One Drive For Business File Storage

OneDrive for Business is an integral part of Office 365, it provides a place in the cloud where Swansea University staff and students can store, share and sync their work files.

You can update and share your files from any device that supports OneDrive for Business. You can even work on Office documents with others at the same time.

OneDrive is free online personal storage that you get with either a Microsoft account or Outlook.com.

OneDrive for Business is online storage intended for business purposes. Your OneDrive for Business account is managed by Swansea University.

All University Staff and Students have access to store up to 1 Terabyte (TB) of data.

The total number of files which can be synced within your OneDrive for Business space is 20,000.

The maximum individual file size is 15 Gigabytes.

To access OneDrive for Business, go to My Apps and sign in with your Swansea University email address and password.

University machines running Office 2016 will have the OneDrive for Business app already installed and, once setup, will appear as a folder on your computer. For assistance setting this up please log a call on the IT Service Desk.

Please see the OneDrive for Business knowledge article for more detailed information.

Microsoft recommends the use Internet Explorer but other browsers such as Firefox and Chrome can also be used.

We are enabling OneDrive for Business as a solution for accessing, using, updating and sharing files from multiple locations and devices. OneDrive for Business is the service that allows you to do all of this seamlessly.

Please note that OneDrive for Business is for work purposes only – no personal information should be stored.

Yes, OneDrive for Business allows you to share files and folders with other current members of staff and students.

You can also share files with external contacts but they require access to OneDrive to receive the file.

OneDrive for Business can be used to store your general Office documents and other files. 

Please note that OneDrive for Business is for work purposes only – no personal information should be stored.

Open up OneDrive for Business in your browser and find the desired file. Right click on the three dot menu by the file and select ‘Share’. A new box will open which will display the people who you are currently sharing the document with.

Please see the OneDrive for Business knowledge article for more detailed information.

Yes, if you have shared a document then OneDrive for Business can do real-time online collaboration but you have to open the document in an Office online app.

In the upper right hand corner of the online app you will see when someone else is editing the file. You will also see a flag while the other person is typing.

When you delete a file, it goes into the OneDrive for Business Recycle Bin for 90 days. 

Note: After 90 days, it gets deleted permanently.

To get a file back from the recycle bin, open the OneDrive for Business recycle bin and find the deleted file. You may restore a file from there or permanently delete it.

Please check you have named your file correctly.

OneDrive for Business has certain file naming limitations that are shown below:

Character limits for files and folders

File names can have up to 128 characters

Folder names can have up to 256 characters

Folder name/file name combinations can have up to 260 characters in Folder and File Names

Syncing your files means that you will have a copy of your files on the computer you choose to sync with as well as in your OneDrive for Business space. You can save documents or other files directly to your local sync folder and the files will be "copied up" to your OneDrive for Business space.

From the Windows desktop sync client:

To sync your files, right click on the OneDrive for Business icon located on the system tray then click the ‘Sync now’ menu option. You can also pause, stop and sync a new library location.

From your OneDrive for Business web page:

Click on the ‘Sync’ icon located on the top ribbon bar and follow the instructions.

If you use a Mac device please see the Microsoft Support page on syncing your files.

How to view files in OneDrive for Business if using Windows 7 on campus

All data deposited in Swansea University’s OneDrive for Business service is stored within Microsoft’s data centres located in the EU. Swansea University retains full ownership and control over the data and is satisfied that the data is properly secured and protected.

The contractual agreements between Microsoft and Swansea University have been negotiated by the JISC on behalf of the UK HE sector and abide by all relevant UK and European legislation. In addition, the UK Government has granted Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Office 365 “OFFICIAL” accreditation. This means that they are accredited to hold or transact public sector data for business conducted at the OFFICIAL level of Security Classification.

OneDrive for Business apps are available for iOS, Android and Windows devices.

Simply search for ‘OneDrive for Business’ in the Play Store, iTunes Store or Windows Store and download to your device. Enter your Swansea University email and password when prompted.

All Office documents and other files stored in your OneDrive for Business space will become inaccessible to you when you leave Swansea University and will eventually be deleted.

It is therefore your responsibility to ensure that you obtain copies of any documents or files you may require after you leave the University, before your Swansea University account expires. For staff this is your contract end date and for students this is your course end date.

Important: OneDrive for Business is developed, operated and supported by Microsoft. This means that the University can only provide limited first line support and will forward more complex problems to Microsoft for resolution.

The OneDrive sync client is now installed on all University Lab PCs. This service ensures that the work you do on a University PC is saved to your OneDrive file store in the cloud. It’s important that you familiarise yourself as to how the OneDrive sync client works and what to do in the event of issues.

The OneDrive sync client ensures that when you save documents they are “synced” to your University OneDrive file store in the Microsoft cloud. On University PCs the client has also been configured to sync documents you save in the Documents, Desktop and Pictures folders to your OneDrive file store.

The OneDrive sync client has also been configured to use the “files on demand” service. This service ensures that only the files that you are working on are synced from your OneDrive file store to the computer you are working on and makes for a much faster experience when you access your documents via OneDrive.

When you first open file explorer you will see a cloud icon next to all your files and folders. This icon indicates that a file hasn’t yet been downloaded to the PC.

Only the files you are current working on will be synced to your PC, a green tick will appear next to the file to show this:

This icon in the bottom right of the screen shows the sync status of all your files stored in OneDrive. A static blue cloud means that all your files that you are currently working on are synced to your one drive file storage. If you are working on a non-Microsoft application, please save your work and then close the application and the sync will begin. You should wait for the sync to complete before logging off.

If the icon has changed to this it is in the process of syncing any files you have been working on.

If you have an issue, the icon will remain as this  and, when you can right click on the icon, you will see a Red tile with a message saying OneDrive needs your attention. A message box like the one below will be displayed.  Click on the OneDrive icon and the resolution area will be displayed.

If you follow the suggestions in the Resolution section, the file will then upload.

No, to minimise the risk of losing data you should wait until the sync completes. See “How does the new OneDrive “sync” client work on University Lab PCs?” question for more information on this.

Look for this icon

If you see this icon the files are still syncing

Yes, but consider whether this is the safest option to retain your data.

If for some reason you receive a OneDrive log in error when accessing a University PC, the University OneDrive for Business service is also available as a web service at My Apps.

You can open and work on many of the Microsoft applications such as Word and PowerPoint within the OneDrive online web page and this will automatically be saved to your OneDrive. These applications can also be opened in the Microsoft Office Desktop applications by clicking on “Open in Desktop App” and this will also be saved back to your OneDrive service:

Other application files can be downloaded from OneDrive to the University PC you are working on and these will, by default, appear in the download folder:

It’s important to remember that if you download your files to the PC you will need to upload them back to OneDrive when you have finished working on them.