OneDrive for Business and Microsoft Office Online are available through your Office 365 account, providing cloud storage along with online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. HKUST’s OneDrive storage is designed for storing university-related documents online, enabling easy access from your PC/Mac, tablet, phone, or any web browser. You can also share files with others and sync them with your workstations.
Please refer to the User Accounts page for details on storage limits and settings based on your account type.
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Staff / Student with valid ITSO Account can access their OneDrive for Business via the following ways:
- Access OneDrive online via a web browser (recommend using the latest version of Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari)
- Access OneDrive folders and files using File Explorer (recommend upgrade to Microsoft 365 apps as OneDrive Sync Client is already included)
- Access OneDrive via different mobile devices (using the OneDrive Mobile App)
Depending on your need and preference, you can always access to OneDrive via a web browser only (edit files using the Office Online). However, if you prefer to edit files using Microsoft Office and save them to your OneDrive directly, you will need to upgrade to Microsoft 365 apps.
Install the OneDrive Mobile App only if you have the need to access them via mobile devices.
In order to further strengthen access to your files stored in OneDrive for business, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is required during sign in.
Access OneDrive Online via web browser
After signed in to http://portal.office.com (see Getting Started if you are new to Office 365), you can access to OneDrive, Word Online, Excel Online, PowerPoint Online through the app launcher.
Click on the app to:
- create and share Office documents (Word Online, Excel Online, PowerPoint Online)
- store, open, and share online files
With Office online, you can work together at the same time and see each other’s changes immediately. Since Office Online runs in your web browser, there’s nothing to setup even you don’t have an Office application installed. Details please refer to Using OneDrive for Business.
Access your files via file explorer (Need OneDrive Sync Client)
Users are recommended to upgrade to Microsoft 365 app (OneDrive Sync Client included) as it is the latest version of Microsoft Office.
- Check OneDrive version
- Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area, and then select More > Settings.
- Select the About tab and see the version number under About Microsoft OneDrive.
- Install the latest version of OneDrive app from https://onedrive.com/download if it is not the latest version.
Launch the OneDrive app and sign in with your email address:
- Get started with the OneDrive sync client (Windows)
- Sync files with the OneDrive sync client on Mac OS X
- Learn about OneDrive Files On-Demand
Using OneDrive for Business
With OneDrive for Business, you can:
- Upload files and folders in OneDrive for Business
- Sync your Documents, Pictures, and Desktop folders with OneDrive (replacment of inSync Backup)
- Share OneDrive files and folders
- Use Mobile and Mac for OneDrive
- Document collaboration and co-authoring
You can get more useful information from Microsoft's support pages:
For the OneDrive mobile app, see Troubleshoot OneDrive mobile app problems. When sharing to external guest users, please note that the verification email might deliver to the Junk E-mail folder and you can ask the guest users to check email in their Junk E-mail folder if necessary.
Limitation of OneDrive
Details please refers to Restrictions and limitations in OneDrive and SharePoint.
OneDrive for Business can be used to store data classified as high-risk under the HKUST Guideline for Risk Classification.
The following pre-cautions must be taken.
- If you will sign in with your school account on OneDrive Sync client installed on non-office computers, be aware that that data might be synchronized to devices outside the campus network. Please encrypt your high-risk data before putting them into OneDrive for Business.
- Please follow the following precautions on mobile devices if there are high-risk data:
- Enable screen lock with your mobile device
- Enable passcode protection with your OneDrive App (under settings --> password)
- Never save an offline copy in your mobile device
- Reset your password and wipe your mobile in case loss of your mobile
- What do the OneDrive icons mean?
- Add / Remove shortcuts to shared folders
- Acceptable Practices for Handling High Risk data
- Invalid file names and file types in OneDrive for Business and SharePoint
- Migrating Netdrive to Shared Library from OneDrive or Departmental SharePoint
- Migrating from inSync backup to Microsoft OneDrive Data protection
- Shared Library for Document Sharing