What is SkyDrive?
The short answer is that SkyDrive is a free service offered by Microsoft to host files in the “cloud.” SkyDrive
also allows you to store, sync, and share files with other people and devices across the web.
How Much Space?
New SkyDrive accounts offer 7GB of cloud storage. Older users of the service were able to reclaim more free
space (25 GB).
You can host any file types on it, as long as the files are not bigger than 100 MB each. If you are using the
Skydrive desktop application (available for Windows 7 or newer operating system), you can upload files that
are up 2 GB in size.
Accessing SkyDrive
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Go to https://skydrive.live.com/
Enter your Microsoft account (your full school email address) and your password.
Click Sign In
Please do not check Keep me signed in option if you are on a public computer or if students will have
access to this computer.
Your SkyDrive
Once you are signed in, you can see all of your files and the files others have shared with you.
Working with Files and Folders
You can upload files directly into SkyDrive or you can create folders to organize your files.
Create > Folder to create a folder. You can create folders inside of folders to help organize your files.
You can also create documents directly from the browser. The Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote options
are basically “light” version of the full Microsoft Office applications. The Excel Survey option is an easy way to
create an online survey. When participants submit their responses in the survey, results will be visible in an
Excel Spreadsheet.
The breadcrumbs (see picture below) indicate exactly where the file is located. In this example, The SkyDrive
Basics Word document is in a folder called Office365, which is in a folder called Training Materials, which is in
my personal SkyDrive. Each of these locations are links, which means I can click on the folder name in the
breadcrumbs list and see all of the files and folders within any of these locations.
Uploading Files
You can upload files directly into your main SkyDrive or into Folders.
You can drag and drop files into SkyDrive or you can use the Upload tool. Click Upload and browse to find the
desired files. You can select multiple files to upload at once (Hold CTRL key on your keyboard and select
desired files.)
Working with Files
When you select a file (check mark), you will see many options on the SkyDrive toolbar at the top.
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Open - You can open the document in the Web App or in the actual application
Download - This will download a copy of the file from SkyDrive (your file will still be in your SkyDrive)
Sharing - Use this option to quickly and easily send this file in an email, post it to Facebook or Twitter,
or get a link that you can share with others
Embed - You can embed this document on a blog or
webpage by using this option to generate HTML code
Manage - You can rename, delete, move, or copy a file with
the Manage tools. You can also see the Version history of a
document or view its properties.
Clear Selection - this simply unchecks any file or folder you
have selected
Privacy Settings
In order for people to be able to share files with you, you must have
your Privacy settings set to receive invitations from everyone.
Click your name in the upper right corner of the SkyDrive window and
select Edit Profile.
You may be prompted to re-enter your SkyDrive password.
If you encounter a screen with details about your Skype and
Messenger profiles, click the View and edit your
Messenger profile link
Under Contact Info, you can see your “sharing”
preferences. Click on the link to edit those preferences.
In order to receive invitations to share files from others, change your Friend and group invitations to
Everyone.
Set your Contact, Work Info and
Comments preferences to your
choice.
Be sure to Save any changes you make.
Creating and Working with Groups in SkyDrive
You can easily share single documents or folders of documents from your personal SkyDrive account with
others, but you can also create groups where multiple users can create, edit, and save documents and files.
Groups also have different communication tools available for use.
Creating a Group
Select Groups from the left column of your SkyDrive account.
Enter a name and an email address for your group in the space provided and click Create Group.
The email address must be unique, so you will be prompted to create a different address if your first choice
has already been used.
As soon as your group has been created, you can begin creating or uploading files. To invite others the group,
click Group Actions > Invite People. Enter their full email addresses and click Invite.
The Group actions and Group options sections allow you to make changes that affect the entire group.
To see details or make changes to membership information, click Group actions > View membership
To change a member’s role, select a member, then click Change role and select their new role from the dropdown list. Owners and co-owners have access and powers to approve membership requests, invite others to
join the group, delete files, etc. Members are able to view, download, and create documents in the Group files
but are not able to invite others to join or delete files.