Back Up Windows PC Data with Microsoft OneDrive

Windows OneDrive backup pc

The preferred backup resource for Tarleton office computers is Microsoft OneDrive. All faculty and staff have 5 TB storage available, and the service allows for accessing and sharing files on any system with Internet access.

OneDrive Features

OneDrive for Tarleton includes these major features:

5TB of storage per user, 10-20x as much space in your Tarleton computer.
Files are accessible from any device. OneDrive apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
Securely share files with other Tarleton faculty, staff, and students; as well as outside Tarleton partners.
Instant off-site backup of your files. Includes automatic backup function.

OneDrive is in every way a superior cloud-based storage system than the T drive:

5000x (not a typo) more storage space than what is available in the T drive.
Easier to set up OneDrive personal devices.
T drive can only be accessed on Windows and Mac as a network drive, no web or smartphone access.
Does not require VPN to access when away from campus.

Tarleton faculty and staff are responsible for maintaining backups of important local files. The OneDrive application is pre-installed on Tarleton computers, but is not configured to automatically back up your data. OneDrive should be configured for your particular needs to provide backups of the files in your Documents folder, Desktop or other folder locations that contain your important documents. See instructions on this setup below.

Set Up OneDrive for Windows

Download & Install OneDrive for Windows - Personal PCs Only

All Tarleton PCs have OneDrive already installed. If using this guide on a Tarleton PC, you can skip to the sign in section below.

Go to Microsoft’s download website and download OneDrive for Windows.

Open the downloaded OneDriveSetup.exe and go through the installer.

Alternatively, you can download and install OneDrive from the Microsoft Store, located in the Start menu.

Sign In To OneDrive with Tarleton Email

For your first time, open OneDrive under the Start menu. If OneDrive is already running, then there will be a blue cloud icon in the task bar near the bottom right of your screen.

Log into OneDrive if prompted, using your Tarleton email address, password, and Microsoft Authenticator. Go through the setup steps, clicking Next and accepting the default options.

Configure Backup Settings

In the OneDrive window, click on the gear icon, and then click on Settings.

Click on Sync and Backup.

Click on Manage Backup.

Enable the folders you wish to automatically back up to OneDrive.

Desktop, Documents, and Pictures are all available to be backed up.
Be sure to keep your files in one of the enabled folders to ensure they are automatically backed up to OneDrive.

Click Save Changes. The backup will begin and run in the background.

Access Your Files On OneDrive

OneDrive & Windows

You can access your OneDrive files on your PC at any time.

Open a File Explorer window, and then click on OneDrive in the left column.

The OneDrive folder can also be found in This PC/C:/Users/<your username>/OneDrive

Inside the OneDrive folder will be a Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folder, depending on what you selected to back up. This is where your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures files now live, both on the PC and in the cloud.

You can drag and drop any other file into OneDrive, and it will automatically sync with the cloud storage. Create and organize folders as you wish.

Double-click on a file to open it like normal. Any changes saved to it will automatically be backed up to OneDrive.

Please note that deleting a file in OneDrive, or moving it out of a OneDrive folder, will also remove it from the OneDrive storage of your other devices.

OneDrive & Web

You can access your OneDrive files on any computer with Internet access.

Open a web browser and go to OneDrive.com.

The default Home space will show you recently accessed files saved to your OneDrive, both your files and files shared with you through Outlook and Teams.