Overview
This guide provides instructions for transferring files from Dornsife network drives (such as your department or unit's G: drive or your individual U: drive) to Microsoft OneDrive for individual use or SharePoint for team use on your computer.
We recommend moving files from Dornsife network drives to Microsoft if:
- You want multiple staff members to be able to edit shared documents at the same time
- You need to grant file access to non-Dornsife or non-USC individuals
- You need more file storage
- Network drive limit: Several GB for departmental G: drives, and several hundred MB for individual U: drives
- Microsoft limit: 250 GB for individual OneDrive accounts, and 250 GB per SharePoint site, with requests for additional SharePoint site storage reviewed on a case by case basis
- You need to store FERPA-protected data: Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint are the only cloud storage options approved by ITS for storing public, internal, and confidential data at USC
Transferring files from network drives to OneDrive on a Windows PC
- Make sure you're connected to the USC network:
- On campus: Connect via either Ethernet or USC Secure Wireless. Do not use USC Guest Wireless.
- Off campus: Connect via VPN.
- Open File Explorer. Microsoft OneDrive appears in the left menu.
- Drag each file or folder you want to transfer from the network drive to the OneDrive folder.
- Be aware that File Explorer will copy rather than move the file. The original file will remain in the network drive and is not deleted unless you delete it manually.
Transferring files from network drives to OneDrive on a Mac
- Make sure you're connected to the USC network:
- On campus: Connect via either Ethernet or USC Secure Wireless. Do not use USC Guest Wireless.
- Off campus: Connect via VPN.
- Connect to your network drive if you are not already connected:
- Open Finder. Check whether Microsoft OneDrive is present: if installed, it will appear in the left menu under "Locations."
- If you are missing OneDrive, you can install it:
Install Microsoft OneDrive on a Mac
Quick guide
Step 1: Install Microsoft OneDrive
Open Finder. Go to your Applications folder and look for Company Portal.
If Company Portal is present, open it and install OneDrive:
- Double-click Company Portal.
- Click Sign in.
- Once you are signed in, click Apps.
- Click Microsoft OneDrive.
- Click Install.
If Company Portal is not present, download OneDrive from Microsoft:
- Go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/onedrive/download.
- Click Download.
- If prompted, click Allow.
- Open Finder. Go to your Downloads folder and double-click OneDrive.pkg.
- The installer opens. Follow the prompts to install OneDrive.
Step 2: Sign in to your USC Microsoft account
- To open OneDrive, go to your Applications folder and double-click OneDrive.
- Type your @usc.edu email address and click Sign In.
- The Shibboleth prompt appears. Sign in using your USC NetID and passphrase.
- The Duo prompt appears. Complete the verification.
- Click Next on each prompt. When the "Get the mobile app" prompt displays, click Later.
- Click Open OneDrive Folder.
Step 3: Turn off Files On-Demand
By default, OneDrive uses a feature called Files On-Demand: files are saved to the cloud (online) and are not downloaded to your computer until you attempt to access them. To access files without an Internet connection, we strongly recommend turning off this feature:
- Click the OneDrive
icon in your menu bar (top right on desktop).
- Click the Gear
icon. Select Preferences from the dropdown.
- Click Download all OneDrive files now.
- Click OK.
- Drag each file or folder you want to transfer from the network drive to the OneDrive folder.
- Be aware that Finder will copy rather than move the file. The original file will remain in the network drive and is not deleted unless you delete it manually.
Transferring files from network drives to SharePoint on a Windows PC
You can use the Microsoft OneDrive application to transfer files to a Microsoft SharePoint site, as long as you have contributor access to the SharePoint site. Once you transfer files to a SharePoint site, any site members can access those files in the site's document library.
- Make sure you're connected to the USC network:
- On campus: Connect via either Ethernet or USC Secure Wireless. Do not use USC Guest Wireless.
- Off campus: Connect via VPN.
- Open File Explorer. Then, open your OneDrive folder. Within it, look for a folder named Documents - SharePoint site's name. For example, if the SharePoint site is named English Department, the folder is named Documents - English Department.
If you do not see a Documents folder for the SharePoint site, you will need to add the folder in your browser:
- In File Explorer, drag each file or folder you want to transfer from the network drive to the Documents folder with the SharePoint site's name.
- Be aware that File Explorer will copy rather than move the file. The original file will remain in the network drive and is not deleted unless you delete it manually.
Transferring files from network drives to SharePoint on a Mac
You can use the Microsoft OneDrive application to transfer files to a Microsoft SharePoint site, as long as you have contributor access to the SharePoint site. Once you transfer files to a SharePoint site, any site members can access those files in the site's document library.
- Make sure you're connected to the USC network:
- On campus: Connect via either Ethernet or USC Secure Wireless. Do not use USC Guest Wireless.
- Off campus: Connect via VPN.
- Connect to your network drive if you are not already connected:
- Open Finder. Check whether Microsoft OneDrive is present: if installed, it will appear in the left menu under "Locations."
- If you are missing Microsoft OneDrive, you can install it:
Install Microsoft OneDrive on a Mac
Quick guide
Step 1: Install Microsoft OneDrive
Open Finder. Go to your Applications folder and look for Company Portal.
If Company Portal is present, open it and install OneDrive:
- Double-click Company Portal.
- Click Sign in.
- Once you are signed in, click Apps.
- Click Microsoft OneDrive.
- Click Install.
If Company Portal is not present, download OneDrive from Microsoft:
- Go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/onedrive/download.
- Click Download.
- If prompted, click Allow.
- Open Finder. Go to your Downloads folder and double-click OneDrive.pkg.
- The installer opens. Follow the prompts to install OneDrive.
Step 2: Sign in to your USC Microsoft account
- To open OneDrive, go to your Applications folder and double-click OneDrive.
- Type your @usc.edu email address and click Sign In.
- The Shibboleth prompt appears. Sign in using your USC NetID and passphrase.
- The Duo prompt appears. Complete the verification.
- Click Next on each prompt. When the "Get the mobile app" prompt displays, click Later.
- Click Open OneDrive Folder.
Step 3: Turn off Files On-Demand
By default, OneDrive uses a feature called Files On-Demand: files are saved to the cloud (online) and are not downloaded to your computer until you attempt to access them. To access files without an Internet connection, we strongly recommend turning off this feature:
- Click the OneDrive icon in your menu bar (top right on desktop).
- Click the Gear icon. Select Preferences from the dropdown.
- Click Download all OneDrive files now.
- Click OK.
- In Finder, open your OneDrive folder. Within it, look for a folder named Documents - SharePoint site's name. For example, if the SharePoint site is named English Department, the folder is named Documents - English Department.
If you do not see a Documents folder for the SharePoint site, you will need to add the folder in your browser:
- In Finder, drag each file or folder you want to transfer from the network drive to the Documents folder with the SharePoint site's name.
- Be aware that Finder will copy rather than move the file. The original file will remain in the network drive and is not deleted unless you delete it manually.