Microsoft OneDrive allows users to access photos and files from anywhere, on any device. OneDrive offers 5 GB of cloud storage for free, and there are monthly subscriptions to access storage of up to 6 TB. To access OneDrive on the web, start by viewing the Pricing Plans. If you already have a OneDrive account, you can access your files here.
The method:
- Go to Microsoft OneDrive and select a pricing plan.
- Sign in or sign up for a Microsoft account.
- Go here to access your files.
Continue reading for our visual, in-depth guide on how to access OneDrive on the web.
Let’s get started…
What is OneDrive?
OneDrive is a cloud storage solution developed by Microsoft that allows users to access their files from any device. There is a limit to how many files you can store on the cloud. But there are options to increase storage space by paying a subscription fee.
OneDrive is an essential tool if you need access to your files on the go. You can even access your files through a web browser. In the web browser, you can upload, download, or move your files to a preferred location. It’s like having a portable hard drive.
How to sign up for a free OneDrive account
The right pricing plan will depend entirely on how many files and photographs you are likely to store. For most casual users, the free 5 GB plan or the 100 GB plan ($1.99 p/m) should do the trick. In this tutorial, we used the free plan.
- Go to OneDrive’s pricing plans and click ‘Sign Up‘ for the free 5GB account.
- You will be prompted to create a new account.
- Add a valid email that you have access to.
Note: You will be asked to very your email address.
- Enter an email address.
- Create a password.
- Enter your first and last name.
- Enter your date of birth.
- Verify your email address.
- Go to your inbox and locate a new email titled ‘Verify your email address‘ from Microsoft.
- Copy and paste the four-digit code and click ‘Next.’
Congratulations! You have now set up your OneDrive account.
How to access your files on OneDrive web version
To access your files, go to your OneDrive account. Here you can find recent files, photos, and options to upgrade your account. If you have a business plan, you can access OneDrive through your Office 365 home page.
- For business users, locate and click the app launcher
in the top-left corner. - Select ‘OneDrive‘ from the pop-up menu.
The next step is to upload your files. Your files can be uploaded to several locations in OneDrive. Here’s how:
- First, select which folder you would like to upload to. I want to upload pictures.
- Next, head up to ‘Upload‘ and choose ‘Files‘ or ‘Folders‘ from the drop-down menu.
- You can also drag files directly into the folder.
If you accidentally upload a file into the wrong folder, don’t worry!
- Right-click the file you want to move and select ‘Move To‘ from the list.
- You can also hover over the file and check the circle in the top-right corner.
- Then head up to the menu bar and select ‘Move To.’
- In the pop-up menu, select the folder you want to move the file into.
- Click ‘Move.’
I’m moving my image into Pictures.
A quick note on OneDrive storage
In this tutorial, we used the free 5 GB plan. But if you find that you are running low on free space, you can upgrade your account by heading down to the bottom left corner of the page and selecting ‘Buy Storage.’
- Go to Storage management for a detailed view of how much storage you are using. You can return to your storage manager by clicking on the link in the bottom-left corner (see below).
- Alternatively, go to ‘Settings‘
> ‘Options.’
Conclusion
Accessing your OneDrive files on the web is simple enough, but if you want to find shared files, you can follow our guide on How to see files shared with you in OneDrive.
The real decision comes when choosing the right plan. Our advice is to start with the free 5 GB plan for personal users. If you find that you’re running out of storage, you can always upgrade for a monthly fee of $1.99.
For business, the advice is to choose a plan offering at least 1 TB of storage. Those plans can range from $5 – $10 per user, per month. You can view the business plans here.
Thanks for reading.