Organize, Share, Sync: Mastering OneDrive and SharePoint at KAUST

OneDrive and SharePoint are essential collaboration tools used across the KAUST community. They keep your files secure, enable smooth teamwork, and ensure you always have access to the most up to date version of your work. To get the best experience, it is important to understand how these platforms behave, how they store information, and how your team should manage structure and permissions.

This guide brings together key best practices to help you avoid common issues, improve collaboration, and build sustainable, well organized digital workspaces.

1. Store Files the Right Way: Naming, Paths, and Folder Structure

OneDrive and SharePoint support a wide range of files, but they follow specific rules to ensure everything syncs smoothly across devices and platforms.

File name and path rules

Avoid deep, complicated folder nesting

Long folder chains make it hard to find content and increase the risk of hitting path limits or causing sync failures. For example:

Department > Year > Sub-Year > Project > Subproject > Drafts > Final > Final v2 > Final v3
    

Use multiple document libraries instead of endless folders

In a SharePoint site, you can create multiple libraries, each focused on a particular theme or process. For example:

2. Manage Permissions the Right Way Using SharePoint Groups

Permissions are critical for security and collaboration. A simple, well structured approach keeps things predictable and easier to support.

Create groups first, without permissions

When you create a new SharePoint group, start with no access at all. Do not immediately grant it site wide permissions. Instead, treat the group as an empty container that you can later connect to specific libraries.

Assign permissions at the library level

• Grant access to document libraries instead of individual folders.
• Let permissions cascade to all folders and files underneath.
• Keep your structure simple and transparent for the team.

Folder level permissions should only be used in rare, exceptional cases, because they are harder to track and maintain.

3. Use OneDrive and SharePoint for the Right Types of Files

OneDrive and SharePoint are designed for collaborative work, not as general purpose storage for every type of data.

KAUST provides specialized research storage for large scale datasets and HPC outputs. OneDrive and SharePoint are best used for the documentation, reports, and collaboration that surround that work.

Meeting recordings: be intentional

• Keep only recordings for high value or critical meetings.
• Use limited retention instead of keeping everything indefinitely.
• Summarize decisions and actions in written minutes, and share those with the team.

4. Establish Clear Team Sharing Rules

KAUST IT provides the platform and security controls, but each team is responsible for deciding how sharing and access should work for their own operations.

Questions your team should answer

• Who should have read only access to which libraries?
• Who needs edit access, and for which areas?
• Who can approve new access requests?
• How long should shared links remain active?
• What content can be shared externally, if any?
• What must remain internal to KAUST?

External collaboration

If you need to collaborate with external partners, such as neom.com or aramco.com, you must submit an IT ticket with:

• The URL of the SharePoint site where collaboration will take place.
• The external domain or domains that need access.

IT will then enable external sharing for that specific site, following KAUST security standards.

Review your permissions periodically, especially when people join or leave the team, or when projects start and end.

5. Understand How OneDrive Syncs SharePoint Libraries

Even though the desktop application is called OneDrive, it syncs both OneDrive and SharePoint content to your laptop or desktop, on both Windows and macOS.

Syncing SharePoint libraries to your device

1. Open the SharePoint library in your browser.
2. Select Sync from the toolbar.
3. Allow the OneDrive app to open and connect.
4. Access the synced library in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (macOS) under your organization name.

This lets you open files directly from your device, work offline, and have changes sync automatically to the cloud.

Avoid syncing shortcuts

The feature called Add shortcut to OneDrive can cause confusion and sync issues. Shortcuts can break if folders are renamed, and they do not behave like full library syncs.

What the OneDrive icons mean

Sync is two way. Changes you make on your device are reflected in the cloud, and changes made in the cloud sync down to your device once it is online.

To avoid performance issues, only sync the libraries you use regularly and remove sync connections you no longer need.

6. How OneDrive, SharePoint, and Microsoft Teams Work Together

Many people are unsure where files live when they use Teams. Understanding the relationship between Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive helps keep content organized.

Files that belong to a team or project should live in SharePoint libraries, not in personal OneDrive locations created from chat messages.

7. The Difference Between OneDrive and SharePoint

OneDrive and SharePoint use the same underlying technology, but they have different roles in your work.

8. Use Metadata and Views to Organize Content

Folders are familiar, but they are not always the best way to structure large libraries. Metadata provides a more flexible and powerful way to organize information.

Examples of useful metadata

You can then create views such as:

• "By Year" to show files grouped by year.
• "By Project" to show content for a specific initiative.
• "Final Only" to show only finished documents.
• "By Owner" to see who is responsible for which files.

Metadata and views help keep libraries usable as they grow, without having to constantly rearrange folders.

9. Use Version History and Restore Options for Safety

OneDrive and SharePoint automatically protect your work with version history and restore tools.

Version history

• View previous versions of a file.
• Restore an older version if needed.
• Compare how a document has changed over time.
• Recover from accidental edits or overwrites.

Restore your OneDrive or a SharePoint library

If something serious goes wrong, such as a large deletion or corruption, you can restore:

• Your entire OneDrive to a previous point in time.
• An entire SharePoint document library to a previous state.

This provides a safety net that is much stronger than traditional shared network drives.

10. Learning Resources for the KAUST Community

For those who want to go deeper, there are high quality learning resources available through LinkedIn Learning (via KAUST) and Microsoft Learn.

LinkedIn Learning (KAUST provided access)

• Learning SharePoint Online
• Microsoft OneDrive Essential Training
• SharePoint Tips and Tricks
• Collaboration with Microsoft Teams and SharePoint

Microsoft Learn (free)

• Manage files and content in Microsoft 365
• SharePoint Online fundamentals
• OneDrive for Business essentials
• Introduction to Teams and SharePoint integration
• Configure file access, sharing, and permissions in Microsoft 365

Bringing it all together

Using OneDrive and SharePoint effectively at KAUST is about more than where you click. It is about thoughtful structure, consistent sharing habits, and clear team agreements on how content should be stored and accessed.

By following these best practices, you can reduce sync problems, keep information secure, and make it easier for the KAUST community to find and use the content they need every day.