Microsoft OneDrive Student Guide

Set up a UBC Microsoft account

To get a UBC Microsoft account, you need to be a registered, active UBC student and follow the opt-in process below. Once you opt in, you do not need to follow the process again.

1. You will first create a new UBC email address that uses your UBC CWL (Campus-Wide Login). This email will look like "CWL@student.ubc.ca" (where "CWL" is replaced with your actual CWL username), and it will serve as your UBC Microsoft account.
2. To create this email address, sign in to the UBC CWL myAccount page.
3. If you have privacy concerns about sharing your CWL with others through this new email address, you may anonymize your CWL first. To do so, click Rename CWL in the navigation and follow the steps.
4. When you are ready, click Activate Student Email in the navigation.
5. After reading the terms and conditions, click Accept.
6. It may take up to 48 hours before your account becomes active. Once your account is active, you can access Microsoft OneDrive (as well as Microsoft Teams) with this new email address and your UBC CWL password.

Install the Microsoft OneDrive application

Log in to the Microsoft OneDrive web interface

These instructions are not required if you will be using the Microsoft OneDrive application.

1. Go to portal.office.com in your web browser.
2. Enter your CWL@student.ubc.ca email (where "CWL" is replaced with your actual CWL username) when prompted for your work, school, or Microsoft account.
3. Click Apps in the left-hand navigation.
4. Select OneDrive from the dashboard, and the interface will open in a new window.

Add files to Microsoft OneDrive

You can add, edit, and delete files through both your OneDrive folder (if you installed the application to set this up) and the web interface. Files in Microsoft OneDrive will sync in one place no matter how you access them (e.g., a computer, a mobile device, the web interface).

Options for adding files

• If you installed the application, you can add files to Microsoft OneDrive by dragging and dropping them into your OneDrive folder.
• You can also save new files directly to Microsoft OneDrive. If you installed the application, choose your OneDrive folder when you select where to save the new file. If you didn’t install the application, choose the "OneDrive – UBC" online destination.
• After logging in to the web interface, you can add files to Microsoft OneDrive using the New (to create a new file) or Upload (to upload an existing file) options at the top.

Share files on Microsoft OneDrive

One of the most useful aspects of Microsoft OneDrive is the ability to synchronously share files with other people. You can all collaborate in one spot, without having to exchange multiple versions of the same document and manually merge changes from different contributors.

By default, files and folders you store on Microsoft OneDrive are accessible only by you unless you share them. You can see who files are shared with and modify the sharing at any time.

1. Launch the share settings for a file:
   • If you installed the application, you can manage the sharing of an individual file by right-clicking it in your OneDrive folder and choosing Share. (Select the share option that has the OneDrive icon next to it.)
   • Alternatively, after logging in to the web interface, select an individual file and click Share at the top.
2. Once you've launched the share settings, you can choose who should see and/or edit the file. To find people at UBC, use their first name, last name, or email address.
3. Click Send for the specified people to receive an invitation through their UBC email.

Access a file shared with you in Microsoft OneDrive

You will receive an email notification from Microsoft OneDrive or from the person sharing with you when a new file is available.

1. Click Open or the link, and you will be directed to a new tab in your browser.
2. If prompted, log in to Microsoft OneDrive with your CWL@student.ubc.ca email (where “CWL” is replaced with your CWL).

Collaborate with classmates in Microsoft OneDrive

If you’ll be working with classmates on group assignments or other coursework, you can use Microsoft OneDrive to track your collaboration in several ways.

• When you are working on a shared document, if anyone else is also working on it at the same time, you'll be able to see them as an icon at the top of the document. Clicking that profile icon will give you the option to jump to where they are working in the document.
• Each shared file has something called a version history. This history tracks changes and saves different versions over time. You can see who made which edits and restore or save older versions.
  • View the history of any shared document when you are in it by clicking the file name at the top, and selecting Version History. You can restore previous edits to the document while viewing the history.