OneDrive - how to use Microsoft storage, remote access and other features of the former SkyDrive. Microsoft Sky Drive

Cloud storage (OneDrive) was created by Microsoft to host and store files on the SkyDrive service. In April 2012, Microsoft released a client program that allows you to work with this storage from your computer without the need to use a web interface.

Before using Windows Live Sky Drive it was possible to move files from the computer and back only when using the web interface.

It so happened that the release of the client skydrive for PC went unnoticed. This happened due to the coincidence of dates, with the expected launch of the Google Drive cloud service by many. All attention at this time was focused on the new service of Google Corporation.

Clients released by Microsoft skydrive for Windows and Mac OS X, as well as for tablets and mobile devices running on operating systems produced by these corporations. Several updates to the Microsoft SkyDrive service have been made.

After the release of the Windows 8 operating system, the SkyDrive (OneDrive) service became part of this new operating system. , is now tightly coupled with the new Outlook.com cloud-based email service.

At the end of August 2012, Microsoft released a client for Android devices, and now this client can be downloaded from the Google Play store.

Now the SkyDrive service can be used not only through the web interface, but also directly from your computer, having previously installed a special application for this.

As a result of litigation, Microsoft was forced to change the name of the service to OneDrive.

The SkyDrive client, once installed on your computer, will be integrated into File Explorer. A "SkyDrive" folder is created in Explorer, and files placed in this folder will be available through the web interface, as well as through various devices that have access to the SkyDrive service account.

With a new connection to the SkyDrive cloud service, the user will have access to 7 GB for free. Previously 25 GB free usage was available.

Those users who used the SkyDrive service before April 22, 2012 and stored files there can upgrade their access to 25 GB of storage for free. This offer was limited in time.

SkyDrive cloud storage now allows you to upload individual files up to 2 GB (previously 100 MB) when using the SkyDrive app, and you can upload individual files up to 300 MB through the SkyDrive web interface.

Currently, OneDrive cloud storage allows you to use 10 GB of disk space for free.

To expand the amount of cloud storage, you will have to pay a certain amount, depending on the desired amount of storage space on the server. Tariffs compared to competitors from the service Microsoft SkyDrive is relatively low.

In order to start using SkyDrive cloud storage, you will need to follow this link to the Microsoft website, to the Windows Live service. You will need to enter your Microsoft account details (before September 2012 - Windows Live ID).

If you do not have a Microsotft account (formerly known as Windows Live ID), then you will need to click on the "Register" button to create your account. After entering your Microsoft account and password, click the Sign In button.

After that, you get into the SkyDrive cloud storage through the web interface. Here are the standard folders "Documents", "General", "Photos" in which you can put your files for storage. You can create new folders to store files and just store files without putting those files in any folders.

For each folder and file, you can make your own access level - "general" or "individual". By clicking on a file or folder with the right mouse button, you can select the desired action with this file from the context menu.

These actions can also be performed if you use the appropriate links that appear on the right side of the SkyDrive service window when you right-click on a file or folder.

The bottom right corner of a folder displays the number of files that are in that folder. In this image, there are two files in the Documents folder, while the Public and Photos folders are empty.

Microsoft has updated the interface of its cloud service in the style of the new Windows 8 operating system. You can change the appearance of folders by switching between buttons. Some improvements to the functionality of the SkyDrive cloud service have also been made.

If you entered the SkyDrive service through the web interface, then you can also create a Word document, an Excel book, a PowerPoint presentation here, make notes in your OneNote notebook by clicking on the Create button in the left top corner of the program window. To do this, use the free Internet version of Microsoft Office - Office Web Apps.

Files created in these programs can be saved to Windows Live SkyDrive cloud storage and then transferred to another location, such as a computer or smartphone running the Windows Phone operating system.

To install the SkyDrive app on your computer, click the Get SkyDrive Apps link. On the SkyDrive Apps page, you will need to select an app for the appropriate operating system.

After downloading the application, the SkyDrive application executable file should appear in the folder where you have your downloads stored.

Run the file and start installing the Microsoft SkyDrive application on your computer.

After installing the application, click on the "Get Started" button.

In the next window, enter the details of your Microsoft account (Windows Live ID), and then click on the "Login" button.

In the last window of the installation of the Microsoft SkyDrive application, click on the "Finish" button.

After installing the application, the SkyDrive folder appeared in Explorer. The SkyDrive (OneDrive) application can also be launched from the Notification Panel (system tray) by clicking on the application icon.

Now you have the ability to move files up to 2 GB to your cloud storage by copying or cutting files, or simply dragging and dropping them from your computer to this folder with your mouse.

