FAQ: OneDrive for Business

1. Why should I use OneDrive for Business instead of a different cloud document storage product such as DropBox or Google Docs?

OneDrive for Business is covered by a license agreement with Microsoft that allows NUS to maintain ownership of the documents stored in OneDrive for Business. NUS does not have these agreements with any other cloud document storage companies.

2. What is the difference between OneDrive for Business and OneDrive?

The usage of OneDrive for Business is covered under a license with Microsoft. OneDrive is consumer service provided and its usage is not covered under any contracts with NUS. NUS users should use OneDrive for Business accessible through Office 365 for NUS related documents. If you have a personal OneDrive account, it cannot be merged with your NUS OneDrive for Business account, but you can still use both separately.

3. How can I use OneDrive for Business to collaborate with my colleagues?

You can create, upload, and share documents and folders with your colleagues. Based on the sharing permissions you grant them, they can then either view or edit those documents or create new documents. You can also edit them at the same time in the web browser.

4. Does OneDrive for Business offer any virus or malware protection for document sharing?

Yes, OneDrive for Business will scan each document before uploading it to verify that it is not a known virus or malware distributer. Do still use caution if someone you do not know tries to send you a file or invites you to a folder using OneDrive for Business or any other file sharing program.

5. Can I pick and choose what to sync?

You cannot pick and choose files in your OneDrive for Business space to sync locally. It is all or nothing.

6. What file types cannot be uploaded to OneDrive for Business?

Notably *.tmp or *.ds_store extension, and desktop.ini thumbs.db or ethumbs.db file can’t be uploaded into OneDrive for business.

7. What is the unsupported folder name?

Folder named “forms” isn’t supported at the root level for a list or library. This occurs because “forms” is a hidden default folder that’s used to store templates and forms for the library.

8. What characters cannot be used in OneDrive for Business file names?

The following listed characters are not supported when you sync OneDrive for Business with SharePoint online / * ? “ < > | # % . Additionally, a file or folder name that begins with a title (~) isn’t supported.

9. Should I use OneDrive for Business for a central document repository for my department?

You can share and collaborate with your department through your personal OneDrive for Business account. Please be aware that if you depart NUS, your documents will be no longer be available to your department or the individuals that you’ve shared them with as they will be stored in your personal OneDrive for Business account, which will be disabled upon your departure.

10. What is the limit for syncing the files?

Currently sync file size is up to 10 GB.

11. How much storage space do I get with OneDrive for Business?

One terabyte (1 TB): that’s (approximately) one thousand gigabytes.

12. What is the "Shared with Everyone" folder for?

This is a folder created when your account was provisioned with OneDrive for Business. Any files or folders you place (or create) inside it will become available to ALL NUS faculty, staff, and students; they will ALL have EDIT privileges on the documents.

We recommend that you delete it to avoid unintentional oversharing.

13. How do I sync my OneDrive for Business files to my Mac computer?

You can download the OneDrive for Business sync client for Mac from the App Store.

Start OneDrive by pressing cmd+Space to launch a Spotlight query and type OneDrive. This starts OneDrive Setup.

Enter your NUS-ID and then select Sign in to set up your account.

14. On what devices is the OneDrive Sync client available?

  • Windows 7 and later
  • Mac OS X
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Windows Phone

15. What happens if I delete a file? Can I restore it?

If you delete a file stored in OneDrive, it will be in your OneDrive recycle bin for 30 days. After that, it is gone. There is no back-up. You can restore the file from the OneDrive recycle bin within 30 days.

16. Can I share documents in OneDrive with external users?

No, you can only share documents with NUS staff and students.