Drake University uses Microsoft OneDrive and Microsoft Teams as the standard cloud storage solution for anywhere/anytime file access, editing, and collaboration. All other cloud storage solutions are unsupported. This article provides general information for accessing OneDrive content from a Drake-owned Windows PC.
Students, faculty, and staff can use OneDrive to access their Drake files anywhere an Internet connection is available. Students can even use OneDrive to store and access their own files from Drake's computer labs and virtual desktop environment. Faculty who configure OneDrive on their classroom computers can access instructional material prepared from their office or even from home.
Be sure you have followed instructions to Configure OneDrive for Windows and have also read Getting Started with OneDrive.
Accessing OneDrive on Windows
Students may need to open Desktop, Documents, Downloads, and other common folders from "OneDrive - Drake University" in their Windows navigation to access their OneDrive files. Faculty and staff who store files on their Desktop or in their Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and Videos (aka "Movies" on Macs) folders won't need to change how they access files. The OneDrive Assistant used to Configure OneDrive for Windows prepares these folders for OneDrive.
Be sure to save into these common folders. Files on your computer and synchronized to OneDrive are safely preserved should anything happen to your computer. You no longer need removable storage such as USB memory sticks and should avoid their use as much as possible.
Faculty and staff can use Windows to open and work with files as they would normally. Status icons on files and folders (depicted below) demonstrate that a person is working in OneDrive. If you don't see the status icons or items in your Desktop, Documents, Downloads, etc. look different than you are expecting, it's possible some configuration remains. If so, submit a Microsoft Teams/File Storage Issue ticket.
- Open your Desktop, Documents, and other folders as you might normally.
- These common folders should be the same as those under OneDrive - Drake University.
- Storing and editing files in these locations safely maintains them in OneDrive.
