Changes to storage limits
On Dec 18, 2023, ITS announced changes to cloud storage account limits. USC OneDrive accounts will be limited to 250GB for individuals, and 100GB for iVIPs and shared org accounts. We will update our documentation once we have more details.
For more information, see ITS's page on Google and Microsoft changes.
Overview
This guide covers questions we frequently get about using Microsoft OneDrive for file storage and sharing at USC.
OneDrive at USC
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Quick access: Go to https://usc.edu/onedrive and log in using your USC NetID
- Available to USC faculty, staff, students, and affiliates (iVIPs)
- Up to 250 GB storage space
- Approved by ITS for the storage of FERPA-regulated data, although additional controls may be needed (see ITS's "Storage at USC")
Using OneDrive
To access OneDrive at USC, sign into https://usc.edu/onedrive using your USC NetID. Files and folders that you create or upload to your OneDrive account show up here and can be edited or shared.
Sharing files with individuals
Quick guide
- Go to https://usc.edu/onedrive and locate the file you want to share.
- Hover over the file name and click on the three dots icon to display a dropdown menu.
- Click on Share.
- A "Send link" window displays. Click on People you specify can edit.
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People with your organization with the link: Anyone at USC who has the link can access it
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Specific people: Only people with the link (whether within or outside USC) can access it
- You can also deselect the checkbox Allow editing if you only want to grant viewing access.
- Click on Apply.
- If you selected Specific people:
- Click on Enter a name or email address and type in the email address of the individual you want to grant access to. It does not have to be an @usc.edu address.
- Click on Send.
- If you selected People with your organization with the link:
- You can repeat the instructions from step 6 above or simply click on Copy link and share the link to your file manually with anyone with an @usc.edu account.
- You can also change a file's sharing settings at any time:
- At the top of the Sharing settings window, click on the […] icon to the right of Send link.
- Select Manage access.
- In the right-hand panel, the currently active sharing links display. Click on the […] icon to the right of a link to edit its settings or remove the link entirely.
- You can also click on Stop share.
Detailed guide (with screenshots)
- Go to https://usc.edu/onedrive and locate the file you want to share.
- Hover over the file name and click on the three dots icon to display a dropdown menu.
- Click on Share.
- A "Send link" window displays. Click on People you specify can edit.
-
People with your organization with the link: Anyone at USC who has the link can access it
-
Specific people: Only people with the link (whether within or outside USC) can access it
- You can also deselect the checkbox Allow editing if you only want to grant viewing access.
- Click on Apply.
- If you selected Specific people:
- Click on Enter a name or email address and type in the email address of the individual you want to grant access to. It does not have to be an @usc.edu address.
- Click on Send.
- If you selected People with your organization with the link:
- You can repeat the instructions from step 6 above or simply click on Copy link and share the link to your file manually with anyone with an @usc.edu account.
- You can also change a file's sharing settings at any time:
- At the top of the Sharing settings window, click on the […] icon to the right of Send link.
- Select Manage access.
- In the right-hand panel, the currently active sharing links display. Click on the […] icon to the right of a link to edit its settings or remove the link entirely.
- You can also click on Stop share.
USC Microsoft OneDrive access after you depart USC
Bear in mind that your access to Microsoft OneDrive at USC is tied to your USC NetID account. When you depart USC, your account is disabled by ITS as part of standard operating procedure. This affects access to those files not only for yourself but also for other active USC members with whom you shared the files before departing.
Our recommendation is to prepare in advance as much as possible: for instance, if you have important University work saved on your USC Microsoft OneDrive account, make sure that before your departure you either have another active USC member download those files to their OneDrive account or that you save your files onto the OneDrive of your department or unit's shared organizational account (see "USC organizational accounts" below).
Syncing OneDrive with your computer
The Microsoft OneDrive website (https://usc.edu/onedrive) is just one way to access your USC OneDrive account. You can also set up OneDrive on your computer by following our guide, "Setting up Microsoft OneDrive."
Sharing files directly from your computer
If you set up Microsoft OneDrive on your computer, you can easily share files from your computer rather than going to https://uscedu/onedrive in your browser:
Quick guide
- If the file isn't already in OneDrive, move or copy the file into your OneDrive folder on your computer.
- In your OneDrive folder, right-click on the file and select
Share.
- A "Send link" window displays. Click on People you specify can edit.
-
People with your organization with the link: Anyone at USC who has the link can access it
-
Specific people: Only people with the link (whether within or outside USC) can access it
- You can also deselect the checkbox Allow editing if you only want to grant viewing access.
- Click on Apply.
- If you selected Specific people:
- Click on Enter a name or email address and type in the email address of the individual you want to grant access to. It does not have to be an @usc.edu address.
- Click on Send.
