Access & Sync OneDrive for work or school on your personal Windows device(s)

OneDrive for work or school syncs your University of Maine System (UMS) files to your PC so you can work with them in File Explorer. Here is how to set it up on a personal Windows computer.

Instructions

Set up OneDrive

OneDrive is built into Windows 10 and 11, so there is usually nothing to install. If it is missing, download it from Microsoft (External Link).

  1. Open the Start menu, type OneDrive and open it.
  2. At the sign-in prompt, enter your UMS username followed by @maine.edu. Do this no matter what your email address is.
  3. If asked whether this is a personal or a work or school account, choose Work or school account.
  4. Enter your UMS password.
  5. Choose where your OneDrive folder should live, or accept the default.
  6. Choose whether to sync everything or only certain folders.
  7. Work through the remaining setup screens to finish.
WARNING: On the sign-in pages, click nothing other than Next and Sign in. Other options can route you to a personal Microsoft account and the sign-in will fail.

Your files appear in File Explorer under OneDrive – University of Maine System.

Watch for the folder backup prompt

During setup, Windows offers to back up your Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders to OneDrive. On a personal computer signed in with your UMS account, accepting this copies your personal files into university storage.

IMPORTANT: On a personal computer, skip the folder backup step. Personal files stored in your UMS account count against your storage quota and are removed when the account closes.

If you have already turned it on, open OneDrive settings, go to Sync and back up, select Manage backup and turn off the folders you do not want backed up.

Add your UMS account to an existing personal OneDrive

Many personal PCs are already signed in to OneDrive with a personal Microsoft account. You can add your UMS account alongside it and the two stay separate.

  1. Select the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area, then the gear icon, then Settings.
  2. Open the Account tab and select Add an account.
  3. Enter your UMS username followed by @maine.edu and your UMS password.
  4. Choose a folder location and what to sync, then finish setup.

You will see two entries in File Explorer: your personal OneDrive and OneDrive – University of Maine System. Files do not move between them automatically. You can have one personal account and multiple work or school accounts signed in at once.

Files on your PC and files in the cloud

OneDrive keeps most files online only and downloads them when you open one. A cloud icon means the file is not stored on your PC yet. To keep something available offline, right-click it and select Always keep on this device.

For more on local copies and backups, see How do I keep a local copy or back-up of my OneDrive files?

WARNING: Sync should only be used for data that is not restricted under the UMS Data Classification policy (External Link), or otherwise disallowed by your department. Direct questions to the Information Security Office (External Link).

Additional resources

Environment

  • Microsoft 365 (UMS)
  • OneDrive
  • Windows 10 and Windows 11
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