Microsoft disk cloud. Microsoft Private Cloud
If you have a computer with Windows 8.1 or 10, an Xbox One gaming console, or a smartphone with Windows Phone or Windows 10 Mobile, then you have probably come across the term “OneDrive”. The same is true if you use Microsoft Office 2013, 2016 or 365 to work with documents.
Do you want to know what OneDrive is in Windows, what kind of program it is, why and what it is needed for? Today we will answer all your questions!
What kind of program is OneDrive?
OneDrive is a special cloud storage and synchronization service for user files across various devices. At its core, this is a regular cloud the same as Google Drive or iCloud. However, its peculiarity is that it is already preinstalled on most devices running Microsoft OS.
The cloud is also used by the devices themselves to store and synchronize user data. For example, Xbox One, Windows 8.1, 10 and Windows smartphones use OneDrive to synchronize system settings, interface design (theme, background, etc.) and application settings.
In addition, the Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge browsers included with these operating systems use cloud storage to synchronize your browsing history and saved passwords.
You can access your OneDrive files on almost any device:
Terms of use for cloud storage
5GB is available to all users for free, this is enough to store backups and a small number of text documents or photos. However, you must admit that in our time this is no longer acceptable.
To get your 5 gigabytes, you just need to sign in or register your Microsoft account. 
How to increase the available volume
You can increase the size of your cloud storage for free by inviting friends using a special referral link or using social networks for this (onedrive-referral-bonus). However, you can maximally increase your cloud space by only 10 GB, receiving 500 MB for each invited user. 
To get the link, go to the settings and select "Storage Management" 
There are also 3 options for paid “subscription”:
- Basic – 50 GB for 72 rubles. per month;
- Personal – 1000 GB for 1 user for 269 rubles. per month + Office 365;
- For home – 1000 GB for each of 5 users for 339 rubles. per month + Office 365.
For most people, the Basic option will be enough to constantly synchronize photos, documents and not too large files between devices. However, the “top” tariff will allow most users to forget forever about running out of disk space.
As a result, we can say that Microsoft OneDrive is a good solution for cloud storage and synchronization of your information between different devices. The basic “for the price of a hamburger” tariff will allow you to always have the necessary data at hand.
Have a great day!
For a very long time, the main problem of PC owners was the limited amount of disk space on storage media (removable HDDs, flash drives and the like), on which any files and all kinds of confidential information can be stored. However, today, when the capacity of flash drives is measured in tens and hundreds of gigabytes, and hard drives and external drives have long surpassed the terabyte barrier in size, not only the size of the media, but also the ease of use of user files comes to the fore. That is why various virtual file storages are developing extremely intensively today, and the software that provides work with them is in great demand.
The well-known company Microsoft did not remain aloof from this technological trend, which first introduced the general public to a cloud-type file storage called SkyDrive, and then renamed the promising development Microsoft OneDrive. The decision to rename was not simply due to the whim of its creators, but due to protracted litigation over the trademark with the British giant British Sky Broadcasting. The available software made it possible to actively use allocated file resources not only through the WEB interface, but also using special software for a number of popular operating systems (including mobile OS). The service itself, from the moment of its creation, would be available to anyone.
Note: You can download onedrive for Windows 10 and other OS versions for free from our resource or the official website in Russian.
The OneDrive program is a client module designed to work on personal computers running the now almost ubiquitous Windows 7, 8 and 10 operating systems. Although the program installs absolutely adequately and then works fully even on Vista - after all, the main thing in the program’s operation is access to the user’s OneDrive account and basic capabilities for managing file content.
Important: you can use all the capabilities of cloud storage only if you register with Office 365.
Main features and user qualities of the software:
- First of all, Microsoft's policy is attractive because anyone can download OneDrive for Windows and other supported OS for free;
- a gift in the form of a permanently available 15 gigabytes of disk space, which, you see, is very good for the average user, because the main competitor, Google Drive, also offers 15 GB;
- and, finally, and most importantly, OneDrive allows you to use storage from different devices and different users - with the permission of the owner, of course.
A OneDrive account, as we mentioned above, if necessary, allows you to view and change the contents of file storage through the web interface or through mobile gadgets, and also guarantees technical support and expansion of cloud storage space if the user decides to pay for a subscription.
