The KAUST Information Technology Department blog
10 August, 2026
Your files may look like they are all in one place. They are not.
A file may live on your computer, in OneDrive, in Google Drive, or in SharePoint. It may also appear in several places at once because it is being synced.
Common questions
Where is this file actually stored?
If I delete it here, does it disappear everywhere?
Is sync the same as backup?
These terms often get mixed together, but each one does a different job.
Storage
Where the file lives.
Sync
Keeps connected files up to date.
Recovery
Helps get deleted or changed files back.
Backup
Adds another layer of protection.
Think of synced files as connected. If you change something in one place, that change is designed to appear in the other.
Create
The new file can appear elsewhere.
Edit
Changes can appear on other devices.
Rename
The new name can appear everywhere.
Delete
The deletion can also sync.
Sync does not create a separate safety copy.
OneDrive, Google Drive, and SharePoint can all make cloud files appear inside File Explorer on Windows or Finder on macOS.
They may look local, but if they are synced, changes made on your computer can also affect the cloud version.
Seeing a file on your computer does not mean it exists only there.
SharePoint files often belong to a team. You may connect a whole document library, a specific folder, or several SharePoint locations to your computer.
If you delete a synced SharePoint file from File Explorer or Finder, the deletion can also be sent back to SharePoint and affect everyone using that location.
Before deleting, ask: Do I no longer need this file, or does the team no longer need this file?
Problems can happen when the same SharePoint content is connected in more than one way.
Avoid connecting a specific folder and then also connecting the larger library that contains it. Also avoid adding a OneDrive shortcut to content that is already connected another way.
OneDrive and Google Drive can keep the same files available across several computers.
That means you can work on a desktop in your office, then continue from your laptop without copying files back and forth yourself.
Connected files stay in sync. They are not separate backup copies.
Some areas in File Explorer and Finder simply help you find files faster.
These views usually point to the original file. Deleting something from Recents, for example, may delete the real file wherever it is stored.
Deleted files usually go to the Recycle Bin.
Normally kept for up to 93 days.
Deleted files go to Trash.
Normally kept for 30 days.
Files first go to the Recycle Bin, then may move to the second-stage Recycle Bin.
Total retention is normally 93 days from the original deletion.
Atempo Lina is KAUST's backup service for files stored locally on your computer.
OneDrive, Google Drive, and SharePoint focus on cloud storage and sync. Lina protects selected local folders so they can be restored if something goes wrong.
Installed does not mean protected
You still need to choose which local folders Lina should back up.
General rule: use Lina for important files that stay local to your computer. Files already synced with OneDrive, Google Drive, or SharePoint usually do not need to be added again.
Mainly for me?
Use OneDrive or Google Drive.
For a team?
Use the appropriate shared location, such as SharePoint.
Need it on several computers?
Use sync.
Only on this computer?
Consider protecting it with Atempo Lina.
The key thing to remember
A file appearing in File Explorer or Finder does not necessarily mean it exists only on your computer.
Before moving, renaming, or deleting a file, know where it really lives.
