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How to Check the OneDrive Activity for a User

OneDrive allows users to access their files from anywhere on any device. While this convenience increases productivity, it also requires careful management. Without proper oversight, users may download too many files or sync unnecessary data, leading to inefficient storage use. By monitoring these activities, you can optimize resources and avoid storage clutter. This guide will help you monitor OneDrive user activity to ensure effective user management and resource allocation.

Native Solution

Microsoft 365 Permission Required

High
Least Privilege

Reports Reader

Most Privilege

Global Admin

Option 1 Using Microsoft 365 Admin Center

  • Log in to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
  • Navigate to the Reports»Usage.
  • Select OneDrive in the left navigation under Reports.
  • Click on the Activity tab to view the OneDrive user activities.

    The OneDrive for Business user activity report shows details about the last activity date for users who have a valid OneDrive license. It also displays the number of files they viewed, edited, shared (internally and externally), and synced.
Using Microsoft 365 Admin Center
  • Note: Here, you can track the OneDrive user activity data over the last 7, 30, 90, and 180 days. You can also export the report data into a CSV file by selecting the Export option.

Option 2 Using Windows PowerShell

  • Connect to the Microsoft Graph PowerShell using the cmdlet below.
  • Windows PowerShell Windows PowerShell 
     Connect-MgGraph
  • Run the below cmdlet to get the OneDrive activity report for all users.
  • Windows PowerShell Windows PowerShell 
     Get-MgReportOneDriveActivityUserDetail -Period <Days> -OutFile <FilePath>

  • Replace <Days> with the desired period (e.g., D7, D30, D90, or D180) and <FilePath> with the output file path where you want to save the report.

Using Windows PowerShell
  • Note: You can also get the OneDrive user activity for a specific date using the Date parameter in the above cmdlet.
AdminDroid Solution
More than 150 reports are under the free edition.

AdminDroid Permission Required

Delegated

Any user with report access delegated by the Super Admin.

StepsUsing AdminDroid

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  • Log in to the AdminDroid Office 365 reporter.
  • Navigate to the Daily OneDrive Activities Performed by Users report under the Reports»OneDrive»Daily Summary»Daily User Activities.

    This report consolidates the details of the OneDrive user activity on a day-by-day basis for each user. Here, you can access data beyond 180 days for greater historical insights.
Using AdminDroid

Utilize AdminDroid’s easy customization feature to add advanced columns to this report, such as the user's assigned roles, assigned licenses, usage location, department, and job title, to gain insights into OneDrive user activity and management.

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  • Quickly identify the top users sharing files externally using AdminDroid’s built-in charts and prevent oversharing.
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Explore a full range of reporting options

Maintain Compliance by Tracking OneDrive for Business User Activity!

Use AdminDroid to get detailed Microsoft 365 OneDrive users' activity logs for compliance audits. This ensures your organization meets data governance policies and regulatory requirements.

Witness the report in action using the

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OneDriveTrack OneDrive user activities to enhance user engagement in your organization

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What activities can Microsoft 365 users perform in OneDrive for Business? How to check a user’s OneDrive storage usage? How to find the number of active OneDrive users in Microsoft 365? How to track OneDrive user activity on a specific file?

What activities can Microsoft 365 users perform in OneDrive for Business?

OneDrive is a personal storage platform that offers an extensive set of features designed to simplify file storage, management, and collaboration.

Below is a detailed breakdown of key activities that users can perform in OneDrive.

  • Upload Files: Users can upload files and folders from their local devices to OneDrive for cloud-based storage. This makes them accessible from any connected device.
  • File Sharing: OneDrive allows users to share files and folders with internal team members or external users via secure link with the ability to set permissions like view-only or edit access. Users can also remove the link they shared at any time.
  • Download Files: Users can download the files stored in OneDrive for offline use or backup.
  • Edit Files: Users can open and edit files directly in OneDrive using web-based apps like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
  • Sync Files: Users can sync files between their devices and the cloud, ensuring that local copies are kept up-to-date.
  • Delete files: Users can delete files or folders, moving them to the OneDrive recycle bin.
  • Restore files: Deleted files or folders can be restored from the recycle bin within 30 days (or longer depending on organization settings).

Microsoft OneDrive for Business is a versatile platform for managing, sharing, and collaborating on files. It offers a wide range of features to boost productivity. Whether you're an individual user, a small team, or a large enterprise, OneDrive’s flexible functionality meets diverse storage and collaboration needs.

How to check a user’s OneDrive storage usage?

When a user's OneDrive reaches storage limit, their files will move to read-only mode and become inaccessible for further editing and collaboration. This can significantly impact the user activity in OneDrive. Therefore, it is essential to monitor the OneDrive usage of users regularly and take action if limits are exceeded.

Follow the below steps to get the OneDrive storage usage for all users.

  • Navigate to the Usage report in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
  • Choose OneDrive in the left navigation under Reports and click Usage.
  • Here, you can view the amount of storage used by a OneDrive user. You can also find the count of total and active files in each user’s OneDrive.
onedrive-storage-usage-report

Surpass native usage reports with AdminDroid’s detailed OneDrive for Business usage reports!

  • While the native reports provide an overall view of storage used, the OneDrive storage over time report offers a detailed breakdown of storage allocated and used by each user. It also includes the count of total and active files.
  • Use the report to identify the user with the highest storage allocation and consumption to manage the storage usage effectively.
onedrive-usage-report-droid

How to find the number of active OneDrive users in Microsoft 365?

Microsoft routinely freezes inactive OneDrive accounts which makes it crucial for you to monitor user engagement. By keeping track of active OneDrive accounts, you can take appropriate action on inactive accounts. You can either re-engage inactive users or remove accounts that are no longer in use.