Competitive advantages
It happens that you come across the opinion that the only thing that has changed in the application since the days of SkyDrive is its name. Not at all! Firstly, under the old name only 7 gigabytes of free space were offered versus 15 now, and if you used the old program, all your files will be safe. Secondly, the functionality for sharing video files has been significantly expanded. Thirdly, applications for mobile operating systems such as Windows Phone, Android, iOS or Xbox have now been significantly improved and better adapted to the gadgets themselves. And for owners of mobile devices based on the Android OS, a separate bonus awaits them - the program automatically performs backups from the device’s camera.
Users who install the MS OneDrive program on their devices will enjoy both comfortable setup and extensive useful functionality.
The main advantage of setting up this software is the integrated setup wizard. This utility does not burden the user with unnecessary thoughts and does not require deep technical knowledge - it uses a reasonable step-by-step approach, each step of which allows the user to configure any parameter that is important to them immediately after installing the program itself on the system.
All you need to do is log in to your Microsoft account - and you can easily change the location of the OneDrive folder on your device, select the set of folders and files that should be synchronized, and also use the application to receive synchronized files on other devices . Successful completion of the setup wizard is indicated by a small cloud icon in the system notification area, a pop-up message on the screen, and the opening of the OneDrive folder.
However, the settings wizard does not in any way cancel out the equally extensive opportunities to “tailor” the program to your needs as you use it. The entire settings system is implemented in the form of a special simple panel, which for convenience is equipped with thematic tabs.
Here you can configure several functions:
- if during work the user encounters a variety of problems, then you can configure the launch of OneDrive along with the start of the Windows operating system and allow automatic sending of a log file (a report on frequent failures) to the Microsoft server;
- You can activate the remote access option, which is useful for many - this will open access to the materials on the current computer for other friendly PCs that also use OneDrive. For this to become real, you need to allow remote control, make sure you have a stable Internet connection, the presence of the OneDrive client on such a PC, and check the box next to the “Remote file access” option;
- You can increase the speed of downloading and uploading files (speed up the synchronization process) if the downloaded files are combined into packages. However, in this case, the load on the Internet channel bandwidth will also increase by an order of magnitude, which cannot be ignored.
How to disable onedrive on Windows 10
If you have switched to another cloud storage service or simply do not want to use this software, you can disable OneDrive in Windows 10 by right-clicking on the service icon near the clock in the system tray, then selecting “Options” and selecting the appropriate option there. However, it should be noted that disabling OneDrive in Windows 10 will not allow you to synchronize files with the cloud in the future!
Absolutely any user will appreciate the convenient functions of MS OneDrive. And comfort will begin with the fact that the program itself, without user intervention, creates a special folder, the contents of which will be automatically synchronized with cloud storage. Access to the program's functionality is opened by simply clicking on its icon, which is found in the notification area, or by double-clicking on the program icon.
Reminder: You can download onedrive for windows 10 and lower platforms from the link at the bottom of this publication.
conclusions: convenient functionality, well-implemented management and free software and space for files make MS OneDrive a good choice for anyone who needs additional space or convenient storage of frequently used materials.
One drive is a built-in cloud service from Microsoft; it is included in the standard system software starting with eight. This service allows the user store system data on the Internet, you can also move the most important files and data there, which will allow you to access them from anywhere and save them from the danger of loss.
You can use this technology as an additional flash drive for storing and transmitting information. The settings can be made in such a way that the data will be available to everyone or no one except the user.
History of origin
For a wide range technology became available since 2008 in Windows 8, only it was then called SkyDrive (sky drive). Since then, the application has been frequently modified; it has become possible to add photos and your own tags to them. In 2010, Office Web Apps was added, which is now known as online office, allowing work with documents online online. In 2011, the developers radically changed the interface and increased the size of downloaded files to 100 MB.
In 2013, there was a dispute over the word sky in the name with one of the British companies; as a result of the trial, the name of the project was changed to the one by which we now know it, and in Windows 10 the component began to be called onedrive.
Application Features
Perhaps, main feature This service can be called complete synchronization of all devices. Yes, some of them will have to install additional applications, but it's worth it. The user will be able to create, view and edit documents from any of their devices. The same can be done with pictures and other files. For some people, it will be very convenient to take a photo on your phone, save it in the cloud, and then immediately open it on your computer, without any wires or transferring it from your smartphone to your computer. Initially the user is allocated there is only 5 GB of memory on the disk, for G8 users this number is 25, the price for expansion fluctuates around 140 rubles per year for an additional 50 GB of memory.
