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To avoid losing access to your work-related files on the U: drive (or My Documents folder), please move them to OneDrive by October 9!
Migration Overview
Moving from the U: drive to OneDrive provides secure, cloud-based access to your personal work-related files from virtually any device or location. OneDrive improves file availability, provides built-in backup and recovery capabilities, and integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft 365 tools you use every day.
Migration Timeline
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User Migration Window: September 1, 2026 - October 9, 2026
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Migration Deadline: All files must be migrated by Friday, October 9.
Who is Affected
All faculty and staff are impacted by this change and will need to review, organize, and move their personal work files located in their U: drive to OneDrive during the migration window.
Required Migration Steps
Between September 1 and October 9, please review the files stored on your U: drive and migrate any files you need to retain to OneDrive. All files should be reviewed and moved by Friday, October 9, 2026. After this date, the U: drive and any files remaining on it will no longer be accessible.
1. Review U: Drive Files
To get started, open File Explorer and select the U: drive under My Computer.
As you review your files, take the opportunity to:
- Delete files you no longer need.
- Organize folders for easier access.
- Remove duplicate or outdated documents.
- Archive or relocate files that belong elsewhere.
2. Migrate your files to OneDrive
3. Confirm all your important files have been moved to OneDrive
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the U: drive? Is it the same as My Documents?
The U: drive is the actual network location where your My Documents folder in Windows is stored. The U: drive shortcut is a secondary way to access My Documents. For the sake of clarity, as individual users can have multiple "documents" directories that they use, we've referred directly to this location as the U: drive - and this specific location is what will be decommissioned in October 2026. When moving your documents, we recommend using the "U: drive" shortcut, not the "My Documents" shortcut, to ensure the files in the U: drive are actually what are moved during the process.
What is OneDrive and how can I access it?
OneDrive is Microsoft's cloud-based platform for individual file storage. It provides centralized storage for documents, pictures, etc. in conjunction with individuals' workplaces, tied to appropriately licensed Microsoft accounts. All CPCC employees and staff have access to use OneDrive. It is a native Windows application and supports syncing local files in custom directories - as well as Desktop, Documents, and Photos directories - to the cloud.
If you've already signed into the OneDrive desktop app, OneDrive will be visible in File Explorer as a folder you can access. If not, follow the instructions here to enable it: Article - How to Migrate U: drive File...
Is the U: drive the same as the H: drive?
The U: drive is NOT the same as the H: drive. The U: drive is storage for individual employees' documents and corresponds to the My Documents shortcut in File Explorer. A U: drive has been assigned to each individual employee and can be accessed only by them (and designated System Services Administrators for maintenance purposes).
The H: drive is not for individual file storage, but is for individual departments and teams to store shared and historical files. While many of our departments and teams utilize SharePoint now, the H: drive is the old way of storing shared files, and many teams still leverage it for their workflows. The H: drive is not relevant to the U: drive migration and decommission.
What happens if I don't migrate my files by October 9?
Let's all do our part to move all files from our U: drives before October 9. At this point, all employees' access to their U: drive will be removed and the shortcuts to the U: drive and "My Documents" folders will disappear from all CPCC computers. There may be recovery options if individuals lose access to specific files, but in the interest of minimizing operational disruptions, let's work together to make sure all migration tasks are complete by October 9, 2026.
What will happen to documents on my Desktop?
The documents on your Desktop or Desktop folder in File Explorer will be unaffected by the U: drive decommission.
However, OneDrive will offer the option for you to sync your Desktop folder to OneDrive when you first sign into the OneDrive desktop app as instructed here. We highly suggest you allow OneDrive to sync your desktop (the default option), as this provides backup and recovery options for those files - while leaving shortcuts to them in the current location (your desktop). Allowing OneDrive to back up your desktop folder will provide additional resiliency and stability to your document storage, and ensure your documents are not lost even if your computer or hard drive is.
While moving my files from the U: drive to OneDrive, I received an error saying there is "not enough space." What does that mean?
There are two possible causes:
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Your computer does not have enough local disk space. You can verify if this is the case by going to File Explorer > My Computer and seeing if the C: drive is full.
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OneDrive has to create a local copy of your files before it can sync to the cloud, so some additional space on your hard drive will be utilized during the process.
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To work around this requirement, move your files in smaller batches. In between batches, right-click your OneDrive folder in File Explorer, and click "Free up Space" to clear the locally cached files.
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Allow OneDrive to finish syncing before moving additional files. To view sync status, click the small blue cloud on your taskbar.
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Your OneDrive storage quota is full.