- If you selected People with your organization with the link:
- You can repeat the instructions from step 6 above or simply click on Copy link and share the link to your file manually with anyone with an @usc.edu account.
- You can also change a file's sharing settings at any time:
- At the top of the Sharing settings window, click on the […] icon to the right of Send link.
- Select Manage access.
- The currently active sharing links display. Click on the […] icon to the right of a link to edit its settings or remove the link entirely.
Detailed guide (with screenshots)
- If the file isn't already in OneDrive, move or copy the file into your OneDrive folder on your computer.
- In your OneDrive folder, right-click on the file and select Share.
- Click on People you specify can edit.
-
People with your organization with the link: Anyone at USC who has the link can access it
-
Specific people: Only people with the link (whether within or outside USC) can access it
- You can also deselect the checkbox Allow editing if you only want to grant viewing access.
- Click on Apply.
- If you selected Specific people:
- Click on Enter a name or email address and type in the email address of the individual you want to grant access to. It does not have to be an @usc.edu address.
- Click on Send.
- If you selected People with your organization with the link:
- You can repeat the instructions from step 6 above or simply click on Copy link and share the link to your file via Outlook Client, Slack, or any other application with anyone with an @usc.edu account.
- You can also change a file's sharing settings at any time:
- At the top of the Sharing settings window, click on the […] icon to the right of Send link.
- Select Manage access.
- The currently active shared links display. Click on the […] icon to the right of a link and you will be able to edit the shared link's settings or remove the link entirely.
File version control in OneDrive
At times you may need to revert to an earlier draft of a file—for instance, if you accidentally changed the design/layout of some presentation slides and want to return to a previous design/layout, or if you're collaborating on a document with other people and want to compare the wording on the latest version with an earlier version.
Version control with automatic syncing on your computer
If you already set up Microsoft OneDrive to sync with your computer (see "Syncing OneDrive with your computer" above), OneDrive automatically keeps track of past versions, whether you are editing files directly within the synced OneDrive folder on your computer or are moving files from another folder on your computer into your OneDrive folder. You do not have to save those files in any special way as long as you edit and save them within your synced OneDrive folder.
To access older file versions directly from your computer:
Quick guide
- Navigate to the OneDrive folder on your computer.
- Right-click on the file and select Version history.
- A list of past versions displays. To select a version, hover over a row and click on the three dots icon that appears:
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Restore: Replaces the current version with the selected past version
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Download: Downloads the selected past version from Microsoft OneDrive to your default Downloads folder
Detailed guide (with screenshots)
- Navigate to the OneDrive folder on your computer.
- Right-click on the file and select Version history.
- A list of past versions displays. To select a version, hover over a row and click on the three dots icon to display a dropdown menu:
-
Restore: Replaces the current version with the selected past version
-
Download: Downloads the selected past version from Microsoft OneDrive to your default Downloads folder
Version control with manual uploads to the website
If you are not syncing OneDrive with your computer but are instead uploading your documents to OneDrive through https://usc.edu/onedrive in your browser, you can still manually set up version control:
Quick guide
To manually upload a new version:
- Go to https://usc.edu/onedrive and, if needed, navigate to the folder that contains your file.
- Click on Upload and select Files.
- Navigate to the updated file's location on your computer and select the file. Make sure that the file has the same name as the older file currently on OneDrive.
- Microsoft OneDrive displays a warning notification ("A file with this name already exists. Would you like to add this new file as the latest version of the existing file?"). Click on Add file.
- Microsoft OneDrive replaces the current version with the version you just uploaded.
To access an older version:
- Hover over the file name and click on the three dots icon.
- Click on Version history.
- A list of past versions displays. To select one, click on the three dots icon to the right of its "Modified Date":
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Restore: Replaces the current version with the selected past version
-
Download: Downloads the selected past version from Microsoft OneDrive to your default Downloads folder
Offline access and OneDrive
If you're using OneDrive through https://usc.edu/onedrive, you can only access files stored on OneDrive when you have a working Internet connection.
If you set up OneDrive to sync to your computer, you can still edit Microsoft files when your Internet connection is interrupted: those changes just won't sync to OneDrive until you re-establish a working Internet connection.
We would urge caution however if you're working on shared files offline, due to the risk of sync conflicts (e.g. if your colleagues are editing those shared files online at the same time).
USC organizational accounts
Many Dornsife departments/units have an organizational account administered by multiple people. If you have direct login access for the org account (aka you log in using the org account's NetID and password), you can log into the org account's OneDrive to upload/share files. If you only have delegate access for the org account, however, you will need to request direct login access: please contact us at ts@dornsife.usc.edu and we will forward your request to ITS for processing.
The main advantage to uploading or sharing files using the org account's OneDrive rather than using your individual USC OneDrive account is that the org account's OneDrive will still be accessible if you depart USC, as your individual OneDrive account gets disabled at that point.