FAQs about new OneDrive storage allocation

1. Why was the students' OneDrive storage reduced?

   In December 2023, we announced that Microsoft is introducing changes to their offerings across our Microsoft 365 Education suite that require us to place limits on storage.

   This change affected how many files you can store in OneDrive and your ability to send and receive emails from your McGill Outlook email after May 31st, 2024, since they are limited to 20GB. In 2023, McGill IT carefully reviewed the impact of the Microsoft storage reductions.

   The current storage calculation model indicates that McGill University has already exceeded its allocated quota, necessitating McGill IT to reduce the quota gradually. Overall, the decision to reduce to 20G is based on minimizing student impacts for storage, while enabling McGill to have enough capacity to manage exceptions.  Microsoft cites the changes across their Microsoft 365 for Education suite are driven by security risks, financial and sustainability considerations. 

2. How has McGill come to this decision?

   These changes were triggered by Microsoft’s quota allotment reductions. The limit is imposed on personal storage only, however, access to collaboration space does not change for students. Data collected and stored in collaborative storage spaces (for example, shared Teams and Sharepoint sites) will not be impacted by the personal storage quota reduction. We came to the decision by considering McGill’s large population (students, faculty, researchers, staff, alumni and retirees), the prolific usage of Office 365 at McGill, and by conducting an analysis of data storage usage vs shareable/pooled data storage.

3. Was the decision not essentially made by Microsoft and we’re simply abiding by it?

   Microsoft decided to limit the storage available for each licensing level. The change in Microsoft’s storage allocations has forced McGill to re-evaluate their offerings to students or incur significant increases in licensing costs. The new allocation was determined based on Microsoft’s licensing structure and the financial impact to the university.

4. How did students' storage need impact or shape McGill's decision to decrease storage space to 20GB?

   These changes were triggered by Microsoft’s quota allotment reductions. The limit is imposed on personal storage only, however, access to collaboration space does not change for students. Data collected and stored in collaborative storage spaces (for example, shared Teams and Sharepoint sites) will not be impacted by the personal storage quota reduction. We came to the decision by considering McGill’s large population (students, faculty, researchers, staff, alumni and retirees), the prolific usage of Office 365 at McGill, and by conducting an analysis of data storage usage vs shareable/pooled data storage.

   Our analysis revealed that the 20GB limit was sufficient for 90% of our student population to complete their academic activities. We acknowledge that some students will require more storage to accomplish their academic tasks, for example, those conducting academic research. Exceptions can be requested and will be considered/evaluated for students who justify the need for additional storage. We will not allow the imposed limit to affect any academic-related activities.

5. What led to the choice to decrease the storage specifically to 20GB of general storage?

   Microsoft decided to limit the storage available for each licensing level. The change in Microsoft’s storage allocations has forced McGill to re-evaluate their offerings to students or incur significant increases in licensing costs. The new allocation was determined based on Microsoft’s licensing structure and the financial impact to the university.

6. When did the change occur?

   The change happened on May 31st, 2024. At that date, students who were over their 20GB quota were unable to add new files to their OneDrive until they reduced their storage below what is needed to store the new files.

7. How do I check my current storage?

   See question : How can I find out how much space I have used and how much free space remains?

8. I absolutely need more storage to store research data or documents related to my studies. How can I obtain more OneDrive storage?

   Fill out this form to request more storage: OneDrive storage limit exception for students

9. What criteria will determine who is granted more storage?

   Allocating more storage will be evaluated on a case to case basis but, these are the general criteria used to determine if more storage should be provided:

   • • Are you a graduate student or involved in a research project?
     • Are you within 1 GB to the 20GB storage limit?
     • Are you using OneDrive for academic purposes only (not for personal use)?
     • Are you using OneDrive to store research data and collaborate on research projects?

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FAQs about security and privacy of data

1. What's is OneDrive for work or school?

   The service McGill provides is OneDrive for work or school (formerly called "OneDrive for Business"). McGill has negotiated a contract with Microsoft that respects Canadian and Quebec privacy laws and protects the intellectual property of data stored on OneDrive for work or school; the consumer class version of OneDrive, or other self-provisioned cloud storage services does not guarantee these commitments.

2. Are there any limitations to the types of files I can store in OneDrive for work or school?

   Although OneDrive for work or school is a McGill-approved cloud service where you can store protected and personal data, it must not be used to store certain types of Regulated Data. For definitions of the various types of institutional data and guidance on which type of data can/cannot be stored in OneDrive, see cloud services approved/rejected for McGill use on the Cloud Services website.

