OneDrive: How to add a shared folder to PC

The OneDrive is the publicly known flagship for Microsoft’s cloud storage technology. One feature granted by said platform is the ability to access and utilize folders shared via the cloud, right from your PC’s file explorer- as though they were your typical folder. 

Solution: 

  1. Open OneDrive online 
  2. Access your shared files 
  3. Open your target shared folder 
  4. Select “Add shortcut to my files” 
  5. Return to my files 
  6. Check your desktop OneDrive folder 

In this post we’ll be giving an image assisted step by step guide on access shared OneDrive folders on your PC as well as sharing folders to via OneDrive from your PC. 

Quick links: 

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Accessing a shared OneDrive folder on your PC 

Step 1 – Open up OneDrive Online 

  • We’ll need to have OneDrive open to access the content that has been shared with you. If you’re unable to access you’re OneDrive at this time, you will be unable to proceed. 

Step 2 – Access your shared content via OneDrive 

  • From the left side panel, select Shared to proceed. It will open a window listing off (if any) each document that has been shared with you. 

Step 3 – Open the folder you’d like to access on your PC 

  • To open a folder, simply click the folder’s name. Your current window will be altered to display the folder’s contents.  

Step 4 – Add the folder to your personal OneDrive files 

  • From the folder’s action bar select Add shortcut to My files. This will attach a shortcut into the folder to your OneDrive file directory. 

Step 5 – Check your PC OneDrive folder for the change 

  • Provided your computer is connected to the internet- you should be able to spot the shared folder in your PC OneDrive folder. 

Sharing a OneDrive folder from your PC 

Step 1 – Open your PC’s OneDrive folder 

  • Use the Win + E shortcut to quickly open the file explorer and navigate to your OneDrive folder via quick access. 

Step 2 – Select Share in the folder’s context menu 

  • First select the folder you’d like to share by left clicking it, then follow up with a right click to open the context menu. Select Share from the menu- it will have OneDrive’s blue cloud icon prefixing its name. 

Step 3 – Specify access recipient and send 

  • To specify a recipient, enter their name or email into the text box- press Send to share the folder. 

End note 

Recap 

In this post we’ve discussed both accessing shared OneDrive folders on PC, and sharing folders to OneDrive from your PC. 

Farewell 

As usual, this section is dedicated to thanking readers for their support. We’d be pleased to know you found this post useful and/or informative. If you have any more Office 365 related queries, please consult our related articles (listed below). However, if you have other queries, consider looking at the rest of the site. We’re frequently posting new stuff each week and may just have the guide or troubleshooting tips you need. Regardless, we wish you a good day/night. Farewell readers. 

Our related articles: 

  • A complete guide to using OneDrive to transfer files to a new computer – OneDrive is a cloud storage platform offered as part of the Microsoft 365 suite. With it, your various folders and files may be stored online and downloaded for use from anywhere with an internet connection. As such, OneDrive is very useful if you’re looking to get files from one computer to another without wanting to mess around with storage devices. 
  • A complete guide to fixing OneDrive sync issues on Mac – OneDrive sometimes has issues, and many users have claimed that OneDrive isn’t synchronizing on their Mac OS devices, however, there are solutions available. In this blog, we will cover the most effective approaches to help users fix sync issues on their OneDrive devices. We will address some of the causes of why OneDrive won’t sync correctly and what users can do to help resolve these issues. Use the guide below to see how you can resolve OneDrive sync issues on Mac OS devices. 
  • How to move OneDrive for Business files between users – The question for today is how can you move OneDrive for Business files between users? What is the best approach and how will it affect users who attempt to move files across users who use our method? 
  • How to fix “access to the cloud file is denied” OneDrive error – The prevailing issue that will be addressed here is the concerns surrounding the error “Access to the cloud file is denied”. This error comes when a file a user tries to access has been denied due to an underlying fault within the file. There are multiple reasons why this can be caused — for instance, the file is not on the cloud but still showing on the Drive. In this case a simple refresh will resolve the issue or other more complex faults. 

Jack Mitchell

Jack Mitchell has been the Operations manager at telecoms and MSP Optionbox for more than 4 years. He has played a crucial role in the company, from marketing to helpdesk, and ensures that the IT requirements of over 300 clients are continuously met. With his innate passion for technology and troubleshooting and a particular interest in Apple products, Jack now delivers the most comprehensive tech guides to make your life easier. You can connect with Jack on LinkedIn.

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