Thanks to Microsoft’s smart OneDrive bundle with all the Microsoft 365 packs, the company’s cloud storage platform is quite popular among professionals, businesses, and large organizations. All Microsoft 365 Home and Business plans come with 1TB OneDrive storage, and with add-ons like password-protected and expiry links, it has become a preferred place to share files and media. If you frequently receive the same, here’s how you can save shared files on your OneDrive account.
Microsoft keeps the shared files separate from your personal ones. It’s an intentional behavior to avoid confusion on OneDrive home. You can check detailed information on files shared with you and copy relevant ones to your account. Here’s what you need to do.
How to Download Shared Files on OneDrive for Web
Although OneDrive is natively available on Windows and Mac, Microsoft offers a feature-rich web version to access your files on every platform, including Linux and ChromeOS. Here’s how you can save shared files to your OneDrive account.
Step 1: Visit OneDrive on the web and log in with your Microsoft account details.
Step 2: Select the Shared menu from the left sidebar.
Step 3: Check the folder or file name, date shared, and original sender’s name.
Step 4: Click the radio button beside a folder or file and select ‘Copy to’ at the top.
Step 5: It opens a window with OneDrive ‘My Files’ menu. You can save shared media files directly to your photos library or a specific album.
Step 6: Select a folder where you want to copy and hit Copy here.
Move to the My Files menu and find your saved folder or file. It’s now ready for editing and sharing. You can add more files to a folder and share them with your friends and co-workers.
If you only want to download shared files, you don’t need to save them to your OneDrive account. The download process is quite straightforward.
Step 1: Head to the ‘Shared’ menu in the OneDrive web.
Step 2: Select the files and folders you want to download. Click Download at the top.
If you have editing permission on a shared file, you can generate a shareable link and invite others for collaboration too. You don’t need to copy or save the same to your OneDrive account and consume your cloud storage space.
Save Shared Files on OneDrive for iPhone
Apart from a capable web app, OneDrive has feature-rich apps on mobile platforms too. They support offline mode, biometric authentication, auto camera upload, widgets, and the ability to download shared files to your account. Let’s start with OneDrive’s iOS and iPadOS apps first.
Step 1: Download OneDrive on your iPhone and log in with your Microsoft account details.
Step 2: Move to the Shared tab at the bottom.
Step 3: It displays all users that have shared files with you. Unfortunately, it doesn’t directly show all the files and folders like the web version.
Step 4: Select any user and long-tap on a file. Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner. Select Move.
Step 5: Select a OneDrive folder where you want to save the file and tap Move.
Step 6: If you try to save a folder from the ‘Shared’ tab, you get an option to ‘Add Shortcut to Files.’
If you want to directly download shared files on your iPhone, go through the steps below.
Step 1: Go to a Shared tab and tap the three-dot menu beside a file.
Step 2: Tap Share and select Save to Files.
Step 3: It opens the Files app. Pick a relevant folder to save the file.
Download OneDrive Shared Files on Android
Although OneDrive uses an identical interface on iPhone and Android, the steps are slightly different on Android to download shared files.
Step 1: Get OneDrive on Android. Log in with your Microsoft account details.
Step 2: Go to the Shared tab.
Step 3: Select a person’s name whose file you want to download or copy.
Step 4: Tap the three-dot menu beside a file and select Copy.
Step 5: Select the OneDrive Files folder and save the shared file to a relevant destination.
Step 6: You can tap Download from the same menu to directly save the same on your Android phone.
Manage Your Received Files on OneDrive
Seamless sharing is one of the major factors behind OneDrive’s striking popularity. After you receive such files, you can save them to your account or directly download them on your desktop or phone.
Last updated on 16 August, 2023
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.