OneDrive Wiki: Microsoft Cloud Storage Explained

OneDrive is a cloud storage service provided by Microsoft, allowing users to store and access files from anywhere. It's a great tool for collaboration and sharing files with others.

OneDrive offers 5 GB of free storage space, making it a convenient option for personal use. This amount of storage can be expanded with a subscription to Microsoft 365.

With OneDrive, you can access your files from any device with an internet connection, making it a great option for those who need to work on the go. This feature is especially useful for students and professionals who need to access files from multiple locations.

OneDrive also integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft services, such as Office Online and Outlook. This integration makes it easy to share files and collaborate with others in real-time.

The OneDrive client app allows users to browse, view and organize files stored on their OneDrive cloud storage across various platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows 8, Windows 10, and Xbox One.

OneDrive also offers automatic camera photo upload on Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 8 versions, making it easy to store memories.

You can access your OneDrive account directly from Windows 8.1 through File Explorer, eliminating the need for a separate OneDrive app.

The OneDrive app has a built-in local file manager, making it easy to manage your files.

Here are the current versions of the OneDrive client app for different platforms:

OneDrive can use geo-location data for photos uploaded to the service, and will automatically display a map of the tagged location.

This feature is really useful for keeping track of where you took your photos. It's like having a digital map of your memories.

OneDrive also allows users to tag people in photos uploaded via the web interface or via Windows Photo Gallery.

I've used this feature to tag my friends and family in photos from special events, and it's great for sharing memories with others.

Photos uploaded to OneDrive can be played as an automatic slideshow.

This is a great way to enjoy your photos without having to manually create a slideshow. Just upload your photos and let OneDrive do the work.

On 22 June 2021, Microsoft rolled out online photo editing and file organization features for OneDrive.

These new features make it easier to manage and edit your photos right from within OneDrive.

OneDrive client apps are available for various platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows 10 Mobile, Windows Phone, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

The OneDrive client app allows users to browse, view, and organize files stored on their OneDrive cloud storage.

Microsoft has released desktop applications for Microsoft Windows (Vista and later) and macOS (10.7 Lion and later) that synchronize OneDrive storage with computers for offline access.

The OneDrive client for Windows allows users to "fetch" the contents of their PCs via the web browser, provided the user enabled this option.

macOS users can fetch from a PC, but not vice versa.

The Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 8 versions allow camera photos to automatically be uploaded to OneDrive.

Here's a list of OneDrive client app versions for different platforms:

OneDrive is integrated into Windows 8.1 and later, Microsoft Office 2010 and later, as well as the Office and Photos hub in Windows Phone, enabling users to access documents, photos, and videos stored on their OneDrive account.

The OneDrive app was also updated to include a local file manager.

Unlike on Windows 8, use of OneDrive on Windows 8.1 requires the user's Windows account be linked to a Microsoft account; the previous OneDrive desktop client (which did not have this requirement) no longer works on Windows 8.1.

Personal Vault is a protected area in OneDrive where you can store your most important or sensitive files and photos.

It's designed to keep your valuable files safe without sacrificing the convenience of anywhere access.

Personal Vault requires a strong authentication method or a second step of identity verification to access your files.

You can use a fingerprint, face, PIN, or a code sent via email or SMS for this extra layer of security.

Personal Vault is not available in the macOS app, so if you're using a Mac, you won't be able to access this feature.

As of July 2018, new users get 5 GB of free storage for OneDrive.

You can get additional storage by purchasing it, but that's not the only option. In June 2019, Microsoft announced that it would increase the OneDrive standalone storage plan from 50 GB to 100 GB at no additional charge.

Power users who required more storage could choose from one of four paid storage plans starting from September 23, 2013. These plans were introduced as part of the service's re-launch as OneDrive.

OneDrive's default storage was increased to 15 GB in June 2014, putting it in line with its competitor Google Drive. This increase was a significant boost to users' storage capacity.

You can earn up to 5 GB of free storage for referring new users to OneDrive, by getting them to sign up and use the service. This is a great way to get more storage without spending a dime.

Office 365 subscribers also receive additional storage for use with OneDrive, with 20 GB per user. This is a nice bonus for those who already subscribe to the service.

OneDrive for Business is a managed cloud storage service designed specifically for business users. It's a different entity from OneDrive, which is a personal storage service on the web.

OneDrive for Business replaces SharePoint Workspace and offers a secure storage solution for businesses. The physical medium on which the information is stored can be either hosted on-premises or purchased as a service subscription from Microsoft.

Businesses can choose to host their information on-premises or subscribe to a service from Microsoft. This flexibility makes OneDrive for Business a convenient option for companies with varying storage needs.

