SharePoint Online and OneDrive are central cloud storage solutions in the Microsoft 365 offering, designed to support the creation, review, and sharing of documents, both personal and business-related.
Although the features of these two applications may seem similar, often leading to confusion, there are important differences to be aware of in order to choose when to use one or the other platform. Let’s take a look at them together in this article.
What will you find in this article
What is the difference between SharePoint and OneDrive
The Microsoft 365 suite allows organizations and professionals to access a flexible work environment. In this innovative digital space, it is easier to manage tasks and projects, especially in today’s era, where most collaboration and communication take place remotely or in a hybrid mode.
However, one of the main challenges for individuals and companies deciding to move their work into the Microsoft ecosystem is understanding all the opportunities it offers, as well as recognizing the differences that make its applications distinct from one another.
In this article, we will focus on two tools whose functionalities are often grouped together, to the point that they are considered interchangeable by a significant number of users. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.
We are talking about SharePoint Online and Microsoft OneDrive.
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When to use them?
Differences and similarities
To summarize what has been said so far, here is a brief table that brings together the common features of the two Microsoft 365 products:
SharePoint Online and Microsoft OneDrive
Creates and stores files in the Microsoft cloud.
Has a version history to view, edit, or even restore any previous version of a file.
In the following table, we present the differences between the two applications:
SharePoint Online
Microsoft OneDrive
Facilitates file management designed for collaboration among a large user audience.
Supports file management for personal use or a small group of users.
Protects data with various permission levels for user groups.
Ensures data security by allowing access to selected individual users.
Allows the creation of websites to publish and distribute a wide range of content.
Allows starting discussions within files, inviting users without a Microsoft 365 account to join the conversation.
Stores files and documents in libraries, which can be organized by folders or metadata.
Stores files and documents in folders, each linked to a specific Microsoft 365 account (personal or organizational).
How to sync SharePoint libraries with OneDrive
OneDrive allows syncing files from personal devices to the Microsoft cloud and vice versa. It is possible to use OneDrive as a bridge to connect the content in one of the suite applications, such as SharePoint Online, with your devices.
This way, the user can access documents stored in SharePoint libraries at any time, even when offline.
It only takes a few steps to achieve this. Here are the steps:
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In the SharePoint site you want to sync with your personal computer, click “Sync” in the command bar at the top.
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Go to “File Explorer” (or “Finder” if the computer is a Mac).
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Click on the folder with the name of the organization that owns the synced SharePoint site.
You will then be able to open, move, modify, or delete files from the team or communication site libraries directly from your computer.
It is important to note that, as soon as it is possible to connect to the internet, any changes will be automatically synced to the Microsoft cloud to appear as a new version of the file.
Additionally, you can choose which SharePoint site libraries to sync. This way, users can access only the documents and files of interest from their computer. Here’s how:
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Click on the OneDrive icon in the taskbar at the bottom of the PC.
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Click on the settings gear icon at the top right.
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Enter the app settings.
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Select the “Account” option.
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Select “Choose Folders” to choose the libraries to sync.
If you want to disable syncing with the entire SharePoint site, simply go to step 4 in the list above. Instead of selecting libraries via “Choose Folders”, click “Stop Sync” next to the site name.
By doing this, the folder containing the SharePoint site files will disappear from the “File Explorer” interface and will remain accessible only within the Microsoft cloud.
In just a few steps, any user can manage the information and documents they need for their tasks, seamlessly switching between the cloud environment and their personal devices.