Don’t forget about the ability to create and edit documents online. This will allow you to create a kind of mobile office that will be accessible practically from any device. You can open access to your documents to other people, so it is possible for two people to edit one document, which can greatly help in their work. A good help is saving all parameters and settings in the cloud storage, in fact, by logging in from the new system and entering all of your data, the user will no longer have to configure anything, the OS will already be ready for use and configured as needed.
How to get extra space
You can get additional memory for free if you invite other users. For this it is worth going to system parameters and go to the subscription management section, a referral link is available here. It is worth sending it to your friends or inserting it into one of your profiles. For each participant who registers using this link, the user will receive 500 megabytes, but no more than 10 gigabytes in total. 
Here the user can select the tariff he needs, and then proceed to payment. After it, you can immediately use the entire memory capacity of the OnDrive cloud.
How to sign in to OneDrive
In order to enter One Drive through a browser, you will have to go to the website http://onedrive.com and enter your credentials. If you don't have an account yet, you can register here. The interface of this service is not too different from that of other repositories. Files can be added by dragging and dropping or using special button at the top of the screen. 
However, for better performance, you should download the van drive application for your computer and mobile device from here. You should also enter your data in this program. Next you will have to set up synchronization; you can copy all folders and files to the cloud, you can only copy some, or you can copy nothing. Here you should choose the best option for yourself. 
On the mobile app everything looks almost the same. Required download the program, enter your credentials or register, after which you can use it. 
How to download and install
On most modern devices with Windows this application is included, if this is not the case, then you can go to the storage site and select the desired option there, and then download the utility.
For smartphones, you can find the application by name in the standard store; the utility for Android is available at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.skydrive&hl=ru.
There is nothing special about the installation; after launch, all that remains is follow instructions. Only in the computer version you will need to select what exactly to synchronize, and in the mobile version it will be offered, in addition to synchronization, to immediately send all videos and photos to disk.
How to use the application and basic settings
In the utility itself, you can go to the parameters, several tabs will be available there. On first You can configure the program launch features. On the second tab, you should configure those directories that will be synchronized with the storage, so they can be accessed from another location using your Microsoft OneDrive account. On third tab, you can uncheck the box that is responsible for archiving data before transferring it, but it is better to leave it. The user can work with folders on the computer in the same way as always; the created folders will be displayed in the web interface. Here you can click on the file and click on share, this will allow you to send the link to another user. The link can take the following values: 
For such files there are several privacy settings that will allow you to limit users' actions on it. The same actions can be performed in the mobile application, only the interface there will look a little different. Main feature The mobile version is the ability to synchronize all photos and videos, this will allow you to view the footage on your computer, without unnecessary movements and file sharing.
How the Microsoft cloud works
When working with a computer application, this technology will not be much different from a regular hard drive. All files downloaded to it will be available on the computer, and those that the user transfers to the folder will be archived and transferred to Microsoft servers, so they will appear there too. This mechanism will be observed in full synchronization. If only a few folders are synchronized, then data will only be transferred from them.
From the mobile application you can see all data, which are located on Microsoft servers, because it is from there, and not from the computer, that he will download them, if necessary. When photo and video synchronization is enabled, this data will be transferred to the cloud when new files are added or old files are changed. Thus, it can be understood that all information is stored on separate servers, which are used as an intermediate link between users or between devices of the same user.
How to remove OneDrive
In most cases, uninstalling a program is not difficult. You just need to go to control Panel, installation and removal of programs and find the necessary utility there. Then click on it and click on delete. The removal wizard will start, the user will only need to follow its instructions.
Benefits of OneDrive
- Quick access to documents, music, photos, archives and other data that are synchronized via the OneDrive service (formerly Sky Drive).
- Easily add files and folders to OneDrive storage. To do this, just copy the data to the folder that the OneDrive application will create.
- Managing synchronized data is no different from how a user manages files stored on his computer.
- A large volume of cloud disk that can be filled with files of any type.
- OneDrive clients are designed not only for Windows, but also for all popular operating systems and mobile platforms.
- Ability to quickly update OneDrive.
The classic OneDrive app is built into Windows 8.1. The OneDrive app is not supported on Windows XP. If you try to install it on a computer running this Windows XP operating system, the message "OneDriveSetup.exe is not a valid Win32 application" will be displayed. For owners of the Windows 8 operating system, 25 GB of free online storage is provided.
