Ready to take control of your digital workspace? The Digital Declutter Challenge offers practical tips and tools to help you store, organize and manage your files more efficiently.
Managing a cluttered digital environment can be challenging, but we’re here to help. Whether your files are scattered or old documents and videos are piling up, the Digital Declutter Challenge offers the resources you need to build a well-organized and effective digital workspace.
Your participation also contributes to McMaster University’s commitment to efficient, eco-friendly and secure digital practices – supporting a smarter, more sustainable future.
Visit the Discover & Learn SharePoint to find your data storage limits. Access the M365 SharePoint site here.
Microsoft OneDrive and Outlook are essential tools for the McMaster community. OneDrive is widely used for storing and sharing personal workplace files, while Outlook manages emails and attachments.
By effectively managing and decluttering these applications, you can ensure a more efficient and organized digital workspace.
Tackling clutter can feel daunting, especially if it’s been years since your last clean-up. We all accumulate a significant number of unnecessary files over time. Before decluttering, let’s discover Microsoft OneDrive.
1. Identify how much OneDrive storage you have:
2. Review this Storage Metrics page to see how much space you’ve used and how much remains.
3. Identify the largest files in your Microsoft OneDrive. Navigate to the Storage Metrics page (above) and look at the ‘Total Size‘ and ‘% of Parent‘ columns to determine your largest files. By default, the largest files will be displayed first.
4. Ready to declutter? Move to Step 2!
Keep in mind: 1) Deleting a file from OneDrive will also remove it from any shared folders or documents it’s part of. 2) Moving a file from one folder to another won’t reduce your OneDrive storage usage. 3) Adding a monthly 30-minute recurring calendar event will help keep you stay in the habit of cleaning your OneDrive.
Once you have identified large and unnecessary files, move them from OneDrive into Recycle bin and ensure to hit ’empty’ to complete the file reduction process. A good rule of thumb is if you haven’t used the file in the last six months, consider deleting it.
1. Just visit your OneDrive home page, click a file to select it and click the ‘delete’ button in the top row of actions at the top of window.
2. This will move the file(s) to Recycle bin. Access Recycle bin in the left pane and click ’empty recycle bin’ at the top of the page to empty it.
3. Visit the SharePoint page for more tips on clearing up space. Access ‘How to free up OneDrive storage space fast.’
Keep in mind: 1) Double check the file before deleting it and create a local backup where necessary. Once deleted, the files cannot be retrieved by McMaster University. 2) Ensure to complete step two above, as files will continue to take up storage space in the Recycle bin until it is emptied. Be sure to hit ’empty recycle bin’ once complete.
While individual emails are small and take up minimal space, emails and large attachments can quickly accumulate and consume significant storage.
1) Find out how much Outlook and In-Place Archive space is allocated to you. Check your storage limits in Outlook and In-Place Archive.
2) Find out how much storage you have used in Outlook. Check your current Microsoft Outlook Storage use.
Use Microsoft ‘In-Place Archive’ to archive old emails or messages with attachments clogging up your storage. Storing files in the ‘In-Place Archive’ does not count against your total Outlook Storage (‘In-Place Archive’ storage space is separate from Outlook storage space).
1) Locate your In-Place Archive in Outlook. Find out how to access In-Place Archive.
2) Manually move older emails into In-Place Archive. Better yet? Automate the process of moving older emails into In-Place Archive by moving the contents of one folder into the Archive. Find out how to automatically move emails to In-Place Archive.
*NOTE: Messages moved from Inbox to In-Place Archive can take several days to initiate. In some cases, depending on how many emails are being moved, the process can take up to 7 days (and even beyond). For questions, please reach out to the UTS Service Desk. Access the UTS Service Desk here.
Researchers at McMaster looking for more storage space can access the Data Storage Finder provided by Research Data Management (RDM). The Finder tool marries your storage needs to a list of RDM-recommended storage providers.
Digital decluttering, like keeping a clean home, can be easily managed through a scheduled process. Make it part of your workflow, rather than a large task performed once or twice annually.
Tip 1: Set a reminder to review and clean up your storage spaces periodically.
Tip 2: Set up automations to shift older emails into Microsoft ‘In-Place Archive’.
Tip 3: When managing OneDrive storage, start with the oldest files first.
Tip 4: Videos are often large files. Consider uploading them to YouTube and deleting the files on your OneDrive. Set the video to ‘private’ if need be.
Tip 5: Ensure that you regularly empty the recycle bins in your storage accounts to permanently delete files.
Staff, students and faculty are allocated storage size for Outlook, OneDrive, and SharePoint.
Not sure how much you have? Not sure how much you’ve used? It’s easy to check your storage!
Exceed storage limits will limit functionality. Learn about why it’s important to stay on top of file storage and adding a decluttering strategy to your workflow.
If you exceed your storage limits, all files will be put in VIEW ONLY mode.
Here’s what you won’t be able to do:
Did you know your Outlook has an Online Archive folder with 100 GB of extra storage? Moving old emails there won’t affect your main storage limit. Learn how to archive emails to stay within limits.
To avoid these issues, refer to the videos above to help to help stay within your limit.
Are you storing high-value data, personally identifiable information, personal health records or intellectual property?
Learn about different information types, storage options, and considerations in the Data Storage Guidelines.