Access permissions for folders in SkyDrive can only be changed using the web interface of this application.

Using the OneDrive app from another device, you can remotely access your computer's files. To do this, you need to log in from another device via the web interface to your SkyDrive (OneDrive) account, while your computer must be turned on at this time.

Using Microsoft SkyDrive, you can synchronize files, share them, collaborate on documents online, and upload files from your home computer to this service.

With OneDrive cloud storage, you can start working on a document on your work computer, continue working on it from your mobile device, and finish it on your home computer.

Once deleted, files are placed in the Recycle Bin, from which they can be restored or deleted. To permanently delete files from the cloud storage, they must be deleted from the trash so that the data does not take up disk space.

To create various documents in the file storage, you can use the free online office programs of Microsoft Corporation. In addition, this service offers a good amount of free space (10 GB) for storing user data in the cloud.

Designed for safe and quiet storage of all kinds of files: documents, music, images, videos and others. With the Internet, it may be easy to access them. OneDrive is accessible from a computer, smartphone or tablet, and other devices.

Sign in to the OneDrive web service

In order to enter the service you need:

Sign in to OneDrive through the app

Right there on the site, for more convenient work with the service, you can download the OneDrive client program and enter the storage through it:

1. On the left panel, at the bottom, click on the inscription "Get OneDrive client".
   
2. We click the heading "Download OneDrive" for the required OS.
   
3. The client setup file will autoload. Click on the download bar. We confirm the amendments on the computer "Yes".
   
4. The download of the client to your PC will appear before your eyes.
   
5. Click on the "Get Started" button.
   
6. Enter the required data. We press "Login".
   
7. In the "Your OneDrive Folder" window, click "Change" and select the location of the folder, "OK" and again "Next".
   
8. Choose sync. By clicking on the "Finish" button, the OneDrive folder on the computer will open. The contents of this folder will undoubtedly be mechanically synchronized with the virtual service when the Internet is connected.
   
9. You can get to work.

Advice! To manage the OneDrive client from Windows, an icon is set in the alerts section. When you click on this icon, a software pop-up menu appears that allows you to call up the settings.

Now you have learned how to sign in to OneDrive in Russian. Everything is simple, you just need attention and punctuality. By connecting OneDrive (read about disabling it), you simultaneously get the opportunity to work online with documents in the main office programs, both in a text editor and in a spreadsheet. It is possible to create presentations and work in a notebook. Successful work and glorious rest!

So, now I will tell you about a rather convenient and useful data synchronization service (cloud storage service), which can seriously compete with most other similar services in the future. SkyDrive, and we are talking about it, was created a long time ago, and several useful updates were released for it, the best of which, perhaps, was the last one.

SkyDrive has long offered users up to 25 GB of free space to store any files, but then it was not yet very popular due to the inconvenient client for managing existing files. Previously, it was necessary to use only a browser to download files, and doing this to add just a few photos or small text documents to your piggy bank is inconvenient.

However, after the release of Windows 8, they decided to modernize the program and increase its efficiency. As a result, the user no longer requires much effort to work with SkyDrive, especially if you remember that the company has developed and released an application that can integrate with Windows Explorer (any older than Vista) or Finder, a program similar to Explorer on Mac'e. By the way, you can synchronize files using Dropbox, which is familiar to many, and if you have Windows 8, then just use the SkyDrive Metro application.

Program operation

The main principle of the SkyDrive application is data synchronization, like most similar Internet resources. And this client was created for Windows on the principle of Dropbox. As a result, a data folder called SkyDrive will be created on your computer, where you can easily drop different files. And these files, in turn, after synchronization, can be downloaded using any other devices that use your account. If the device does not have a client installed, you can use the most common browser.

It should be noted that the modern volume of SkyDrive is only 7 GB. But we are talking about free space, and you can increase it quite simply - you just need to pay for an account. If you have previously registered an account, then you can return all 25 GB (of which only 7 remained after the last update), if you go through a simple activation.

To access the application, you can use a regular browser, an application specially designed for PC, or similar applications, but developed for different mobile devices.

1. Register on the Microsoft website;

3. Download the SkyDrive client for the operating system that is used on the computer. Without this, you will not be able to use the synchronization, which will turn the specified service into a simple cloud drive.

Installing the SkyDrive client

Since this application is in many ways similar to other similar programs (Google Drive, Dropbox and others), there should not be any special installation problems. Unless you need to pay attention to the fact that the installation wizard, during one of the stages, will ask you to enter a user login and password. If they are not yet, then you need to register on the Microsoft service.

