What is OneDrive?
OneDrive is your personal cloud storage in Microsoft 365 — what it does, how it syncs, and where it differs from SharePoint.
OneDrive is the personal cloud file storage that comes with every Microsoft 365 user account. Each user gets their own OneDrive — typically 1 TB on business plans — for files that belong to them rather than to a team.
What OneDrive actually does
- Personal cloud storage for your own working files, drafts, screenshots, and personal copies.
- Sync clients for Windows and macOS that mirror your OneDrive folder to your device, with on-demand "Files On-Demand" so files only download when you open them.
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android that give you offline access and camera-roll backup.
- Sharing — share any file or folder with a link, internal or external, with permissions you control.
- Versioning and recycle bin — every file keeps a version history, and deleted files are recoverable for at least 30 days.
- Known Folder Move — IT can redirect your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders into OneDrive so they're automatically backed up.
OneDrive vs SharePoint
The two are technically the same product — OneDrive is a personal SharePoint site behind a friendlier UI — but the practical rule of thumb is simple:
- Put personal working files (drafts, notes, your own copies) in OneDrive.
- Put shared team files (proposals, designs, project artefacts) in SharePoint or a Teams channel.
Files in OneDrive that you share heavily often belong in SharePoint instead, because access doesn't depend on a single person remaining in the company.
Business OneDrive vs consumer OneDrive
There are two distinct products that share the name:
- OneDrive for Business ships with Microsoft 365 work or school accounts and lives in your organisation's tenant.
- OneDrive (personal) ships with consumer Microsoft accounts and is included with Microsoft 365 Family/Personal.
They look similar but are completely separate services with different storage, sharing controls, and admin tooling. Don't mix them — files from a personal OneDrive don't belong on a work device, and many organisations block the consumer client outright.