The cloud is a space on the internet where you store and possibly edit files. That web space is protected by a password, so that only you have access to your online files.

Actually, the cloud doesn’t work much differently than the hard drive on your PC. For example, you can copy files to it, put them in a specific folder or delete them. An advantage of storing files in the cloud is that you can always access them via the internet. Even if you are not at your own computer. On another computer, you use the internet browser to log in to the cloud space. Or you use an app on your mobile. The cloud is also useful as a backup option. It is always a good idea to keep important files somewhere outside of your computer. The cloud is a great place for that.

Integrated into Windows

There are many different cloud providers. One of these is Microsoft, which offers free cloud space under the name OneDrive. If you use Windows 10, you automatically get free web space with OneDrive. The Microsoft account that you use to log in to Windows is also the account for OneDrive. You no longer have to create a separate account with your personal data.

Because OneDrive is integrated in Windows, you can work with it very easily. You don’t need a separate program: OneDrive is just part of the File Explorer. That ensures that you work with it as if it were a hard drive on your computer.

Activate

Before you get started with OneDrive, you must first sign in once. To do this, click on the magnifying glass on the left side of the taskbar in Windows 10. Type: one drive. click on OneDrive. You sign in with your Microsoft account. Enter your username and click Next one.

Enter your password and click To register. You can now work with OneDrive on your computer. There is an app for working with OneDrive on your smartphone or tablet (see box ‘OneDrive on mobile’).

Create a folder

OneDrive is part of File Explorer. You open File Explorer by clicking the folder icon on the taskbar. In the list of important components and folders on the left, you will see OneDrive. Click on OneDrive and the contents of your web space will appear in the box to the right. If you’ve never used OneDrive before, there won’t be anything here.

Just like on your hard drive, use folders for the overview. To create a new folder in your OneDrive space, click New map on the toolbar. Or you can right-click in the empty box to the right of the Explorer, hold the mouse over New and then click Folder. Type a name for the folder and press Enter. The folder is created in your web space on the internet. If there is a checkmark next to the new folder, it is ready to use.

There is sometimes a short time between your action and its completion on OneDrive. That’s the difference with working directly on the hard drive: because it’s done online, it takes a little longer.

Move or copy by dragging

Once you’ve created a folder on OneDrive, you can put files in it. The most convenient is to use the two boxes of the Explorer. In the right box, open the folder containing the file you want to move or copy.

Let’s say you want to put a copy of a photo from the Pictures folder in the cloud. In the left pane of the File Explorer, click Pictures. Then double-click on the folder with the photo in the right-hand box. In the left box, then open the desired folder in OneDrive. Click on the > for OneDrive. You will see the new folder.

You now choose whether you want to move or copy the photo. Moving means putting the photo in your OneDrive space and then removing it from your hard drive. Usually you use copy, so that a version of the file also remains on the hard drive.

To copy the photo, first press and hold the Ctrl key on the keyboard. Now drag the photo from the right box onto the right folder in OneDrive in the left box. Release the mouse button and the file will be copied to your web space. To move a file, drag it onto the folder in OneDrive without the Ctrl key.

Click on the folder in OneDrive in the left box and you will see the photo. You can now simply open and view the file by double clicking on it.

Move and copy with the keyboard

If you find dragging difficult, you can also copy or move a file using the keyboard. Click on the photo in the right box. To copy, press the Ctrl and C keys simultaneously. To move, press the Ctrl and X keys at the same time. Open the desired folder in OneDrive. Press the Ctrl and V keys and the file will be pasted.

By the way, you don’t have to transfer files to your OneDrive one by one. Multiple files are also possible. To do this, hold down the Ctrl key and then click one by one on the files you want to take with you. Then drag them all at once to OneDrive or use the keyboard.

Delete files

Deleting a file from OneDrive is easy. To delete, simply click on the file and press the Delete key. When prompted for confirmation: click Yes. Files deleted from OneDrive can still be restored to OneDrive via the internet browser from the online Recycle Bin.

OneDrive on mobile

One of the advantages of OneDrive is that it is always reachable, as long as you have an internet connection. On the smartphone and tablet you can work with OneDrive via the internet browser. But a lot more convenient is the OneDrive app. You download it from the official store with your device. You can also log in via the app with your Microsoft account information. The operation of the app is quite similar to that of the internet browser application.
OneDrive can also be used in various apps, such as Word and PowerPoint, for directly saving documents.

OneDrive through the browser

If you don’t have a PC with Windows at hand, OneDrive is always reachable on another computer with a different operating system. Surf to onedrive.live.com. If you do not automatically arrive in your web space, click on the top right To register. Enter your account email address and click Next one. Enter your password and click To register. If necessary, click away the advertising for paid extra space.

You enter your web space, which is divided into a number of standard folders plus the folders you have created yourself. Click on a folder to see the files in it. Then click on the file, such as a photo, to open it. You can share a file online with others, download it and more by holding your mouse over the file and then clicking a check mark in the circle. Then choose what you want to do in the toolbar. When you’re done, exit by clicking the doll icon or your account icon in the top right, thenSign out to click.