SkyDrive Upload Sync and Manage Files

Author: mety Labels:: SkyDrive Upload Sync and Manage Files

SkyDrive Upload, Sync and Manage Files

Introduction

One of the most useful things about SkyDrive is that you have plenty of space tostore all types of files. You can upload photos, videos, and more from your computer. Then, you'll be able to access those files from anywhere with an internet connection.

In this lesson, you will learn how to upload and sync files from your computer to SkyDrive. You'll also learn how to move files from one folder to another. Finally, you'll learn about additional file options, including special options for managing photos.

Uploading and Syncing Files with SkyDrive

Launch "Uploading and Syncing Files in SkyDrive" video!

Watch the video (3:15). Need help?

SkyDrive isn't just for storing Web Apps documents. You can alsoupload other files, like photos, videos, music, and more. In total, SkyDrive gives you 7 GB of space to store files of all types. You can upload any file up to 300 MB in size.

Watch the video to learn about uploading, syncing, and managing files with SkyDrive.

The SkyDrive desktop application makes it easy to upload and sync files across all of your devices—check out our lesson on Getting Started with SkyDrive to learn how to install the app (if you haven't already). The SkyDrive desktop application works like any other folder on your computer. But whenever you move a file to the SkyDrive folder, that file is moved online to the cloud, allowing you to access the same version of that file from any computer connected to the internet.

To Upload Files:

Locate the file on your computer that you wish to upload to your SkyDrive.
Click, hold and drag the file to the SkyDrive folder.
Moving a file to the SkyDrive folder
The file will appear on your SkyDrive. Now you can access the file from anywhere by signing in to your SkyDrive.
The uploaded file

To Upload Folders:

Uploading individual files can start to become very time consuming. Fortunately, you can also move entire foldersto SkyDrive. Whenever you upload a folder, the folder and every file stored within it will be uploaded to your SkyDrive.

Locate the folder you wish to upload to your SkyDrive.
Click, hold and drag the folder to the SkyDrive folder.
Moving a folder to the SkyDrive folder
The folder and its files will appear on your SkyDrive.

To Open a File:

Whenever you want to view a file in your SkyDrive, you can open it directly from your SkyDrive folder. Simply double-click a file to open it.

Opening a file from the SkyDrive folder

If you have Microsoft Office installed on your computer, any Office files (like .docx, .xlsx, or .pptx files) will open in the desktop Office application. When you close the file, your document will be saved and synced to SkyDrive, allowing you to access the most current version of the file from anywhere.

Uploading Files on the Web

If you don't have the SkyDrive desktop application, you can upload files using the web uploader. The process is a little more complicated than uploading files with the SkyDrive folder, but it's still an easy way to upload files from anywhere.

To Upload Files to SkyDrive on the Web:

Navigate to SkyDrive. Locate and select the Upload button.
Uploading files
Locate and select the desired file. You can select multiple files by holding down the Ctrl key.
Click Open.
Selecting files to upload
Your files will be uploaded to SkyDrive. (This may take a few moments.)

You can also upload files by dragging and dropping them from your computer into SkyDrive, though this method may not work if you are using an older internet browser.

Dragging and dropping files into SkyDrive

Managing Files

Watch the video (3:02). Need help?

After you've been using SkyDrive for a while, you might find yourself having a hard time keeping track of all your files. Fortunately, SkyDrive offers a number of features to help you manage andorganize your files.

Watch the video to learn more about sorting and organizingyour files.

Sorting Your Files

When you navigate to the SkyDrive main page, you'll see all of your files and folders You can choose which files to view by selecting various options in the left navigation pane.

Viewing options

You can also change how your files are displayed by clicking the Thumbnails view and Details view icons.

Thumbnails view lets you view your files in a grid of icons. This is the default view for your files and folders.
Details view lists your files with their names and other information, which may feel more familiar if you're used to working with files on a desktop computer.

Thumbnails view and details view

Searching for Documents

You can find documents by using the Search feature. Searching lets you look for a specific document using words contained within the document and its title.

To search for a file, click the search bar. Type the word or words you wish to search for, then press Enter. Your search results will appear.
Searching for a document

Working with Folders

You can use folders to organize your files. Documents can be stored in folders and moved from one folder to another. Moving documents can be very useful, as you can share a document simply by moving it to a shared folder. For example, if you're working on a project with a group of people, you could share a folder with them. Then, you could move any files you wanted to share with the group to that folder.

To learn about creating and sharing folders, review Lesson 3, Create and Share Office Documents.

To Move a File to a Folder:

Hover the mouse above a file and then click the checkbox in the upper-right corner. You can select multiplefiles by clicking additional checkboxes.
Selecting files to move
Locate and click the Manage button and then select Move to from the drop-down menu.
Moving a file
A dialog box will appear. Select the folder where you wish to move the file, then click Move.
Selecting a folder
Your file will be moved. If you moved your file to a shared folder, your file will be shared, as well.

If you have installed the SkyDrive desktop application, you can also manage your files using the SkyDrive folder on your computer. If you have more experience organizing files on your computer, you may prefer this method over organizing your files online.

Managing files on the desktop with the SkyDrive application

0 comments |

Amal Nagm