3. Can I sync OneDrive for work or school with all of my personal devices?

   As restricted by McGill's Cloud Directive, if you store Regulated Data or Protected Data on OneDrive for work or school, you can only sync to McGill-owned, password-protected devices/computers, such as a McGill-provisioned desktop, laptop, or smartphone. See sections 2.1 and 4.1 of the Cloud Directive.

   Note that you may choose which folders to sync to each device/computer to avoid storing McGill Institutional data on your personal device.

4. What is intellectual property (IP), and what does it have to do with cloud file storage?

   Cornell Law School defines intellectual property as :

   "...any product of the human intellect that the law protects from unauthorized use by others. The ownership of intellectual property inherently creates a limited monopoly in the protected property. Intellectual property is traditionally comprised of four categories: patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secrets."

   Many self-provisioned consumer-class cloud services do not guarantee intellectual property protection. In fact, they may be offered on the basis of being able to analyze or even sell your data to third parties. McGill's agreement with Microsoft explicitly says they will protect all intellectual property stored in OneDrive for work or school.

5. Are my McGill Username and Password credentials stored at Microsoft?

   No. Although you use your McGill Username and Password to sign in to OneDrive, your credentials are verified through McGill servers and are not kept by Microsoft.

6. If I have already stored some McGill work-related files on another cloud service, such as Google Drive or Dropbox, do I have to remove them?

   According to McGill's Cloud Directive, you should not store or transmit any Regulated Institutional Data or Protected Institutional Data in a self-provisioned cloud service (unless it has been vetted and approved by McGill via the cloud acquisition process). In addition, you, as an individual, and your responsible unit, are accountable and responsible for any resulting data breaches and security incidents related to this data. You are also responsible for discontinuing the use of the self-provisioned cloud service and migrating the files to a McGill-compliant cloud service. See section 5.1 of the Cloud Directive.

7. Is my data secure on OneDrive for work or school?

   Yes. Microsoft's data storage facilities comply with the highest security standards, and McGill's contract with Microsoft respects Quebec's and Canada's privacy laws and protects your intellectual property. In accordance with McGill's Microsoft 365 agreement, data on OneDrive is stored on servers within Canada. For more information see Privacy: It's all about you on the Microsoft site.

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FAQs about accessing and uploading files in OneDrive

1. Why can't I log into the OneDrive app on my mobile?

   You must sign into OneDrive from the website portal at least once before accessing it from a mobile app.

2. Why do I get error messages when I try to upload some files?

   OneDrive has limitations regarding the file size, file types, and characters in the file/folder names. Please refer to this Microsoft article regarding those limitations.

3. How can I find out how much space I have used and how much free space remains?

   To check your space usage:

   1. Click the Settings (gear) icon
   2. Click OneDrive settings, More Settings
   3. Under Features and storage, select Storage Metrics.

   See How to check file storage usage in OneDrive for additional details.

4. What happens to my data on OneDrive if I leave McGill?

   Students and Academic Staff: When you graduate, retire, or otherwise leave McGill, your access to McGill's OneDrive for work or school is terminated, and your files are permanently deleted. Before losing access, you will receive an email notification to move your OneDrive files to another storage location. If you know that you will soon be leaving McGill, you can prepare by first syncing your files to your computer then uploading them to another cloud storage service, such as OneDrive (personal) available from Microsoft. 
   
   Non-academic staff: Your supervisor can access your OneDrive space for 30 days after you leave to recover work-related files. After 30 days, your OneDrive repository is permanently deleted.

   See IT services available after leaving McGill for additional details.

5. Is there a way to retrieve a file that I deleted?

   OneDrive files are backed up by Microsoft. Users have two options to recover their files:

   
   
   • Restore your entire OneDrive to a previous time within the last 30 days.
   • Recover any file or folder that was deleted for up to 93 days.

    

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FAQs on sharing files

1. Can I share my files with anyone I choose using OneDrive for work or school?

   Your usage of OneDrive for work or school must respect the Policy on the Responsible Use of McGill IT Resources; therefore, confidential/sensitive documents, especially McGill Institutional Data, must not be shared with unauthorized individuals. However, you may share your personal files with anyone you choose, including individuals outside McGill.

2. Is there a way to share multiple files with the same person or group?

   See instructions on Sharing documents and folders on Microsoft's support website.