How to sync folders shared with you in OneDrive to your local computer

Information

By default, when you start the OneDrive sync client it will only sync the folders in your personal OneDrive to your computer.

However, you can also sync folders that others have shared with you. This gives you offline access to these files as well as your own. You can sync folders that you have "Can Edit" permission as well as "Read-Only" permission however you will not be allowed to modify anything in the "Read-Only" synced folders.

Steps to sync shared folders

Once you have been given "Can Edit" permission to a folder and it has been shared with you, you can follow these steps to sync that folder content.

  • Log in to OneDrive online by going to https://office365.bowdoin.edu and then clicking the OneDrive icon in the launch menu.
  • On the left, select the category Shared with me

    Navigation menu with the "Shared with me" option outlined in red.
     
  • Click on the folder name to browse into the folder

    Folder named "Pharos Scripts" outlined in red on a file management interface.
     
  • Above the list of subfolders and files there is a menu bar. Click on the Sync icon

    Toolbar with New, Upload, Share, Copy link, Download, Flow, and Sync options. Sync button is outlined in red.
     
  • A new window will pop up letting you know that the system is getting ready to sync. This window appears but it might be pushed behind the next notification.

    Dialog instructing user to sign in to OneDrive with their account and update OneDrive if syncing does not start.
     
  • A dialog window will open asking for your permission to allow the website to open an application on your computer. Click Allow

    Internet Explorer prompt asking to allow bowdoin-my.sharepoint.com to open a program, with the Allow button outlined in red.

    Note: The notification is slightly different if you use MacOS / OS X but the concept is the same. You must allow the browser to open an application on your local computer.
     
  • The local OneDrive application will open and allow you to select which subfolders and files inside of the shared folder you'd like to sync to your local computer. In this case we have no subfolders so we're choosing Files not in a folder.

    OneDrive sync setup window with options to sync all files or select individual folders, and a Start sync button.
     
  • The files will now start to sync to your computer. It is important to note that these files DO NOT sync into your regular OneDrive - Bowdoin College folder. These files go into a new folder called Bowdoin College that is located that the base of your user folder (example: c:\Users\UserName\Bowdoin College).
  • A quick way to get to the folder containing the synced files is to click on the OneDrive icon in the Task Tray

    Windows system tray with the OneDrive icon highlighted in red.
     
  • Then in the menu in the upper-right, click on Open your Bowdoin College folder

    Context menu with "Open your Bowdoin College folder" highlighted under OneDrive options.

Managing synced shared content

If more subfolders are added to the original shared folder, they may not sync automatically on their own. You will need to manage what is synced and what isn't manually.

  • Click on the OneDrive icon in the Task Tray.
  • Click on the 3 vertical dots in the upper-right to open the menu and choose Settings
  • You will see 2 or more sync locations in the "X locations are syncing" box in the middle (X is the number of locations that are syncing). Click on Choose folders link

    OneDrive sync settings showing a highlighted folder called Pharos Scripts being synced, with options to choose folders or stop sync.
     
  • Select of de-select any folders that you would like to change and click OK. Any additional files will sync or synced files will be removed as necessary.

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