Use OneDrive on Android

After you download the OneDrive app, watch the video for quick tips or expand the sections below to learn how to use it.

Download OneDrive from Google Play

Sign in

To add a personal account, enter your Microsoft account on the sign in page.

To add a OneDrive for Business account, enter the email address you use for your company, school, or other organization.

If you have a problem signing in with your work or school account, try signing in at OneDrive.com or contact your IT department.

To change your OneDrive password, sign in to your account online at account.microsoft.com/security.

Automatically upload photos and videos you take (personal OneDrive accounts only)

When you sign in to OneDrive for the first time, you'll be asked if you'd like to automatically upload photos and videos you take on your phone to OneDrive. Tap Turn on to turn on automatic upload. You can also turn this on from Settings. Here's how:

1. In the OneDrive app, tap the Me icon at the bottom of the app, then tap Settings .

2. Tap Camera upload.

3. Set Camera upload to On.

Notes: 

• Camera backup is available only on devices running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or later.

• To help preserve your device battery while downloading, select the Upload only when charging checkbox.

• All photos and videos will be uploaded at their original sizes when you're on a Wi‑Fi network. If you want to use your mobile network, open the OneDrive app, open Settings, tap Camera backup, tap Upload using, and choose Wi‑Fi and mobile network.

• The camera roll on your device uploads to OneDrive, rather than syncing. That means you can delete uploaded photos and videos from your device, and the copies in OneDrive won't be affected.

• The OneDrive cloud icon may briefly appear in your Android notifications as part of the normal upload process.

Scan a whiteboard, document, business card, or photo to OneDrive

1. In the OneDrive app, tap Add at the bottom of the screen, then tap Scan. (To exit out of Scan mode without scanning anything, just tap the X icon in the upper left corner of your screen.)

2. Select the appropriate flash setting (on, off, automatic, or torch) by tapping the Flash icon in the upper right corner.

3. Select either Whiteboard, Document, Business Card, or Photo, then tap the white circle icon to scan the item.

   

   Tip: Office 365 subscribers have the option for multi-page scanning, allowing you to combine multiple scans into a single PDF. To utilize that option, tap Add, then scan your next document.

4. Once you've scanned your item, you can crop it, rotate it, or modify the filter you selected earlier (Whiteboard, Document, Business Card, or Photo). (If you don't like the image, tap the X icon in the upper left to delete the scan and try again.)

   

5. Once you're done editing your item, tap Done, enter a file name, then tap Save.

   Tip: Files are automatically saved as PDFs.

Upload files or photos

Upload files to OneDrive, such as documents, OneNote notebooks, photos, videos, or music, with the Upload tool.

Tip: If your device is set to automatically upload pictures to OneDrive, pictures you take with your device will be in the OneDrive Camera roll folder. You don't have to upload them to OneDrive manually.

1. In the OneDrive app, open the folder you want to add a file to.

2. Tap Add at the bottom of the screen, and then tap Upload.

   

3. Tap the file you want to upload. It uploads to the folder you had opened.

Read a file or folder offline

Mark files or folders "offline" to read them anytime, even when you aren't connected to the Internet. Online edits made to the files sync the next time your Android device connects to the Web, so you get the latest version of the file.

Notes: 

• Files or folders marked offline are read-only - you can edit the them only when you're online. If you edit a file offline, it saves as a new file, and does not change the original OneDrive file.

• Taking folders offline is available for Premium OneDrive with an Office 365 subscription.

1. In the OneDrive app, tap and hold the file or folder that you want available for offline reading, then tap Keep offline at the top of the app.

2. Files or folders marked for offline reading have the Keep offline icon in the List view. Tap the file listing anytime to open the file for reading.

Tip: Once you mark a file or folder offline, OneDrive also lists it in an Files Available Offline view. Tap the Me icon at the bottom of the app, tap Files Available Offline to instantly find all your offline files and folders.

To stop keeping a file or folder offline, select the offline file or folder and tap Online only .

Download multiple files from OneDrive to your device

1. In the OneDrive app, open the folder that has the files you want to download. Make sure the folder contents appear in list view, not as thumbnails.

2. Tap More in next to the file you want to save and then tap Save.

3. Tap the arrow at Save to this location to see folders on your device. Pick a folder for the downloaded files, then tap Save.

   

Find the file you're looking for

You can search for text within files and even photos. To search for text in a file or photo, tap Search in the top bar, type the phrase you want in the Search box, and then tap the search icon at the bottom of the screen.

Set a OneDrive music file as the ringtone on your Android device

Here's how to set a ringtone from a OneDrive music file.

