OneDrive is Microsoft's answer to Apple's iCloud and Google Drive and is therefore one of the most popular storage applications.
OneDrive really is the big brother to those cloud file storage and sync services for at least five years.
OneDrive functionality and design has reached a point of perfect usability and reliability with a rich feature set, online office applications and broad platform support.
OneDrive has a very attractive and beautiful interface, as well as AI photo tagging, real-time collaborative editing and powerful search.
The service's deep integration with Windows 10 and Office 365 (now called Microsoft 365).
On top of all that, its completeness, maturity and refinement earn it a rare 5-star rating.
OneDrive main features
Microsoft OneDrive works like other popular consumer cloud storage options.
Just like Dropbox, Google Drive and iCloud: you specify the files and folders you want to back up.
So they also automatically sync with cloud copies like all the other computers and devices where you've set up OneDrive.
What it doesn't do is provide unlimited, unlimited device backup, so you'll have to reinstall operating systems, settings, and apps in case something goes wrong.
OneDrive can also bring back older versions of your files as far back as 30 days.
Drop a file or folder on OneDrive and it syncs to the cloud and your other connected devices.
If you want to save space on your local machine, you can just keep a copy in the cloud, which is handy.
If you need to share files and folders with others then that too is very easy as OneDrive will just generate a link for you.
Sharing has never been so easy
Speaking of sharing, if you choose to store your Office files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
On OneDrive, some extra tricks will be enabled: auto-save so you never lose your work.
And advanced collaboration features that let you work on files at the same time with others, within desktop applications or on the web.
Other cool tricks include being able to play audio and video files directly from the web and using AI-enhanced search to locate landmarks and objects in photos you've stored in the cloud.
OneDrive and Microsoft 365
Anyone with a Microsoft account already has a OneDrive account, as does anyone who has ever signed up for a Hotmail, Live, Office 365, or Outlook.com account.
Free accounts get 5GB of free storage space, and some smartphones and PCs add free OneDrive storage.
This compares to 1GB free for iCloud, 2GB for Dropbox and 15GB for Google Drive.
Other smaller players like Mega and pCloud also offer more free space but less features.
Office 365 users get an extra terabyte with their personal subscription along with more features like password protected sharing links and expiration.
The subscription also entitles you to download all other Microsoft 365 apps.
OneDrive can sync settings and apps across all your Windows desktops, laptops and tablets.
Clients for iOS, Android, and MacOS provide users of these devices with access to synced files stored in OneDrive online folders.
Final thoughts about the app
The best way to consider OneDrive is in context – if you are a dedicated Windows user and/or make regular use of the Microsoft 365 suite.
So OneDrive is almost a no-brainer as a cloud storage extension to other Microsoft products.
In other words, it's not so much OneDrive's features or price that make it a good or bad deal.
However, if you are more dependent on Microsoft software and services that you already use on a daily basis, it is a good deal.
There's no denying the versatility and how good the app is for Android and iOS.
All this together with an extremely high quality service that will save you many moments of the day when you need it.