SharePoint and OneDrive are file management platforms within the Microsoft suite of services. These two tools have a lot in common—users can leverage either tool to share and store files up to 15GB, co-edit documents simultaneously, and view a document’s version history. Both SharePoint and OneDrive are mobile friendly and allow for local syncing of files across devices. They also integrate into Office 365, making it easy to get work done on the go—any updates and edits you make offline are automatically synced when you rejoin the cloud. 

Are SharePoint and OneDrive the same thing?

While both SharePoint and OneDrive help manage and store files, they are two unique programs with very different use cases.

OneDrive for Business—not to be confused with the similar software, OneDrive for personal or consumer use—is ideal for individual employees. It is best viewed as a tool that employees can leverage for their private first drafts as well as projects that haven’t developed enough to call for cohesive collaboration. 

Meanwhile, SharePoint should be thought of as a team site. Once an employee is ready to share a personal draft, they can upload it from OneDrive to SharePoint. Teams can access files in SharePoint based on the admin’s predetermined permission settings. This allows multiple employees to automatically view, comment, and edit any document within the SharePoint system. The platform’s intuitive, clear dashboard keeps groups organized and on track. 

If you’re working on a file by yourself, save it to OneDrive. Your OneDrive files are private unless you share them with others, which is particularly useful if you haven’t created a team yet.

If you’re already working as a team — in Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or Outlook—you should save your files where your team works, because OneDrive for work or school connects you to all your shared libraries, too.

When you need a new shared location to store team files, create a shared library right from OneDrive, add members, and start working together. These libraries are accessible within Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook. And it’s easy to copy or move files where you and others need them.

OneDrive is the files experience for Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Server*, giving you access to all your work or school files, including the files that people share with you directly or through the teams you're working on. OneDrive provides a consistent, intuitive files experience across all your devices, including web, mobile, and the desktop of your Windows PC or Mac.

Behind the scenes, SharePoint in Microsoft 365 provides the content services for all files in Microsoft 365, including files you work with in Teams, Yammer, and Outlook. SharePoint is always there, helping manage and protect your files, and powering content collaboration across Microsoft 365. And beyond files, SharePoint enables portals, news, pages, lists, and a platform for business apps.

With both OneDrive and SharePoint in Microsoft 365, your files are stored in the cloud. You can sync either OneDrive or SharePoint files to your computer. See Sync OneDrive files or sync SharePoint files for more info.