Skip to main content

Microsoft is making it easier to share OneDrive files in Windows and Mac

An individual using a laptop that shows the logo for Microsoft OneDrive.
Pablo Calvog/Shutterstock
Of Microsoft’s many cloud solutions, its OneDrive cloud storage service is probably the most familiar to the average PC user. OneDrive is Microsoft’s competitor to Google Drive, Dropbox, and other cloud storage options, and it serves as the primary means to share documents through Microsoft’s Office 365 productivity service.

Microsoft announced an important new feature at its recent Build 2017 developers conference, namely OneDrive Files On-Demand, which makes a user’s entire list of files available on a machine without taking up local storage space. Now, the company is introducing another significant improvement to the OneDrive service by way of a new, simplified sharing experience.

It has always been possible to share files from OneDrive, but users have needed to go to the web experience or use an app in order to send a link to file. Now, Microsoft is adding the ability to share Office 365 files directly from File Explorer on a Windows PC or from the Finder on a Mac. That’s an important addition that will let users more naturally share files without the need to work outside their existing desktop workflows.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The new sharing experience has also been simplified to make it easier to share a file or folder with specific people or to make a link accessible to anyone inside or outside of an organization. This feature includes the ability to modify permissions after they have been granted and to limit the amount of time a file or folder will be available for access.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The new experience will be rolled out for Windows 7 and 10 users, Macs, and the web this summer. The improvements join OneDrive On-Demand and a host of other new features and capabilities that Microsoft hopes will put OneDrive at the center of everyone’s cloud storage requirements.

Editors' Recommendations

Mark Coppock
Mark has been a geek since MS-DOS gave way to Windows and the PalmPilot was a thing. He’s translated his love for…
How to store files on OneDrive on Windows 10
windows search down fix 10 cortana laptop 768x768

OneDrive is Microsoft's cloud storage platform, and it's fully integrated into Windows 10, making it a great choice for file sharing and cloud backups among your devices. You can move files and folders to and from your OneDrive in a few different ways, but none of them are complicated, and all of them are quick. Here's how to store files on OneDrive on Windows 10.

Interested in other cloud storage options? Check out our guide to the best cloud backup clients.
Step 1: Open the OneDrive folder

Read more
Windows rebranded? Microsoft launches a new set of logos and icons
microsoft unveils a rebranded windows with new logo and icons iconsjpg

A sampling of the new Microsoft 365 icons. Jon Friedman/Microsoft

Even Windows isn’t exempt from a bit of rebranding. Microsoft revealed a new logo and 100 newly redesigned icons for its flagship operating system on Thursday — a new look and feel for the Office system.

Read more
PowerPoint is easier than ever with Microsoft’s new A.I. tools
microsoft powerpoint ai office 365 designer transformation

Microsoft is leaning in on the power of artificial intelligence to help Office 365 subscribers create beautiful PowerPoint slides. By dragging and dropping in your favorite images and the relevant text to a slide, PowerPoint Designer leverages A.I. to automatically suggest compelling themes, layouts, and designs for you to use. In addition, A.I. can be called upon to help presenters make big numbers in a slide more relatable, and artificial intelligence can also help coach you in becoming a better speaker. These new A.I. tools follow the recent addition of A.I.-based closed-captioning feature for PowerPoint.

"We noticed that people were spending too much time building presentations, too much time on slides, and they weren't having the impact that they wanted," Shawn Villaron, PowerPoint Partner Group Program Manager at Microsoft, said in a video briefing. "So we started with a hypothesis that we could actually do better -- we could use artificial intelligence to find ways to make it easier for people to make highly impactful, highly effective presentations."
Building smarter slides

Read more