After installation, you will see the following:

After logging into your account, you will be prompted to create a special file sync folder, which will be called "SkyDrive".

You need to think carefully where exactly this folder should be located, since it is very difficult to move it after creation (you need to go back to the settings and remove the connection of the service to the computer, move the folder and log into your account again). In addition, if you decide to move the daddy, you will need to wait until the re-indexing of all files located in SkyDrive is completed. And if the indicated 7 GB are almost completely full, then it will take a very long time.

This application also has one very useful feature:

If you confirm the possibility of remote access to files (as I did, you can see in the figure), users of other computers connected to the service will be able to access any files. True, in this case, both computers (which received access and on which files are stored) must be turned on. This is useful if you forgot to dump the necessary files to the "cloud", and another person urgently needed them.

Creating file sharing for sharing

A cloud server is good precisely because you can not only store files in it, but also share them with other people, which greatly facilitates remote work on one joint project. And in order for the files to be successfully synchronized, they must be placed in the SkyDrive folder. Only in this way will other people be able to download them to their PC.

It is important that it is possible to open public access for some files:

Immediately after that, your default browser will open, where there will be a special form for allowing certain people to work with files. To do this, you only need to list their email addresses.

In addition to this method of providing access to files, links to them can be marked on your page on a social network, transferred to friends using Skype, or even copied to the clipboard. And for this, it is enough to use the service itself, in which the functions “Get link” and “Publish to” have already been added.

I note right away that the SkyDrive resource has a very serious drawback for the cloud service - now there is no way to view in one place which files and who has access. Therefore, the only way out is to check the "Information Panel"

Web Version Features

The previous web version, as I said, was extremely inconvenient. That is why the developers decided to significantly improve it, which happened after the latest updates. As a result, the service has become more practical and functional.

The homepage is designed in the style of Microsoft's tile design, first used in Windows Phone 7, which greatly simplifies navigation and use of the resource itself.

To upload files, just use the "Submit" button. What's interesting: the ability to select multiple files at once. At the same time, the file size should not exceed 2 GB, this makes it easy to use the server even for storing video.

File operations

Files are displayed on the panel as rectangles. A regular folder is like a blue rectangle, but if images are stored inside it, they are dynamically displayed instead of this rectangle. Agree, this is much more beautiful than a simple folder. However, if necessary, you can display everything as a list.

Content is sorted according to the standard principle: folders go first, then documents containing music, then images. You may not be used to such sorting, but these settings do not change. The only thing that can be done inside this template is to display files by name, size, type, or arbitrary position.

It is convenient that these files can be dragged with the mouse, as if on a computer. Give them other names, copy and move in every possible way. Also pleased is the presence of a file version log, which is a "good sign" for data synchronization services.

There is a useful opportunity to embed files on the site. To do this, right-click on any file or folder and select the "Inject" function. The pop-up window will show a brief instruction and the "Create" button, with the help of which the service will independently generate an HTML code, which will need to be inserted into the page of the site or blog.

Disadvantage of use: you will not be able to set an arbitrary size for either the folder or the picture. This is only available for Word documents. However, spreadsheets, in this regard, have advanced embedding settings.

Peculiarities

Each preview image will open directly in the browser. In this case, a panel will appear on the right containing the properties of the file, and here you can also mark the people present in the image. In the top menu, you can activate a slide show, embed an image, look at the original, or perform other operations with this file.

But what really deserves more attention, in my opinion, is how the developers set up working with documents. As a result, absolutely any file that can be worked with using the MS Office software package can be edited directly in the cloud, and we are provided with the capabilities of a full-fledged editor.

Web App is used to edit documents. Naturally, not all professional functions will be available in it, but this will not hurt to work with text.

If the file is not able to work in the web version, then just click on it to download it to your computer for viewing or working.

The left column of the web interface allows you to see which files have been recently viewed and changed, which computers are connected to the SkyDrive service, which content has been shared. In addition, you can change some storage options or visit the Recycle Bin (to permanently delete files or restore them). To do this, simply click on the desired link in the context menu.

Important! The trash can is limited by the developers and is 10% of your total storage. So when using the free version (7 GB), 700 MB will be allocated to the "Basket". If you exceed the capacity of the recycle bin, then after three days all files from it will be completely deleted.

Features of the service settings

Activating the code for SkyDrive is only necessary if you are going to purchase additional storage space for files in the cloud. After payment, you will receive a certain code that you will need to enter in your account. The storage size will increase only after that.

If you need to change your account, you need to launch the SkyDrive client, open "Settings" in which you click on the "Unlink" button. And after that it will be possible to log in under a new account, if it was created earlier. Otherwise, you will need to register a new one.