1. From any Home screen on your device, tap Apps > Settings > Sounds and Notifications > Ringtone.

2. To use your own music file, scroll all the way to the bottom, then select Add ringtone.

3. Tap Complete action using: OneDrive, then tap Just once, if prompted.

   Note: If you don't see the OneDrive option, download and save the music file to your device first.

4. Select the music file, and then tap Done.

   Notes: 

   • If you want to set a ringtone from your device rather than from OneDrive, you may have to clear the OneDrive app defaults.

   • Go into Settings > Apps.

   • Scroll down and then tap OneDrive.

   • After you clear the OneDrive defaults, you should be able to use the Sound Picker whenever you choose OneDrive files as ringtones, instead of going to OneDrive.

   • Scroll down and then tap Clear Defaults, and you're done.

Create a folder

You can add folders in the Files view, or within other folders in OneDrive.

1. In the view or folder where you want a new folder, tap Add at the bottom of the screen, and then tap Create folder.

   

2. Type in a name for the folder, then tap OK.

Add a OneDrive for Business account

Tap your picture or the icon at the top of the app , and then tap Add account. Sign in using the username and password you use for OneDrive for Business.

When your organization uses SharePoint 2013 or SharePoint Server 2016, the sign-in process is different from Office 365. On the sign in screen, tap Have a SharePoint Server URL? Then enter the web address of your SharePoint server to continue the sign-in process. The web address, also known as a URL, may look like http://portal.

Notes: 

• For you to sign in to OneDrive for Business, your organization needs to have a qualifying SharePoint Online or Office 365 business subscription plan. Or your organization needs to have its own SharePoint Server deployment.

• You cannot sign in with multiple work or school account from the same organization.

Switch between accounts

To switch between a personal OneDrive account and a OneDrive for Business account, or between multiple OneDrive for Business accounts, tap your picture or the icon at the top of the app , and then tap the account you want to use.

Tip: You can add only one personal account to the OneDrive app. To open a different personal account, open Settings, tap your account name, tap Sign out, and then sign in with the account you want to use.

Share a file

You can share files, photos, and folders from the OneDrive app for Android, just as you can on a PC or Mac. To stop sharing, go to the OneDrive website and sign in with your Microsoft account, or with your work or school account.

Files shared with you

When someone shares a OneDrive file or folder with you, you typically get an email message or a notification on your Android device. To find the files shared with you in the OneDrive app, tap the Shared view icon at the bottom of the app.

The Shared view includes files shared with you, and files you've shared with others. When signed in with a personal OneDrive account, tap a sharer's name to find the files shared by that person.

Note: The Shared view looks different when you're signed in with a work or school account.

Change how files are sorted

1. In the OneDrive app, open the folder you want to sort, and then tap the arrow next to the current sort order, for example A-Z.

2. Pick how you want the files sorted. You can sort by name, date, size, or extension.

Add a PIN code

You can add a PIN code to help prevent other people who use your device from accidentally accessing, changing, or deleting your files.

1. In the OneDrive app, tap the Me icon at the bottom of the app, and then open Settings.

2. Tap Passcode, and then turn on Require code.

3. Enter a 4-digit code, and then enter it again to verify it.

See how much storage space you have (for your personal OneDrive account)

In the OneDrive app, tap the Me icon at the bottom of the app. You'll see your total storage and space available near the top of the Me view.

Clear space on your device

OneDrive can remove local copies of the photos on your device to free up some space on your phone for things like apps and music.

Clean Up Space will run automatically once you have at least 1 GB of photos or videos to upload on your device (either by already having them on the device or by taking new ones). A notification will appear on your device offering to Clean up space on your device. Tap Yes under the notification to free up the space on your device.

To set up OneDrive to clean up space automatically, you just need to turn on Camera upload. Here's how:

1. In the OneDrive app, tap the Me icon at the bottom of the app, then tap Settings .

2. Tap Camera upload and set Camera upload to On.

To run Clean Up Space manually:

1. Tap the Me icon at the bottom of the app, then Settings

2. Tap Clear space on your device.

Need more help?

	Get online help See Troubleshoot OneDrive mobile app problems, more support pages for OneDrive, or OneDrive for Business Help.
	Email support If you still need help, shake your mobile device while you're in the OneDrive app or email the OneDrive support team. For more help, contact your IT department or administrator. If you're the SharePoint Online administrator, you can also open a support ticket in the Office 365 admin center.
	Ask the community Get help from experts in our OneDrive for Business community forum.