Microsoft OneDrive for File Storage
Starting in January 2026, all UW-Eau Claire faculty, staff, and students will be using Microsoft OneDrive for personal file storage. OneDrive offers up to 1 TB of personal storage and can be accessed using the Microsoft OneDrive client on your device or by going to onedrive.uwec.edu via any web browser. All UW-Eau Claire computers will be configured to access Microsoft OneDrive during winter break 2026.
Files are encrypted both in transit and at rest, they also remain on servers within the United States. However, while OneDrive’s share feature works well for collaborating with colleagues, the fact that you can easily share files and folders on OneDrive means you also need to be vigilant as to what you are sharing, and with whom.
Along with Microsoft OneDrive comes the following on premise network storage solutions and drives provided to the campus community:
Department Drive (S:)
Department drives are set up for university departments to share files among the department's staff members. Replace "dept" with your department's name. There is no quota on any folder on the department drive. However, since university storage resources are finite and demand is increasing, it is important to use all storage areas wisely. Academic multimedia resources should be stored on the Archive Drive.
Windows: \\staff.uwec.edu\deptsh$
Mac: smb://staff.uwec.edu/deptsh$
Instructor & Student Drive (W:)
This drive allows for instructor/student collaboration and file sharing. Sometimes referred to as "deptdir" due to the address of the server. There is no quota set on the instructor and student collaborative drive.
Windows: \\students.uwec.edu\deptdir
Mac: smb://students.uwec.edu/deptdir
Projects Drive (P:)
The Projects drive provides large amounts of storage space for projects, commonly video assignments. Note that there is an assigned deletion date. The initial folder size on the Projects Drive is 60 GB. When a notification is received that you have reached your quota, you will be provided with a link by which you can increase your quota to 120 GB. Any further increase requires making a request with the Help Desk.
Windows: \\mass.uwec.edu\projects
Mac: smb://mass.uwec.edu/projects
Archive Drive:
Individual faculty and staff receive 50 GB of storage by making a request through the Help Desk (715-836-5711). Any additional space is provided through a SLA (service level agreement) between the academic department and LTS. Your folder on the Archive Drive is available according to the permissions set on the folder. These permissions are set up when your folder is created and the permissions are set according to your wishes expressed at the time you were consulted. Contact your department chair or director regarding space available on the Archive Drive or regarding a need to set up or increase storage space.
Windows: \\archive.uwec.edu\archive$
Mac: smb://archive.uwec.edu/archive$
Security
Learning & Technology Services provides security for all network drives and Microsoft OneDrive storage by the following means:
- Utilizing active antivirus scanning on network storage hardware.
- Providing a secure connection to network drives.
- Maintaining 24/7 systems to limit service disruptions.
- Applying regular security and operating system updates.
You can increase the effectiveness of this security by the following means:
- Never share your password to your UW-Eau Claire account.
- Setup and use a very secure password.
- Lock or log off your computer before you walk away from it.
- Windows: (to lock or log off) Press [Ctrl + Alt + Del]
- Macintosh: (to log off) Press [Command + Shift + Q]
- Protect your personal computer with antivirus and malware software.
- Routinely Verify and set permissions on your folders and files to assure privacy.v
Website Access to Network Drives
This method provides Internet access to your H: drive and W: drive and allows read/write permissions. You can open, edit, save, create, and delete files just as if they were in a folder on your local computer. Accessing this service will require multifactor authentication.
NOTE: You do not need a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection when using Website Access, even from off-campus.
- Open a web browser such as Edge, Chrome, or Safari.
- Type https://files.uwec.edu
- Enter your UWEC username and password
- Complete multifactor authentication. The files and folders on your H: drive appear. If you look in the navigation drive on the left-hand side of the screen, you will also see your W: drive and projects drive available as well.