Installing this service on Windows XP in simple ways is not possible. The maximum is connecting SkyDrive as a regular network drive for data storage, without other functions. To do this, you need a special SDExplorer program and registration on the Microsoft website.

To select folders for synchronization, you need to open the SkyDrive application, go to the "Select Folders" tab and choose here what exactly will be sent to the server. In this case, you can only synchronize those files or folders that are located inside the "SkyDrive" folder located on your computer.

If necessary, you can use several different accounts, but they cannot be combined. And keep in mind that this will make it difficult to synchronize files, since you constantly have to log out of one account in order to log into another. This is not only inconvenient, but also time consuming.

If the service does not work for some reason, then you need to contact the support service, where you will be promptly given an answer to any question and will recommend how best to get out of this situation.

Finally, I note that the use of any cloud service for storing data implies a certain risk - third-party people can get access to files. This is a disadvantage of any free services. Any paid tariff implies better encryption (protection) of information, as a result, it will be more difficult for an attacker to gain access to it. However, keep in mind that everything created by one person can be hacked by another. Therefore, it is not worth storing secret or too important information on such a service.

Program interface: Russian

Platform: 7 / Vista / 8

Manufacturer: Microsoft

Website: www.microsoft.com

skydrive is one of the services for storing files, accessing them through a web interface, as well as file sharing, which is managed by Microsoft and has tight integration with the Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office software package.

Main features of the SkyDrive program

First of all, we note that SkyDrive uses cloud technologies and provides users with a fairly wide range of services and opportunities. So, for example, the user is allocated 7 GB of disk space to store their files. Users who qualify for the free upgrade receive 25 GB of storage space.

The folder structure in which the files are stored has a clear organization. So, for example, in a folder of images, you can also use some of the standard types of viewing in the form of thumbnails or slide shows. In addition, you can set personal access levels for all folders from exclusively personal to public. Similarly, you can grant permissions to friends, family, or share files using any computer connected to the Internet.

No less interesting is the full integration with the office suite. Files can be saved directly from Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint, and Word to Windows Live SkyDrive. And that is not all. The fact is that there is still quite a powerful integration with Microsoft Office Web Apps, which allows you to create various kinds of office documents directly online and save them to file storage. Among other things, when using the SkyDrive application with Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems, files up to 2 GB in size can be uploaded directly from Explorer to the storage. By the way, as an integral part of the Windows 8 operating system, SkyDrive is also present in it.

According to some analysts, Microsoft may soon combine several services into one. So, it is very likely that integration between SkyDrive, Live Mesh and Live Sync will become possible, which will allow full synchronization of files located in the cloud, and through the mechanism of a single application. So, let's hope that the developers of this service will not stop there, and in the future we will see an updated product. Moreover, there are all the prerequisites and prospects for this.

In this review, much attention will be paid to the SkyDrive cloud service from Microsoft. This service has a number of advantages, and it will be very useful to many people. It is especially useful for those who often work with office documents. Let's get to know him better!

Why do you need SkyDrive?

Service skydrive(skydrive.com) is a file hosting for storing and exchanging files with various information on the Internet. To put it simply, it is a cloud service. Microsoft made its first launch in August 2007. The service has a multilingual and clear interface, so it will not be so difficult to work with it.

What is SkyDrive even for? It is needed for fast and wireless information exchange. For example, you have a computer and a laptop. The laptop is in another room and you are too lazy to carry it, connect it and transfer documents. You go to SkyDrive and upload the desired document. This service is also very suitable for those who work at the computer both at home and at work. If you still have unfinished business in the office, then you can always return to them from your home computer, thereby downloading the necessary information from the cloud service. In this case, you will not need to carry flash drives or cables with you.

I recommend paying much attention to this service to those people who often work with office applications from Microsoft Office. With support for Office Web Apps, SkyDrive will seamlessly allow multiple people to work remotely on the same document. For example, two people can use and edit the same office document. Moreover, each of them will have an up-to-date version of this document at the same time. This is very useful for schoolchildren, students or teachers who perform a single job. Also useful to tourists who work together on or bloggers who are creating a common e-book.

You can store absolutely all files. And in general, this is convenient when you have a lot of important documents, and you are afraid to catch some kind of virus that can adversely affect your information. It happens that the hard drive itself can burn out or lose a lot of information. For such moments, this service will also be very useful.

Registration in SkyDrive

Let's go to the site skydrive.com and we will have an authorization page. If you already have an account, then you can simply enter your login details here. If you have mailed to @hotmail.com, @outlook.com or at live.ru, then you can log in with the login and password from this mail, and you do not have to register again. A single Microsoft account allows you to log in with the same data to all Microsoft services. If you do not have one, you will have to register by clicking on " Register«.

