Amal Nagm

SkyDrive Create and Share Office Documents

SkyDrive Create and Share Office Documents

Introduction

Creating Office Documents and Folders

Watch the video (3:37). Need help?

To Create a New Office Document:

• Word documents 
• Excel workbooks 
• PowerPoint presentations 
• OneNote notebooks 
  

1. Click the Create button and then select the type of document you wish to create from the drop-down menu.
   
   Creating a new document
2. The new document dialog box will appear. Enter a name for your new document, then click Create.
   Naming and saving the new document
3. Your document will be created and opened.
   The new document

To Create a New Folder:

1. Click the Create button and then select Folder from the drop-down menu.
   Creating a folder
2. Enter a name for the new folder, then press Enter on your keyboard.
   Entering a name for the new folder
3. Your folder will be created.
4. Click the folder to open it. The folder will be empty.
   An empty folder in SkyDrive
5. You can create new documents inside the folder following the same steps as above. Just click the Create button and then select the type of document you wish to create.

   Opening Documents

   You can open and edit your documents in your web browser with Web Apps. If you have Microsoft Office installedon your computer, you can also open and edit them with the desktop Office programs. While editing your documents with Web Apps is very convenient, the Web Apps have fewer features and editing tools than the desktop Office programs.

   To Open a Office Document with Web Apps:

   1. Locate and click the name of the document you wish to open. In this example, we'll open and edit aPowerPoint file.
      
      Selecting a document to open
   2. A preview of your document will open. In the top toolbar, click Edit Presentation and then select Edit in Web App from the drop-down menu.
      Edit in browser
   3. Your document will be opened. You can now edit it with Web Apps.
      The document opened in Web Apps
   To close the document and return to SkyDrive, click the SkyDrive link at the top of the page.
   Closing the document

   To Open a Web Apps Document with a Desktop Office Program:

   1. Locate and click the name of the document you wish to open.
   2. A preview of your document will open. In the top toolbar, click Edit Presentation and then select Edit inPowerPoint.
      Opening with a desktop Office program
   3. Depending on your browser and security settings, you may see a security warning asking you to confirm that you want to open the file. Click OK.
      A security warning
   4. A dialog box will appear. Enter your Microsoft account name and password, then click OK.
      Signing in to Windows Live
   5. Your document will open in its desktop Office program. To begin editing it, click Enable Editing in the yellow toolbar at the top.
      Enabling editing
   When you're ready to return to SkyDrive and Web Apps, simply save the document within the desktop program, then close the program. The changes you made will be applied in SkyDrive, as well.
   Saving in the desktop version of PowerPoint
   We were not able to open a document in the desktop Office programs from SkyDrive using Google Chrome. You may want to try using a different internet browser if you experience this problem.

   Sharing Files and Folders

   Watch the video (4:12). Need help?
   Watch the video to learn how to share files and folders in SkyDrive.
   
   
   
   
   
   

   Introduction to Sharing

   When you use SkyDrive to share a document with someone, you're actually giving them access to the exact same file you're working on. This lets you and the people you share with edit the same document without having to keep track of multiple versions.
   There are two ways to share in SkyDrive. You can share:
   • Individual files
   • Entire folders and all of the files they contain
   When you share a document or folder in SkyDrive, you can either email a link to the people you specify, post it directly to sites like Facebook or LinkedIn, or get a link that you can use however you want. Unless you're sharing a document that needs to be visible to many people, or perhaps the public—like a flyer or an advertisement—we recommend using the first option.

   To Share a File or Folder:

   1. Hover the mouse over the file or folder you wish to share, then click the checkbox that appears.
      
      Selecting a file or folder
   2. Click the details pane button  in the top-right corner of the screen to open the Details pane (if not already active).
   3. The details pane will appear on the right side of the screen. Locate the Sharing group, then click Share.
      Opening the Share options in the details pane
   4. A pop-up window will open.
   5. Select one of the methods on the left. Your options are:
      
      • Send email to send a link to the people you specify
      • Post to    to share your document on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn
      • Get a link to obtain a link that you can use however you want (for example, you can post it on your blog, or email it to a large group)
      In this example, we will choose Send email, because it gives you the most control over who has access to your shared files.
      Sharing methods
   6. Enter the names of the people you want to share with. If they're in your contacts list, you'll be able to select them when you start typing. (You can even share with people who don't use SkyDrive, but they won't be able to edit the document; they'll only be able to view it.)
      
      Choosing who to share with
   7. Include a personal message if you want.
   8. Optional: Customize the recipient options.
      
      • By default, the people you add will be able to edit your document as long as they have a Microsoft account. If desired, you can limit your sharing so that people will only be able to view the document. Simply uncheck the box next to Recipients can edit.
      • You can also require users to sign in before they can access the file. This provides an extra level of protection in case the link gets forwarded to someone you don't know. But be careful: if you have any friends who don't use SkyDrive, this will prevent them from opening the file.
   9. When you're ready, click Share.
      Sharing the document
   10. Your file or folder will be shared.
       
   To edit the permissions of a shared file or folder, go back to the details pane, and use the controls in theSharing group.
   Editing sharing permissions
   Remember, when you share a folder, all the documents in that folder will be shared. You cannot set individual sharing settings for documents within a folder.

   Sharing Tools

   Once you've shared a document with someone, they'll be able to access it at any time. If you gave them permission, they'll also be able to edit it with Web Apps. In fact, multiple people can edit the same shared document at the same time.
   As other people make changes to a document you have open, you'll be able to see the location of their cursor, though you won't be able to see their edits until they save their changes. These changes will be applied to all versions of the document.
   Note: This aspect of sharing can be temperamental. When you're editing at the same time as other people, the changes they make might not appear immediately. You may have to refresh and reopen the document to see the most recent edits.
   Multiple people editing a document at once
   You can communicate about shared documents by adding document comments. When you comment on a document that you've shared with other people, those people will be able to see and respond to your comment.
   • To add a document comment, go to the main SkyDrive page and open the document's details pane. Type your comment in the Comments section at the bottom.
     Adding a comment to a shared document