Understanding OneDrive vs. SharePoint/Teams Sites
Microsoft 365 offers two primary storage solutions: OneDrive and SharePoint/Teams sites. Each storage space has unique characteristics that should be considered when creating and storing files.
OneDrive
For Files Owned by You
Store and access content that pertains to you as an individual as well as files you're not ready to share with others yet.
Data Ownership
If you were to leave the university, these files would be deleted after a retention period, and anyone you have shared them with will lose access unless the files are transferred to another owner.
Sharing is Optional
You don't have to share files in OneDrive, but you can if you'd like to. Files and folders must be shared individually.
Permissions
Individuals may see different files in your folders depending on their access to specific files.
You can find all OneDrive files owned by other people that you've been given access to by looking in your "Shared with me" section.
Your access to these files may be rescinded at any time by the owner or other editors.
Access Levels
You can grant levels of access to the files you own:
- Can View: Allows recipients to only view the file or folder; they cannot make changes.
- Can Edit: Allows recipients to view and make changes to the file or folder
SharePoint/Teams Sites
For Files Owned by the Team
Central spaces where files and folders can be stored and accessed without tying them to an individual owner.
This is best for files needed for business continuity, team collaboration, and files that need to outlast an individual's employment.
If a team member were to leave the organization, these files would remain accessible by all remaining members of the site/team.
Likewise, if someone new joins your team, you can quickly give them access to all shared documents by adding them to the Team or site instead of granting access one at a time on a document level.
Sharing is Role-Based
All members of the SharePoint site or Teams team have automatic access to all the content based on their site/team role, but may have different permission levels.
External users who are not members of the site/team can be given access to specific files, folders, or the entire site.
More Granular Permission Controls
SharePoint sites offer more granular permission controls:
- Visitors Use this group to grant people Read permissions to the SharePoint site.
- Members Use this group to grant people Edit permissions to the SharePoint site.
- Owners Use this group to grant people Full Control permissions to the SharePoint site.
- Viewers Use this group to grant people View Only permissions to the SharePoint site.
Additional Features
- Version history tracking
- Content approval workflows
- Document sets and metadata
- Integration with Teams channels
- Shared calendars, task lists, and other collaborative tools
Moving files from OneDrive to SharePoint/Teams Sites
If you have the appropriate level of access, you can move files from OneDrive to a SharePoint site or Teams channel. When you take this action, ownership transfers to the team, and permissions are governed by the site's settings.
When to Use Each Storage Solution
Use OneDrive When |
Use SharePoint/Teams Sites When |
|---|---|
| You're working on personal or draft documents | You're collaborating with a project team on shared documents |
|
You need to control sharing at an individual file level |
You need centralized document management for a team |
|
You're creating content that doesn't need to be accessible by others if you leave |
You're creating content that should remain accessible to the team regardless of personnel changes |
|
You need offline access to your files |
You need advanced features like workflows, approval processes, or metadata |
|
You're working on temporary or limited-sharing projects |
You're working on long-term projects requiring consistent access |