This is not difficult! When registering, we first fill in information about ourselves: we indicate the name, surname, date of birth and gender.

• option one- you can enter any email address ( no matter what) and continue to go under this email;
• option two- you can click on Get a new email address" from Microsoft and in the additional window select mail from live, hotmail or outlook. Choose, for example, the second option by selecting outlook mail.

Below we come up with a password that contains at least 8 characters, and then confirm it.

Then choose the password recovery methods. You can enter your mobile phone number and you will receive a confirmation SMS or ask a security question and answer it. We choose, for example, a method with a question.

Now we select the country or region, postal code and then enter the captcha. You can leave or unsubscribe below (1) for special offers. After you have filled in all the data, then click "Accept" (2) . This will open SkyDrive.

How to use SkyDrive?

So, we have free 7 Gb available in this cloud service. Three folders have already been prepared by default - these are documents, images and general. In the upper right corner (3) You can change their display.

On the left side you can see a special menu ( picture below):

• Files— all files of this repository are displayed;
• Latest Files- Displays the files you have used recently.
• All photos— all images of the given storage are displayed;
• General- there are files that you have shared with other users.
• Computers- here you can download the SkyDrive app for your Windows PC. After the application is installed, it is your computer that will appear under this menu. Later, you can stop your computer from accessing your SkyDrive or view files from another computer on a computer you trust. In general, all this is easily configured.

Below is another additional menu:

• basket- all the files that you deleted get here;

• storage management- here you can increase the size of the storage, thereby choosing the appropriate tariff plan. However, you will have to pay for the extra space. You can also set the Office file format that will be used by default when creating office documents. It is also possible to configure user marks and set the parameters of the connected device;

• get the SkyDrive app- here you can download this application for various operating systems, including mobile devices. You can also check out additional options. Now just download the application for Windows, and later we will install it on our computer.

We return to SkyDrive to create an office document. You can create a Word document, an Excel workbook, a PowerPoint presentation, a notebook in a folder, and you can also create an Excel poll.

Let's create a Word document. In a new window, write its name ( e.g. Document 1) and press " Create". Word Web App opens, that is, the web version of the application. It is quite functional, but, of course, inferior to a regular application. If you miss additional features, you can easily open this document in the application for your computer. To do this, click on the button " Open in Word» (4) and you will have installed Word from your computer.

Button " General access» (5) - access without problems. You can post to social networks, send someone an e-mail message. In general, set access to this file.

So, I am currently in Office Web Apps. To quickly go to the repository, I need to click on the button " skydrive«.

The repository itself will already display this new document ( picture below). Mark it with a tick and press the right mouse button. It will be possible to see what actions can be performed with this document.

Now pay attention to the top panel of SkyDrive. Button " Add' allows us to add files from the computer.

A little to the right is a special manager (6) . Here we can add friends from Facebook, connect an account, or add contacts from Google. If you have added people, then it will be very convenient to communicate with them through this interface. Going to Settings (7) you can set certain parameters, as well as use special help.

To the right is the account name. By clicking on it, we can add an avatar, change our profile or account settings. In general, we created a new account from Microsoft, but in addition to SkyDrive, other useful applications are available here. Click on the down arrow.

You will have additional options:

Let's install the SkyDrive application on our computer. Those who did not download immediately, go to the menu " Get the SkyDrive app". If you have Windows 8, then the SkyDrive application is already built into you ( it comes with the system by default). In general, click on Download the classic SkyDrive app". Open it and install it on your computer. After that, you need to run the application.

The launch of the application takes place in several stages. First, you will be asked to enter your username and password. We enter the same data as when registering for the SkyDrive service.

You will then be prompted for a location for the new SkyDrive folder. By default, we are offered to leave it in the explorer. We agree and click " Further«.

Then tick the " Get remote access to all files” and press the button “ Ready«.

After installing the application, in your section " Favorites» ( picture below) a SkyDrive folder will be automatically created. Any file that you drop into this folder will be immediately synchronized with your cloud storage. Checkmarks in green circles indicate that everything is already synchronized. What a convenience in all this!

Summing up, we can say that the SkyDrive service is very convenient and functional. At your disposal are free 7 Gb, a separate e-mail and much more. For convenience, all files can be sorted in different ways.

The additional Office Web Apps application, although it has a reduced functionality of office applications, can allow you to carry out standard operations with documents, which is also very good. Install the application on your smartphone, computer or tablet and work with the cloud service will be even easier and faster! In general, study and implement!