB of storage for Frontline Workers, 1TB for Plan 1 Users + Charities, 1TB for Plan 2 Users (for organisations of 1 to 4 people), and unlimited storage for Plan Users (organisations of 5+ people). However, to get the unlimited storage, you need to raise a service ticket.
When should I use OneDrive for Business rather than Teams / SharePoint?
OneDrive for Business is best for:- Files you don't plan to share
- Files that may have a limited life-span (like the draft of this post in Word!)
- When the right place doesn't exist within your collaborative environments
- Starting a document you plan to share, but it’s not ready yet
- It's a formal document that you want to be treated as such – it may be template driven
- You and your team are creating a collection of content (i.e. a project)
- You want a team to collaborate and within the constraints of an organisation-defined security structure
- The file needs to survive longer than your employment or needs to become a record
What are the best OneDrive for Business scenarios?
OneDrive for Business is your starting point for documents that aren't ready to be shared with a wider audience, or for files that only matter to you. If the file becomes an asset that a team needs to access or needs to survive longer than your employment, you can move it to a Team or into SharePoint by clicking on the 3 dots (ellipse) to the left of the file name in your web browser and selecting 'move'.
However, depending on your organisation's policies, OneDrive data may not be kept when you leave an organisation, so if the data is more important and needs to be preserved, then consider SharePoint or Teams.
Can I share internally?
Yes, you can share files and folders with other users within your organisation using OneDrive for Business. It is a good replacement for the "H:" or Home drive.
Can I share content externally?
Yes, you can share content externally using OneDrive for Business. However, some organisations turn off this feature to protect against data leakage or restrict which organisations you can share with.
How does OneDrive for Business fit in with My Documents on my desktop?
It is recommended that you stop using My Documents and use OneDrive for Business instead. An administrator can help you move known folders (My Documents, My Pictures, etc.) to OneDrive to make the transition easier.
Can I recover a deleted file?
Yes, OneDrive for Business has a recycle bin available from the web portal, where you can restore deleted files or restore your whole OneDrive for Business back 30 days if you delete significant amounts of content or your files become corrupt.
Why do I need the OneDrive client to access SharePoint files offline?
The OneDrive client performs two roles: To synchronise your OneDrive files and to sync any selected SharePoint document libraries.
To sync a SharePoint document library, click 'Sync' within the SharePoint page.
Should I sync all my files?
No, you should only sync the files you need to save on local storage space. The OneDrive client allows you to select which folders you wish to synchronise.
How can I see which files I have shared?
In OneDrive for Business, you can easily see which files have been shared with you and which files you have shared under the 'Shared' link. This allows you to take control back of any shared files.
Got any burning question we've missed? Get in touch with our team and we'll be happy to help!