You may have heard of Microsoft Office 365’s One Drive and SharePoint; both are great tools for file storage, sharing, and collaboration. But how do you know which tool is right for you?

This article addresses the main differences between the two, guides you through the key features and how to select the right tool, or how to use them both in conjunction for a seamless collaborative experience. (In fact, this very article was written and quality checked using Microsoft 365!)

What is OneDrive and how do we use it at KAUST?

Microsoft OneDrive is cloud storage that you can get to from anywhere, on any device with 50GB of storage free of charge. It helps you stay organized, access your important documents, photos, and other files from any device, and share those files with friends, family, or coworkers. Instead of emailing files back and forth or running into trouble sending large files, share with OneDrive. When you do, people will receive a link to the files or folder. Rest assured that everything you put in your OneDrive is private until you share it. Need more space, open a ticket with the IT Service Desk and let us know why and we can increase this up to 1TB.

What is SharePoint and how do we use it at KAUST?

At KAUST, we use SharePoint to create Team Sites, which provide you with 500 GB of shared storage; these are internal websites accessible only by your assigned KAUST team members on the KAUST network or through VPN. You can use the Team sites as a secure place to store, organize, share, and access information from any device for internal document collaboration and co-authoring with your team or colleagues across KAUST. Need more space, open a ticket with the IT Service Desk and let us know why and we can increase this up to 1TB.

You can create and share lists or create a document library to help you track issues, assets, routines, contacts, inventory, and more. Start from a template, Excel file, or from scratch; for more info, see Create a list in SharePoint or Create a document library in SharePoint.

So, wait, where should I save files? OneDrive or SharePoint?

If you’re working on a file by yourself, save it to OneDrive. Your OneDrive files are private unless you share them with others, which is particularly useful if you haven’t created a team yet.

If you’re already working as a team — in Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or Outlook—you should save your files where your team works, because OneDrive for work or school connects you to all your shared libraries, too.

When you need a new shared location to store team files, create a shared library right from OneDrive, add members, and start working together. These libraries are accessible within Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook. And it’s easy to copy or move files where you and others need them.

Note: If you don't see the option to create a shared library from OneDrive, read Create a document library from SharePoint or Move or copy files in SharePoint.

What's the difference between OneDrive and SharePoint?

OneDrive is the files experience for Microsoft 365 and SharePoint, giving you access to all your work or school files, including the files that people share with you directly or through the teams you're working on. OneDrive provides a consistent, intuitive files experience across all your devices, including web, mobile, and the desktop of your Windows PC or Mac.

Behind the scenes, SharePoint in Microsoft 365 provides the content services for all files in Microsoft 365, including files you work with in Teams, Yammer, and Outlook. SharePoint is always there, helping manage and protect your files, and powering content collaboration across Microsoft 365. And beyond files, SharePoint enables portals, news, pages, lists, and a platform for business apps.

With both OneDrive and SharePoint in Microsoft 365, your files are stored in the cloud. You can sync either OneDrive or SharePoint files to your computer.

See Sync OneDrive files or sync SharePoint files for more info.

How do I move documents from OneDrive to SharePoint?

Sometimes documents that you start by yourself grow in importance and become relevant to a project. When that happens, it may make sense to copy or move files from OneDrive to SharePoint.

How can I troubleshoot common issues when moving documents from OneDrive for work or school?

There are a few issues to keep in mind when moving documents from OneDrive and a shared library:

• The steps for copying or moving files can vary between versions of OneDrive and SharePoint. For more info, see Move or copy files in SharePoint.
• Hyperlinks to the original document stop working, because you’ve deleted the document in OneDrive. You may want to share the document you moved to the team site to give people on the site an updated, working link.
• If people followed the original document, links in their newsfeed to that document will stop working. To restore this association, people will need to follow the document in its new location.
• You might want to replace the original document in OneDrive with one that simply gives a link to the new file, and announces the new location.

How do I access my KAUST Microsoft Office 365 account?

Everyone at KAUST with a KAUST account has an Office 365 account; to access the landing page, please visit: portal.office.com and enter your KAUST email address (firstname.lastname@kaust.edu.sa) this will then take you to our ADFS Single Sign On page where you will be prompted to login now with your KAUST login credentials.

How do I access OneDrive and SharePoint on my different devices?

On your PC or Mac

The OneDrive folder on your computer always keeps your files up-to-date; this application is used for both your OneDrive and SharePoint libraries. Anything you add or edit in there gets synced via the cloud to your other devices or people you've shared with. Get OneDrive for PC or Mac

On the Web

Access your files anywhere you have internet access. Log in at portal.office.com to view and share any file or create Office documents right from your browser.

On your phone or tablet

No matter where you are, your files are always within reach with the OneDrive mobile apps for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.

OneDrive Mobile Application | SharePoint Mobile Application

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