Storing your work in OneDrive instead of your local hard drive (or an old-school P drive) can help prevent lost saved files. Your files stay backed up automatically, sync across every university-issued device you use and are easy to recover if your device is lost, stolen or replaced.

Benefits of OneDrive over local storage

• Access anywhere: Open and edit your files from any university-issued device, not just the one you saved them on.
• Automatic backup: Files save to the cloud in the background, removing the need to manually save.
• Version history: Made a mistake or lost a section? Roll back to a previous version of a file in a couple clicks.
• Easy sharing: Share files and collaborate with colleagues without emailing attachments back and forth.
• Peace of mind: If your device fails or gets upgraded, you do not have to manually transfer any files stored on OneDrive.

Set up automatic backup on your Windows device

1. Find the OneDrive icon in the bottom-right corner of your Windows taskbar and select it.

2. Select Settings from the dropdown menu.

3. Select Manage backup.

4. Your Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders back up to OneDrive by default. Use the toggle next to each folder to turn backup on or off, then select Start backup (or Save changes if backup is already running).

Check out our How to share a OneDrive file tip for step-by-step sharing instructions.