Microsoft 365

OneDrive (Microsoft 365)

1. Before signing in to your Microsoft 365 account at portal.office.com, confirm your eligibility for an account.
2. To sign in, use your computingID@virginia.edu email and UVA password. Forgot Password?
3. Upon first login, be sure to select Work or school account as your account type when prompted.

Learn how to upload your files and folders in OneDrive.

Access via Desktop Application

The Microsoft Office desktop applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) have built-in support for OneDrive. If you have your Microsoft 365 account configured in the Office applications, you should see OneDrive as one of the locations you can use for opening/saving files.

• Open a file from OneDrive:
  
  1. Open one of the Office applications.
  2. Choose Open.
  3. Select OneDrive — University of Virginia.
  4. Navigate to the file you want to open.
• Save a file from OneDrive:
  
  1. Choose Save As.
  2. Select OneDrive — University of Virginia.
  3. Enter the filename, and save the file.
• Save a current file to a different location:
  
  1. Open the full Save As window by selecting More save options.
  2. Enter the file name, and save the file. (On a Mac, ensure the desired location is selected prior to saving.)

Access via a Web Browser

Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) apps can only save to OneDrive due to their tight integration. You can access OneDrive with a web browser by signing in at portal.office.com with your "computingID@virginia.edu" email. Once you are signed in, you will see the Microsoft 365 App Launcher which shows a series of tiles similar to the Windows start menu. There will be tiles for OneDrive as well as the Microsoft 365 applications. Clicking OneDrive will take you to your OneDrive where you will see all your files. You can open Microsoft 365 documents straight from this interface by simply clicking on them. They will open in the Microsoft 365 apps automatically.

Access via the Mobile App

You can access your Microsoft 365 and OneDrive documents in the "Microsoft 365 (Office)" app on mobile. Download the app >

Use the Business Sync App

You can install the OneDrive for Business sync app. See the instructions below. The sync app will provide access to a local copy of the files via Windows Explorer. Any changes to the local copies will be synced to OneDrive for Business, and if you update a file in OneDrive, the local copy will be updated as well.

Do you need the app?

Many people may find that they do not need the OneDrive for Business sync app, even if they previously used the Box sync client. Microsoft Office desktop applications include built-in support for OneDrive for Business, meaning that from Microsoft Word you can open and save files directly from/to OneDrive for Business without any additional software installed. In addition, when accessing OneDrive for Business on the web, documents can be opened directly in Microsoft 365 online. Taken together, these features may eliminate the need for the sync app in many situations.

How do I install?

If you have Windows 10 or Office 2019 (or later) installed, then you already have the sync app and just need to configure it for your Microsoft 365 account.

How to install and configure the OneDrive for Business sync app on:

• Windows
• macOS

I have the sync app installed, but I'm not seeing updates in my sync folder.

Check to see if the onedrive.exe process is running, or if you see the icon for OneDrive in the notification area. If not, sign in to portal.office.com with your "computingID@virginia.edu" email and go to OneDrive in the launcher, and when OneDrive opens, click Sync and then sign in when prompted.

Sharing From OneDrive

The OneDrive application connected to your UVA Microsoft 365 account, aka OneDrive for Business, enables users to share stored files with anyone inside or outside UVA and allows the recipient to review or co-edit in real-time.

For suggestions, see Sharing Files with UVA Students.

For instructions with screenshots, see Microsoft's Share OneDrive files and folders.

Security-Related Sharing Restrictions

OneDrive for Business users have the option to restrict the level of access to:

• Anyone with the link.
• Only people within your organization.
• Only people with existing access to the file.
• Only individuals you specify.

Share a File or Folder

1. Upon first login to OneDrive for Business through your UVA Microsoft 365 account, you may be prompted to identify your account type. Select For Work or School. 
2. With a file open or a file or folder selected in OneDrive, select Share.
   
   • If you are working on your desktop and the file has not been saved to OneDrive or SharePoint, select a location you want to upload your file.
3. Select the down arrow to choose permissions for the link you will be sharing. Options include:
   
   • Anyone (if your organization allows it).
     
     • The option to edit is not available when using the Anyone option. Recipients are not required to have a Microsoft 365, OneDrive, or SharePoint account and can access the content without having to enter a passcode or sign in. However, recipients can forward the link to others, and anyone who receives the link will be able to view and access the content.
   • People in your organization.
   • Specific people.
4. Select Apply to save the permissions.
5. Choose whether you prefer to share via email or a sharing link:
6. Share via Email Address
   
   1. Enter the name or email address of people you want to share with.
   2. Type a message.
   3. Select Send.
7. Create a sharing link. (Select one of the two following options).
   