OneDrive for Business has a history, previously known as SkyDrive Pro before Microsoft rebranded it. This change reflects the evolving needs of businesses and the importance of cloud storage in the modern workplace.

Microsoft continues to improve OneDrive for Business, adding features like photo editing and file organization. These enhancements make it easier for businesses to manage their files and collaborate with team members.

OneDrive for Business is a reliable solution for businesses, offering a secure and scalable storage option.

OneDrive and Microsoft are closely tied, with OneDrive being a cloud storage service developed by Microsoft. OneDrive allows users to store and access their files from anywhere with an internet connection.

Microsoft acquired SkyDrive, a cloud storage service, in 2012 and rebranded it as OneDrive in 2014. This move marked a significant expansion of Microsoft's cloud storage offerings.

OneDrive is deeply integrated with Microsoft Office, allowing users to access and edit their Office documents directly from the cloud. This seamless integration has made OneDrive a popular choice for individuals and businesses alike.

You can directly open or save documents to OneDrive, or simultaneously edit shared documents with other users, starting with Microsoft Office 2010 and Microsoft Office for Mac 2011.

Changes are synchronized when a document is saved and, where conflicts occur, the saving user can choose which version to keep.

Users can also use several different desktop and web programs to edit the same shared document.

Microsoft OneNote users can sync one or more of their notebooks using OneDrive.

Once a notebook is selected for sharing, OneDrive copies the notebook from the user's computer to OneDrive, and that online copy then becomes the original for all future changes.

The originating copy remains on the user's hard drive but is no longer updated by OneNote.

Users can switch back to an offline-only version of the notebook by manually changing its location in OneNote, but unpredictable results may occur, including the OneNote application crashing and loss of notebook data.

Under such circumstances, re-sharing the Notebook to OneDrive may result in recovery of the lost data.

OneDrive has been a part of Windows since Windows 8 and 8.1, where it was included as a Metro app.

In Windows 8 and 8.1, the Metro app allowed users to access their OneDrive files directly from their desktop.

The app was later renamed to Microsoft Drive in certain builds of Windows 8.1, but this change was short-lived.

It was renamed again to OneDrive in Windows 8.1 Update 1.

The Metro app was eventually replaced with the OneDrive desktop client in Windows 10.

Microsoft found itself in a lawsuit with British television broadcaster Sky UK over the use of the word "Sky". The High Court ruled in June 2013 that the service's brand breached Sky's trademark.

As a result of the settlement, Microsoft agreed to change the name of its cloud storage service from "SkyDrive" to "OneDrive". This change was made on most platforms on February 19, 2014, after an announcement on January 27.

File Management is a breeze with OneDrive. You can access and manage your files from anywhere, on any device, with a stable internet connection.

OneDrive allows you to store up to 5 GB of files for free, which is a great starting point for most users. You can upgrade your storage space as needed to accommodate more files.

File sharing is also a key feature of OneDrive, making it easy to collaborate with others on projects. You can share files and folders with specific people or groups, and even set permissions to control what they can do with the shared content.

Files On-Demand allows files to be synchronized with OneDrive without taking up disk space on your computer. This means you can access your files without cluttering your hard drive.

On Windows 10, this feature is particularly useful, as it enables you to see all your files in file listings without occupying any space.

In OneDrive, deleted files are stored in a "recycle bin" for a time, giving you a chance to recover them if needed.

This feature is especially useful for those who accidentally delete important files, as it prevents permanent loss.

Files in the recycle bin don't count towards your allocation, so you can breathe a sigh of relief if you're running low on storage space.

You can reinstate deleted files from the recycle bin until they're ultimately purged from OneDrive.

OneDrive initially didn't store previous versions of files, except for Microsoft Office formats.

This lack of version history was a major limitation, especially for users who needed to track changes to their files.

In July 2017, Microsoft OneDrive team announced that version history support for all file types would be added, making it the top requested feature.

This change allowed OneDrive to keep older versions of all files for up to 30 days, giving users a safety net in case they needed to revert to a previous version.

This feature has been a game-changer for many users, providing peace of mind and flexibility in managing their files.

OneDrive allows the viewing of documents in Portable Document Format (PDF) and Open Document Format (ODF), an XML-based file format supported by various word processing applications.

You can view and edit files in plain text format, such as text files and batch files, using OneDrive's online text editor.

Syntax highlighting and code completion are available for programming and markup languages like C#, Visual Basic, JavaScript, Windows PowerShell, CSS, HTML, XML, PHP, and Java.

OneDrive's online text editor includes a find-and-replace feature, making it easy to edit files on the go.

The search function in OneDrive supports search within PDF documents, so you can quickly find what you need.