All current students have access to OneDrive. Many staff also have access, via the Microsoft 365 project rollout:
The Student Desktop H:\ Drive only has a limited amount of storage space, so you should store extra files on your University of Otago OneDrive. We recommend you keep files you are currently working on in your H:\ Drive, then transfer them to your OneDrive for storage.
Saving and document storage with Student Desktop
Another advantage to your OneDrive is that you can access your OneDrive through your StudentMail without needing to log in to the Student Desktop. You can even edit files within OneDrive, without having to download them, using Microsoft 365 Online.
Accessing OneDrive from StudentMail
- Log in to your StudentMail at otago.ac.nz/studentmail
- Click on the small squares icon in the top left corner of the screen and choose OneDrive from the menu.
- You can now view and use all the files stored in your OneDrive.
Download a file online
To download a file you have stored in your OneDrive so you can use it offline or on your own computer
- Select the file with a single click.
- Click Download in the menu at the top of the screen.
- The file will download to your downloads folder, or you will be asked whether to open or save the file.
Important! If you want to edit the file, make sure you download the file rather than opening it or any changes you make may not be saved.
Error deleting folders via a web browser
If you try to delete folders with contents within them in OneDrive via a web browser, you will receive an error message stating: "You have to delete all the items in this folder before you can delete the folder".
This is expected behaviour due to the University of Otago's retention policy setup required for records management compliance. To workaround this issue, you can use the OneDrive desktop client:
Included with most versions of Windows 10, OR
Download and install from onedrive.live.com/about/en-IE/download/
The client is also available in the Student Desktop environment. You should then be able to delete folders normally within the client.
Open, upload, or create files online
From the online OneDrive, you can open, upload, or create new files using the menu bar at the top of the screen. If you open or create a new file, it will open directly in your web browser using Microsoft 365 Online.
Saving and opening files within a program
If you would like to save or open files using your OneDrive within a program such as Microsoft Word, use the folder OneDrive—University of Otago as demonstrated below.
- In Word, choose to Save, Save As, or Open your document as normal.
- Double-click on OneDrive—University of Otago.
- You can also single-click OneDrive—University of Otago then click Browse.
- The window that opens is your OneDrive and you can save or open a file as normal.
