Module 1: Working in the Cloud
Getting Around Microsoft 365 and OneDrive
Microsoft 365 is not one program. It is a set of connected apps and online services that share the same sign-in and the same storage. Once you understand how the pieces fit together, you stop emailing files to yourself, you stop hunting for "the latest copy", and you can pick up your work on any computer or phone. This lesson gives you a map of the main apps and shows you how to find your way around OneDrive, the place where your personal work files live.
The main apps and what each is for
You sign in once with your Microsoft 365 account (for a work account this is usually your work email address). From the Microsoft 365 home page in your browser, or the app launcher (the grid of nine dots at the top left of most Microsoft 365 pages), you can open each app:
| App | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Word | Letters, reports, proposals, minutes |
| Excel | Lists, trackers, budgets, calculations |
| PowerPoint | Presentations and simple visual handouts |
| Outlook | Email, calendar and contacts |
| Teams | Chat, meetings, and shared team files |
| OneDrive | Your own cloud storage for work files |
| SharePoint | Shared storage for teams and departments (Teams files are stored here) |
| Forms | Surveys, quizzes and registration forms |
Most apps exist in three versions: the desktop app installed on your computer, the web app that runs in a browser, and the mobile app. They open the same files. The desktop apps have the most features; the web apps are good for quick edits and work on any computer. Exactly which apps you can use depends on your licence, so if something mentioned in this course is missing, ask your IT administrator.
OneDrive versus SharePoint and Teams
A simple rule helps you decide where a file belongs:
- OneDrive is for files that are mainly yours: drafts, your own notes, work in progress. You can still share individual files from OneDrive.
- Teams and SharePoint are for files that belong to a team: the department budget, shared templates, client folders. If you leave the organisation, these files stay with the team.
A common mistake is keeping the only copy of an important team document in your personal OneDrive. If you go on leave or change jobs, nobody else can manage it easily.
Finding your way around OneDrive
Open OneDrive from the app launcher. The left-hand menu typically includes:
- Home or My files: all the files and folders you have stored.
- Recent: files you opened or edited lately, wherever they are stored. This is often the fastest way back to yesterday's work.
- Shared: files other people have shared with you, and files you have shared.
- Recycle bin: deleted items, kept for a limited period before they are removed permanently.
Microsoft updates the OneDrive layout from time to time, so labels may look slightly different on your screen, but these areas are always there. Use the search box at the top: it searches file names and, for many file types, the text inside documents.
The OneDrive desktop app
On Windows and Mac you can install the OneDrive sync app (it is built into Windows). It adds a OneDrive folder to File Explorer or Finder, so you can work with cloud files like normal folders. Small icons show each file's status: a cloud icon means the file is online only and downloads when you open it, a green tick means it is available on this device, and circular arrows mean it is syncing. Right-click a folder and choose Always keep on this device for files you need offline, for example before travelling.
Worked example
Wanjiru is an administrator at a small clearing and forwarding firm in Mombasa. She used to save files on her desktop and email them to colleagues. She now does this instead:
- She signs in at the Microsoft 365 home page and opens OneDrive.
- She creates a folder called Drafts for her own work in progress.
- She moves the shared client folders out of her OneDrive into the company's Teams channel, so the whole team can reach them.
- She installs the OneDrive sync app on her laptop and marks the Drafts folder Always keep on this device, because the office internet is sometimes unreliable.
- When she works from home she opens Recent in the browser and continues where she left off.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Saving to the local Desktop or Downloads folder, which is not backed up unless your organisation has set that up.
- Signing in with a personal account when you meant your work account. Check the account picture at the top right.
- Keeping team files only in your personal OneDrive.
- Ignoring sync errors. A red cross on the OneDrive icon means changes are not being saved to the cloud.
Exercise
Sign in to Microsoft 365 in your browser and open the app launcher. Open OneDrive and create a folder called Practice. Open Recent and note the last three files you worked on and where each one is stored. If you use a Windows or Mac computer, check the OneDrive icon in the taskbar or menu bar and confirm it says your files are up to date.
Key points
- Microsoft 365 is a set of connected apps that share one sign-in and cloud storage.
- OneDrive is for your own work files; Teams and SharePoint are for files that belong to a team.
- Recent, Shared and the Recycle bin are the fastest ways to find files in OneDrive.
- The sync app lets you work with cloud files in File Explorer or Finder and keep chosen folders offline.