   • Select Copy Link, and then send the link in an email or add it to a file.
   • If you want a secure link that only works for the people you invite, select Specific people in Link settings when creating a sharing link. The recipients will need to verify their identity before they can view content. This process depends on their account type, as described below:

Recipient does not have a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Recipients are not required to sign up for a Microsoft 365, OneDrive, or SharePoint account. When someone without a Microsoft 365 account attempts to access the content, OneDrive or SharePoint will send a one-time passcode to their email address to verify their identity. Once they receive the code and enter it into the verification screen, they can open the file. The link only works for people you specify when sharing and will not work if forwarded to others, ensuring your content is secure.

Recipient has a Microsoft 365 subscription.

When someone with a Microsoft 365 attempts to access the content, OneDrive or SharePoint asks them to sign in to their account and requests permission to see their name, email address, and photo to verify their identity. In some cases, the recipient may need to follow the steps above and provide a passcode instead of signing in.

When you are done collaborating, or at any time, you can stop sharing and remove access to your files. Simply select the file in OneDrive or SharePoint, and then go to Details > Manage access to stop sharing.

For added security, you can remove editing permission and turn on Block download in Link settings.

To use OneNote has a built-in function to move notebooks to OneDrive, follow these steps:

1. Make sure you have your Microsoft 365 account configured in OneNote.
2. Select the notebook you want to move.
3. Click on File and then Share.
4. Select your OneDrive (it may already be selected).
5. Click Browse and select a folder.
6. Enter a name.
7. Click the Move button as shown in the screenshot below:
   
   

With 5 TB of storage space available, most people will never have to worry about OneDrive for Business space.

Check your storage space: 

1. Sign in to portal.office.com with your "computingID@virginia.edu" email.
2. Click OneDrive in the App Launcher.
3. In the upper-right side of the screen, click the gear icon.
4. Click "Site settings."
5. On the Site settings page, click Storage Metrics in the right-hand column (see screenshot below).
6. On the Storage Metrics page, you can see your total used/available space in the upper right, as well as detailed information about the amount of space used by each folder and file.

Third-Party Integrations

There are third-party applications that integrate with and use OneDrive. Before they are enabled for use in OneDrive they must be reviewed for license compliance, security, and compatibility with other applications. If there is an application you would like to use with OneDrive, request review of a third-party application for use with OneDrive.

If you deleted one file:

OneDrive for Business includes a Recycle Bin that can help you recover items that were accidentally deleted. If you're using the sync app and you delete a file using Windows Explorer, the file can be recovered using the Windows Recycle Bin, which is the easiest method. If you're not using the sync app, or if you delete a file/folder that isn't being synced, you can recover the file using the OneDrive for Business Recycle Bin. To access the OneDrive for Business Recycle bin, sign in at portal.office.com (with your "computingID@virginia.edu" email) and select OneDrive from the App Launcher. In the left-hand navigation bar click Recycle Bin and you should see a list of deleted files. From there you can select one or more files or folders and restore them to their original location by clicking the Restore button. See the screenshot below. Files are available to restore for up to 90 days from the date they were deleted. After 90 days they are removed from the Recycle Bin and can no longer be restored.

If you deleted multiple files:

Help is on the way! A feature called Files Restore allows you to easily restore your own OneDrive to a previous point in time. Learn more about the Files Restore feature.
ITS has this functionality in our production tenant, which means anyone with Microsoft 365 OneDrive in the UVA Academic environment can use it. This could be a good way to also recover from ransomware/cryptolocker, or an accidental deletion of a folder or group of files. See the screenshot below:

• Faculty & Staff: OneDrive files/folders, which are University records, will be removed as part of an automated de-provisioning process for faculty and staff. Before departing, move documents you want to keep from OneDrive.
• Retirees: Retirees who choose to continue to maintain their email mailbox with ITS are not licensed to use OneDrive (or any of the other tools like Groups and Teams) after leaving UVA. Some retirees may initially see some of these options being "enabled" for their accounts; these features will subsequently be turned off upon ongoing account and licensing reviews. Note: Retirees from Darden/Law need to contact their respective help desks.
• Students: you will have 180 days to move any documents you want to keep from OneDrive. Students are also given the option to transition their UVA Microsoft 365 account to a Microsoft 365 Personal account. (Cost with UVA alumni discount: $12 for 12 months). Check your Microsoft 365 Personal account eligibility.

View more about how leaving UVA impacts access to tools in the IT Checklist for Leaving UVA.

Yes, there are records and data retention policies that you be aware of and abide by while at UVA.

• Electronic Records Policies
  • Employees should carefully consider where to store University records.
  • Highly Sensitive Data should not be stored in OneDrive, Teams, or SharePoint.
  • University and collaborative documents that need to be retained after the owner leaves UVA should not be stored in OneDrive, as the data may be lost after the person leaves UVA. Learn more about the Microsoft 365 grace period in the What happens to my files in OneDrive if I leave UVA? FAQ.
• Electronically Stored Information (ESI) Policies

For questions about these policies, contact Records and Information Management at records@virginia.edu.