File storage
At the University, you have two secure options for storing your files:
H Drive
• A personal network drive linked to your University account.
• Accessible on campus computers and via remote desktop.
• Ideal for coursework and files that need to stay within the University network.
OneDrive
• Cloud-based storage provided through Microsoft 365.
• Access your files anytime, anywhere, from any device.
• Perfect for collaboration and sharing documents with others.
Choose the option that best suits your needs—or use both for flexibility and backup.
File Storage Options
- H drive (aka Home)
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How to access and use your H drive:
- On classroom PCs - access your H drive via This PC on the desktop of any classroom PC you sign into using your University username and password. It appears mapped as drive H: and is labelled with your username (e.g. u99jb19, t99jb19, etc.), as shown below.
- On personal devices - use the VDI or SFTP to access your H drive. Use This PC (or File Explorer) to create or move folders and files on your H drive just as you would on the hard drive of your own laptop/PC. You'll find user guides about file management and using classroom PCs in the Toolkit at www.abdn.ac.uk/toolkit/systems/classroom-pcs/ .
What happens if I delete a file? H drive is backed up nightly. Backups are retained for 30 days, but we may be able to restore previous versions of files that you accidentally modified or deleted, or that were otherwise damaged going back two months.
What happens to my data when I leave the University? Your H drive, and any files stored there, is deleted when you leave the University.
If you don't want to lose everything, you should save your files to a personal account before you leave the University.
- OneDrive for Business
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How to access and use your OneDrive:
- On personal devices - Sign in at https://www.office.com/ with your University username@abdn.ac.uk - e.g. u01jb18@abdn.ac.uk - and password.
- On classroom pcs - If you're working on a classroom PC, use the OneDrive Web Link desktop shortcut. Or login to your University email account and launch OneDrive from the app launcher. You'll find user guides about OneDrive in the Toolkit at https://www.abdn.ac.uk/toolkit/systems/onedrive
What happens if I delete a file?
Deleted files go to the Recycle Bin but can be restored from here at any time within a 90-day period. After 90 days they are deleted permanently.
Why is my OneDrive storage limit set to 100GB?
To ensure fair and efficient use of cloud resources across all students and staff, we are implementing a 100GB storage limit on OneDrive accounts. This change helps maintain system performance and sustainability while still providing ample space for academic and personal files.
What happens to my data when I leave the University?
Your OneDrive for Business account, and any files stored there, is deleted when you leave the University.
If you don't want to lose everything, you can move your files to a personal OneDrive account before you leave the University. Find out how to do this on Microsoft's OneDrive support pages .