How to Add or Remove Shared Folders from Your OneDrive


You can easily save your files to OneDrive and get to them from any device, like your Windows 10 PC, Windows 10 tablet, or Windows 10 Mobile phone.

You can use OneDrive to share photos, Microsoft Office documents, other files, and entire folders with people.

You can stop sharing an item, or change the permissions others have to it, if you are the owner of the item or have edit permissions.

When someone shares a folder and gives you edit permissions to it, you can add the shared folder to your own OneDrive to make it easier to edit and work with the folder and its contents. If you sync the folder to your Windows 10 Mobile phone, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Mac computers running the OneDrive app (included in Windows 10 by default), you can work with the folder offline.

Shared folders you've added to your OneDrive appear in the OneDrive website in your Files view.

If you use the OneDrive sync app (included in Windows 10 by default) on your computer, you can sync the folder to your computer. On a Windows PC, find the folder in Windows Explorer (Windows 7 and Vista) or File Explorer (Windows 10); on a Mac computer, use the Finder to locate it.

This tutorial will show you how to remove or add and sync OneDrive folders shared to you by someone to your own OneDrive.

Shared folders added to your OneDrive do not use any of your OneDrive storage space. They only count against the folder owner's storage space.

More about shared folders on your OneDrive

Can I still access shared folders if I don't add them to my OneDrive?

Yes, you can access them from your Shared list on OneDrive.com or in the OneDrive mobile apps. You can still copy, move, edit, rename, share, and delete anything in the folder.

What happens if I move items into or out of a shared folder?

When you move items between shared folders, they lose their existing permissions and get the permissions from the folder you moved them to. For example, if you move an item to a read-only folder, the item becomes read-only as well. Moving an item from a shared folder to an unshared folder means that item is no longer shared with anyone. If you move items only within a shared folder, there is no change to any of the assigned permissions.

What happens if I move the shared folder itself?

You can't move shared folders on OneDrive.com. If you sync OneDrive to your computer, any shared folder you move is copied to the destination location and then removed from your OneDrive. It is still available in your Shared list.

Be careful when moving folders, as it can affect the folder's sharing permissions. If you move a shared folder into another folder, it takes the permissions of the destination folder. This means people can access it only if they also have permissions to the destination folder - if the destination folder isn't shared, then the folder you moved is also not shared anymore.

Can I rename a shared folder that I’ve added to my OneDrive?

Yes, you can. The new name you give to the folder is visible only to you, and will appear with that name anywhere you access your OneDrive, including OneDrive.com, the OneDrive app on your computer, or the OneDrive mobile apps. The name change won’t be visible to the shared folder owner, nor anyone else with permissions to the folder.

Renaming or changing any of the folder's contents, however, is visible to others sharing the folder.

Why don’t items that have been deleted from a shared folder appear in my recycle bin?

Items deleted from a shared folder on OneDrive.com are sent to the recycle bin of only the shared folder’s owner. However, if you sync your OneDrive on a computer, items deleted from a shared folder do appear in the computer’s recycle bin.

Only the owner of a shared folder can restore an item deleted from the folder.

What happens when I remove a shared folder that I've added to my OneDrive?

This only removes the folder from your OneDrive - it is still accessible from your Shared list and doesn't affect the owner or anyone else sharing the folder. If you delete the folder instead, it's deleted from everyone's OneDrive and the folder owner would have to restore it.

If you sync OneDrive to one or more computers, removing a shared folder from your OneDrive also removes it from those computers.

What happens if the owner stops sharing a folder that I've added to my OneDrive?

If a folder is no longer shared with you, it is removed from your OneDrive. To get back your access to the folder, ask the owner or an editor to share it with you again.



Contents

  • Option One: To Add and Sync Shared Folders to Your OneDrive
  • Option Two: To Remove Shared Folders from Your OneDrive



EXAMPLE: Shared Folder added to your OneDrive
Add or Remove Shared Folders from OneDrive-onedrive_added_shared_folder.jpg






OPTION ONE

To Add and Sync Shared Folders to Your OneDrive


1 Go online to your OneDrive at Microsoft, and sign in if you are not already.

2 Click/tap on Shared in the OneDrive navigation pane on the left. (see screenshot below step 3)

3 Select a folder shared by someone to you, and click/tap on Add to my OneDrive in the toolbar at the top. (see screenshot below)

Folders you can add to your OneDrive are marked Can edit.

Add or Remove Shared Folders from OneDrive-add_shared_folder_to_onedrive-1.jpg

4 Click/tap on Add folder to confirm. (see screenshot below)

Add or Remove Shared Folders from OneDrive-add_shared_folder_to_onedrive-2.png

5 Click/tap on Close, or wait until it automatically closes. (see screenshot below)

Add or Remove Shared Folders from OneDrive-add_shared_folder_to_onedrive-3.png

6 The added folder will now open in your OneDrive. (see screenshot below)

Add or Remove Shared Folders from OneDrive-add_shared_folder_to_onedrive-4.png






OPTION TWO

To Remove Shared Folders from Your OneDrive


1 Go online to your OneDrive at Microsoft, and sign in if you are not already.

2 Click/tap on Files in the OneDrive navigation pane on the left. (see screenshot below step 3)

3 Select the shared folder you want to remove, and click/tap on Remove from my OneDrive in the toolbar at the top. (see screenshot below)

Add or Remove Shared Folders from OneDrive-remove_shared_folder_from_onedrive-1.jpg

4 Click/tap on Remove from my OneDrive to confirm. (see screenshot below)

Add or Remove Shared Folders from OneDrive-remove_shared_folder_from_onedrive-2.png


That's it,
Shawn