OneDrive - Allow Non-owners to search

User avatar
Carol W.
3StarLounger
Posts: 390
Joined: 26 Jan 2010, 16:02
Location: Las Vegas, NV

OneDrive - Allow Non-owners to search

Post by Carol W. »

I'm hoping someone can help me with this OneDrive issue.

I volunteer with AARP TaxAide. We prepare income tax returns for low-income individuals and seniors. We have a OneDrive account which is the owner of all of our files. If I login as the owner, I can search the folders for strings (e.g. ITIN) with no problem. The owner has shared the files (all folders) with other individuals (I am one of them). If I login with my own OneDrive login, I have edit access to the files (it was granted to me by the owner) but the search function doesn't allow me to search the shared files. I can only search my own files.

Can anyone suggest a strategy for allowing OD non-owners to search the files that are shared to them?

I hope I've made this clear. Thank you in advance.
Carol W.

User avatar
Rudi
gamma jay
Posts: 25455
Joined: 17 Mar 2010, 17:33
Location: Cape Town

Re: OneDrive - Allow Non-owners to search

Post by Rudi »

Hi Carol,

Don't take my reply as the Alpha and Omega answer...I could be wrong, but it seems that your request might not be possible due to the high volumes of documents that are possible in a multi-user shared environment. See the opening paragraph of this OneDrive FAQ page. (I see they refer to OneDrive for Business? Consider if this applied to you?)
Regards,
Rudi

If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.

User avatar
Carol W.
3StarLounger
Posts: 390
Joined: 26 Jan 2010, 16:02
Location: Las Vegas, NV

Re: OneDrive - Allow Non-owners to search

Post by Carol W. »

Thanks, Rudi. We don't use OneDrive for Business so I'm not sure how much of the article is relevant.

It does, however, make some sense that documents that are shared may be shared out to many people. As you say, there may be performance issues associated with searching in such an environment.

Thanks again.
Carol W.

User avatar
Rudi
gamma jay
Posts: 25455
Joined: 17 Mar 2010, 17:33
Location: Cape Town

Re: OneDrive - Allow Non-owners to search

Post by Rudi »

I've been scanning through the threads on the OneDrive support pages and a few questions raised regarding finding files in a shared drive. None really provide the relevant solutions you seek. It might be worth it to post your own question on the forum and see if one of the OneDrive moderators can provide a suitable reply for your query? :)
Regards,
Rudi

If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.

User avatar
Carol W.
3StarLounger
Posts: 390
Joined: 26 Jan 2010, 16:02
Location: Las Vegas, NV

Re: OneDrive - Allow Non-owners to search

Post by Carol W. »

Thanks, Rudi. I may just do that!

I think the users have given up on searching OD, at least for now. It was a good idea. However, there were other drawbacks identified upon closer examination.
Carol W.

User avatar
Carol W.
3StarLounger
Posts: 390
Joined: 26 Jan 2010, 16:02
Location: Las Vegas, NV

Re: OneDrive - Allow Non-owners to search

Post by Carol W. »

Rudi,

I found this thread: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/oned ... 982b3eed87.

In several posts, the moderator says "With the current design of OneDrive web, the Search function can only search for names of files within your OneDrive files on the web. If you would like to make a suggestion as a consideration for a future release. please post your suggestion to our feedback site." There is no emphasis on the word "your", but I think it's implied. My experimentation supports this statement.

Thanks again.
Carol W.

User avatar
Rudi
gamma jay
Posts: 25455
Joined: 17 Mar 2010, 17:33
Location: Cape Town

Re: OneDrive - Allow Non-owners to search

Post by Rudi »

TX for the feedback.
If you take this further, or get additional feedback from the developers, please let us know the outcome. TX :smile:

Good luck....
Regards,
Rudi

If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.