This is another post on how OneDrive for Business works. The reason for the posts is that it can appear a little difficult to master. There are reasons for this which I will cover in a later post.
In My previous posts I have covered the following subjects
- Why OneDrive is a good choice for cloud storage.
- How to check the status of OneDrive for Business
- OneDrive file version history and how to restore files
- Sharing files with other users
It’s actually easy to do but not as simple as some other solutions. It really helps to have a reference document so, here it is!!
Here is an example of me sharing my folder, AAA Documents to Clair.
I located the folder AAA Documents and right clicked it.
Selecting the OneDrive Share option will open the following window.
There is a critical point here, on the pop up window, you get the option of sharing to other users. The default setting it to share a link to a folder. If you want the other users to be able to sync the files to their own computer do the following.
Click on Anyone with the link can edit, select People you Specify can edit and click Apply.
Add the people you want to share with.
You’ll notice you can set an expiration date, by doing this, the folders are only available to Clair for a set time.
In my case I have shared with Clair Wedge. I clicked Send which will email the link to her.
On success of sharing, you will see this pop up confirming it.
Clair received and email with the above in the message body. Note, the link will only work for Clair. She clicked on Open which will open her web browser and take her to the contents of the shared folder.
This is important. You need to be inside the folder to see the Sync button as below.
On clicking the Sync button (Top Right), two pop ups will open. The first saying getting ready to Sync, the second prompting Clair to sign into OneDrive. If she is already signed in, she will not see the sign in prompt.
On access to the account, you can change the location of the OneDrive for Business folder.
Follow the wizard through to the end and you will see the folder.
Here is a point where OneDrive is very different to other cloud document services. Most of them will mix your own and shared folders together. OneDrive for Business does not, they are kept separate from each other.
Above you can see a good example of this. The three folders you can see are:
OneDrive – PCSM, that’s the OneDrive for Business folder. Every user has one once they sign in to OneDrive and it contains their own files. All those files are private to the user although they can be shared as described in this post or this one
OneDrive Personal. That my personal OneDrive folder.
PCSM. This folder contains the shared folder from other users. This is where any folder shared to you will appear. Here is where the AAA Documents folder appears.
On connecting to the link, I get a notification to tell me that my share has been successfully accessed.
So, that’s how to share and how to connect to a shared folder. In my next post I will show you how to remove a share and how to disconnect from a shared folder you don’t want to access any longer.