Track the number of active OneDrive users in M365 admin center

  • Navigate to the OneDrive usage report in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
  • The Accounts chart in this report shows the total number of user accounts and active users in OneDrive for Business.
active-onedrive-user-usage-report

The OneDrive usage reports in the Microsoft 365 admin center only provide details for active accounts over the default period of 180 days.

Access insights into active OneDrive accounts effortlessly with AdminDroid’s advanced reporting capabilities!

  • Leverage the Active OneDrive Users report to easily identify the number of active users in OneDrive along with the active percentage of users.
  • This report lets you monitor user engagement. It helps focus your resources on active OneDrive for Business users in real time.
onedrive-active-users-droid

Handy Tip: Schedule the report to get an update on the count of active OneDrive users periodically.

How to track OneDrive user activity on a specific file?

When a sensitive OneDrive file containing financial or proprietary information is shared with multiple external users, it becomes essential to track who has accessed it and whether unauthorized users have downloaded or modified the contents. In such scenarios, you must closely monitor file activity to mitigate potential risks, ensure data integrity, and prevent any misuse.

The steps below will help you monitor user activity on specific files in OneDrive and keep you informed about any modifications made.

  • Sign in to the Microsoft Purview Compliance portal.
  • Navigate to the Solutions»Audit»Search.
  • Choose the date and time range for your audit (start date and end date).
  • In the Workloads field, select OneDrive. Enter the file name in the File, folder, or site field.
  • Click Search to start the search.

The result displays the file activity details, including actions such as accessing, syncing, downloading, and other interactions that have occurred with that file.

onedrive-user-activity-purview

Use the User Activities on OneDrive files report from AdminDroid to get a comprehensive log detailing all user interactions with OneDrive files.

  • This report tracks who accessed the files, when these actions occurred, and the type of access involved. Use the filtering feature to track the activities on a specific file.
  • By analyzing this report, you can identify potential risks, monitor how users are handling sensitive files, and detect patterns of activity that may indicate unauthorized access or misuse.
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AdminDroid OneDrive User Activity ReportingUnlock enhanced control over OneDrive with AdminDroid’s advanced user activity monitoring!

AdminDroid's OneDrive for Business reporting tool provides a complete solution for tracking OneDrive user activity by offering detailed reports on file usage trends, user activity, and storage quota limit. This enables you to get insights into file traffic, inactive users, available storage space, etc.

A Quick Summary

Stay Alert to the Anonymous Links Created in OneDrive

Use AdminDroid's built-in alert template to get instant alerts on OneDrive files shared using anonymous links and immediately remove any suspicious link to enhance security.

Protect Sensitive Data with OneDrive Activity Trends Report

Identify unusual sharing patterns in OneDrive using AdminDroid’s OneDrive user activities trend report to verify the permission levels of all shared files and prevent data breaches.

Monitor External User Activities for a Secure OneDrive Environment

Audit external user activities in OneDrive to ensure that files are accessed only as intended and to pinpoint any unusual actions and troubleshoot issues.

Track OneDrive File Actions to Find and Address Security Concerns

Maintain a record of all OneDrive file activities to identify any unnecessary site-sharing permissions or unique role assignments assigned to users.

Optimize the OneDrive Inactive Users for Better Resource Allocation

Consider deleting or archiving data associated with inactive OneDrive users to free up storage space, reduce licensing costs, and minimize security risks.

Automated Tracking of OneDrive Activity Reports

Schedule the OneDrive activity report regularly to save time and reduce manual effort for monitoring. It delivers the report to the recipient’s address in the preferred format.

In conclusion, AdminDroid’s OneDrive management tool helps you in the following ways.

  • Effectively manage your OneDrive storage to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
  • Gain insights into the file traffic trends and how the folders are being shared using company and anonymous links.
  • It also tracks user engagement, file access, etc., to drive usage and adoption while maximizing the security of your OneDrive environment.

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Common Errors and Resolution Steps When Tracking User Activities in OneDrive

The following are the possible errors and troubleshooting hints when exporting OneDrive for Business activity report.

Error: Get-MgReportOneDriveActivityUserDetail: Authentication needed. Please call Connect-MgGraph.

This error occurs in PowerShell when you execute the cmdlet before connecting to the Microsoft Graph module.

Troubleshooting hint :Install and connect to the Microsoft Graph module before running this cmdlet. 

//Execute the below cmdlet to install the Microsoft Graph module.
Install-Module Microsoft.Graph
//Run the below command to connect to the Microsoft Graph.
Connect-MgGraph

Error: Get-MgReportOneDriveActivityUserDetail_Get: {"error&wuot:{"code":"S2SUnauthorized","message":"Invalid permission."}}

This error appears in PowerShell when you try to access OneDrive usage details with an account lacking necessary admin permissions.

Troubleshooting hint :Ensure that your account has appropriate permission to access the OneDrive activity report. You need at least the Reports.Read.All permission to access the report.

Error: 404 FILE NOT FOUND.

This error occurs in OneDrive when you try to search a file or account that doesn’t exist.

Troubleshooting hint :Verify the account URL or file name before performing the search.

Error: Get-MgReportOneDriveActivityUserDetail : Cannot process argument transformation on parameter 'Date'. Cannot convert value "21-09-2024" to type "System.DateTime".

This error may occur in PowerShell when you provide the date in a different format (DD/MM/YYYY).

Troubleshooting hint :Verify the date format (MM/DD/YYYY) when using the cmdlet. 

Get-MgReportOneDriveActivityUserDetail -Date 09/21/2024