Accessing your OneDrive and SharePoint files from one window
We’ve gone over the differences between OneDrive and SharePoint, and outlined the plan determining where to store your documents. You’re probably now thinking that you will need to switch back and forth between OneDrive and SharePoint to access your data. While you can switch back and forth, Microsoft makes it easier for you by providing access to both your OneDrive and SharePoint folders within the OneDrive window. We are going to refer to it as the OneDrive Dashboard.
This article explains how to access your data from both apps through the OneDrive Dashboard.
Article Index:
Initial Setup:
Sending/Receiving files:
IMPORTANT!
Until you follow SharePoint libraries, and create shortcuts to SharePoint folders, your OneDrive Dashboard will not have all of the items you see in the example below. The steps to follow libraries and to create these shortcuts are outlined in subsequent posts.
Accessing your SharePoint and OneDrive files and folders through the OneDrive Dashboard
You will not need to jump back and forth between SharePoint and OneDrive to access your data. The OneDrive Dashboard allows you to access both your own OneDrive data and your SharePoint libraries from a single window. The example below shows how this may look after you have configured it.
Note: Until you follow libraries, and create shortcuts to folders, your OneDrive Dashboard will not have all of the items you see in this example.
Let’s note some of the important elements of this example.
My OneDrive Work Folder
By default, you are presented with your “My files” view, as shown above. In the middle window pane, you are shown your OneDrive folders. In this example, John77 has only one: “John77’s Work Folder”. You can tell this by the plain folder icon (
). This folder contains all of John77’s OneDrive documents and is not shared with anyone else. This folder could be named anything, but in this plan yours will be named in the same way: with your username. Within the “<your username>’s Work Folder” you can create sub-folders and files to organize your files in a way that works for you.
Shortcuts to SharePoint folders
The other two folders with the shortcut icons (
) above are shortcuts to SharePoint folders. These folders exist in SharePoint libraries and are not part of John77’s OneDrive folders. John77 has linked them here so he does not have to drill down into a library to reach folders he frequently accesses. He has access to these folders based on the permissions set on SharePoint libraries. Other staff may have access to them as well, so they are not private to John77. Microsoft allows you to add shortcuts to your OneDrive Dashboard so that you can easily access most of your data from this one window. One of the next posts will walk you through adding these shortcuts.
Shared Libraries
The SharePoint libraries you are following (those that you regularly access) are also listed on the left side. In addition to the folders you have created shortcuts to (see above), you can access all folders within these shared libraries by simply clicking on their name.
Next Steps
Towards the end of this article you will find posts that show you how to:
- Locate (and “follow”) your SharePoint libraries
- Create shortcuts to those SharePoint library folders which you access frequently
However, if you have not finished going through this article for the first time, we recommend you continue by clicking the Next Post link below.
If you have questions about this, please let us know and we will be happy to assist you.
Take care,
