Using OneDrive Without Using OneDrive

Just because the app disappoints doesn't mean you can't use the online storage.

OneDrive is controversial, to be sure. Their backup "feature" is a mess while their storage management seems questionable at best and a ham-fisted marketing technique at worst.

Regardless, you get 15GB of free online storage (1TB if you have Microsoft 365), which is useful for sharing things if nothing else.

Let's see how you can utilize the storage without messing up your computer.

The OneDrive app

You do not need to run the OneDrive app on your computer. You can disable it, uninstall it, or sign out of it. Any of these prevents the OneDrive app from trying to synchronize or otherwise manipulate any files on your computer.

This is the OneDrive you're not going to use.

Without the OneDrive app in use, there won't be any confusing manipulation behind the scenes.

Onedrive.com

Instead, use OneDrive via your web browser by visiting OneDrive.com1.

OneDrive is first and foremost a website. That there might be other tools that work with it -- such as the OneDrive app on your computer -- is nice, but not required.

Click on My files in the lefthand pane to see all the top-level folders in your OneDrive online.

Now let's see how to download, upload, share, and edit those online documents.

Downloading files

Once you locate a file within your OneDrive online, the easiest way to download it to your computer is to right-click on it and click Download.

In the example above, I've moved into the "Transfer" folder in "My files", where I've right-clicked on a copy of my Internet Safety PDF. Clicking on Download will download the file from OneDrive.com online to my computer.

Adding / Uploading files

To upload files from your computer into OneDrive online: in OneDrive online, navigate to the folder into which you want to place the files (I've selected the Transfer folder in "My files"), and click the New & Upload button.

This will open a regular Windows File-Open dialog box where you can select one or more files. Once you do so and click OK, those files will be uploaded.

In the example above, I've uploaded a single file, "list.txt".

Sharing a file from OneDrive.com

One of the reasons you might want to use OneDrive.com, even without the app running on your PC, is to be able to share a file or folder with someone else.

In OneDrive.com, right-click on the file and click on Share.

This will open a sharing dialog.

There are two approaches: you can have OneDrive send an email to specific people ("Send link"), or you can create a link that is copied to the clipboard for you to share with someone however you like. I prefer the latter approach.

Note that you can also control the permissions. By default, anyone with the link you create can edit (make changes to) the file you're sharing. This is great for collaboration. To change the permission, click on the ">" under Copy Link, and you can change it to "Can view", in which case the person can see, but not edit, your document.

Here's an example of such a link (to the PDF):

https://1drv.ms/b/s!AgsM3hkLexJ-i8V9H8mlHrHN8EU80Q?e=Deyb12

You can share individual files or entire folders.

Editing online

In many cases, you don't need to download a file in order to edit it. OneDrive.com is integrated with the free online versions of Word, Excel, and other programs. Just click on the file and it'll open in its respective program online, without downloading.

You can make all the changes you like, and when you save and close the document, the changes will be reflected in the OneDrive file. (If you need more functionality than the free online tools offer, you can still download, edit on your PC, and then upload as needed.)

OneDrive via the web: any account, anywhere

You don't have to be signed into OneDrive.com online with the same account you use on your PC. This is a great way to deal with files kept in OneDrive associated with other accounts.2 For example, I sign on to my PC with my personal Microsoft account, but can sign into OneDrive.com in my browser using a different Microsoft account, such as that of my business.

This means that the PC you use doesn't even have to be yours. You can sign in to OneDrive.com from any PC (of course, make sure to keep your Microsoft account credentials secure; InPrivate or Incognito modes would be one approach).

There's also no requirement that this be a PC. You can visit OneDrive.com from a browser on any computer running any operating system: Windows, macOS, Linux, Google Chrome, etc.

One downside

If you're placing sensitive data in the cloud, I recommend encrypting it. My tool of choice is Cryptomator, but that's software that runs on your PC, not in the cloud. Cryptomator-encrypted files are not accessible via the web interface.

Another approach is to encrypt files manually, say with a password-protected zip file. You'll still need to download, decrypt, edit, re-encrypt, and upload to make changes, but it's at least feasible.