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It's a good habit to clear the Recycle Bin monthly and before any housekeeping tasks. If you accidentally delete something, you have 30 days to recover it, and it's easier to find if the Recycle Bin is otherwise empty.
To empty the Recycle Bin, click on it in the left-hand menu and then select Empty Recycle Bin above the list of files.
To optimize storage, start by identifying the folders consuming the most space. Focus on the largest folder first to see what files it contains. Review the files and folders to determine what can be deleted. If you decide to delete something, you can do so either from My Files in OneDrive online or by deleting the local copy in Windows Explorer, which will also remove the online copy.
Tip: It's helpful to have two tabs open: one with My Files in OneDrive and the other with Storage Metrics.
When you navigate to a folder, you might notice that the total size of each file appears larger than expected, especially compared to the size shown in Windows Explorer. For these files, it's helpful to click on the Version History link on the right side of the folder listing.
Clicking on Version History reveals how many versions of the file are stored, including the current one. You can revert to an earlier version from this point.
Tip: Right-click on Version History and open it in a new tab.
If you've finished editing a file, it's a good idea to delete the earlier versions to free up disk space, especially for large files with multiple copies. The Delete All Versions link should be understood as deleting all previous versions, which is a quick way to free up space (note that the versions will initially be moved to the recycle bin).
Some files may be shared with external collaborators as a one-time event, while early drafts of other files can be shared with a small group of colleagues for feedback. However, OneDrive for Business should not be considered the final repository for shared files. When you leave the University, all your OneDrive for Business files, including shared ones, will be deleted.
The help page "Data Storage Options at UniSA" outlines various places where final copies of documents can be stored for sharing. Two prominent options are SharePoint Online and Teams.
To see which files you have shared from your OneDrive for Business account, click on Shared in the left-hand menu bar and then select the By you tab at the top. If you want to stop sharing a file, hover over the file name, click on the ellipsis that appears, and select Manage Access.
While it may be convenient to store both private and work files in the same location, OneDrive for Business is intended for University-related business only. It's advisable to keep private files in a separate location to avoid using up your allocated space and to ensure they are not lost if you leave the University.
As per the Acceptable use of Information Technology (IT) facilities 5.2: "IT facilities are not provided for recreational or personal use unless specifically stated otherwise in the guidelines listed in Appendix A."
After tidying up your files, don't forget to empty the recycle bin again to ensure the freed-up disk space is accurately reflected in your storage metrics.
