Fetch files on your PC

If you have the SkyDrive desktop app for Windows installed on a PC, you can use the Fetch files feature to access all your files on that PC from another computer by going to SkyDrive.com. You can even access network locations if they're included in the PC's libraries or mapped as drives. When you browse a PC's files remotely, you can download copies of them to work on. You can also stream video and view photos in a slide show. To access files on your PC remotely, make sure the PC you want to access is turned on and connected to the Internet. SkyDrive also needs to be running on that PC, and the Fetch files setting must be selected.

Show all

Select the Fetch files setting

If you didn't select the Fetch files setting when you set up the SkyDrive app, you can select it in Settings.

Go to the PC where SkyDrive is installed.
Right-click the SkyDrive icon () in the notification area, at the far right of the taskbar. (You might need to click Show hidden icons first to see the icon.) Then click Settings.
On the Settings tab, under General, select Let me use SkyDrive to fetch any of my files on this PC, and then click OK.

Restart the SkyDrive app

Go to the PC where SkyDrive is installed.
Look for the SkyDrive icon () in the notification area, at the far right of the taskbar. You might need to click Show hidden icons to see all your icons. If you see the icon, right-click it and choose Exit to restart the SkyDrive app.
Click Start, enter SkyDrive in the search box, and then click Microsoft SkyDrive. This opens your SkyDrive folder, and also starts the SkyDrive service.

Tip

To make sure SkyDrive always starts when you sign in to Windows, right-click the SkyDrive icon in the notification area, and then click Settings. On the Settings tab, under General, select Start SkyDrive automatically when I sign in to Windows, and then click OK.

Report a problem connecting to your PC

If you made sure the Fetch files setting was selected on the PC and tried restarting the SkyDrive app on it but still can't connect to it, please follow these steps to report the problem.

Go to the SkyDrive forums. You might need to sign in with your Microsoft account.
Click Ask a question.
Describe the problem, and then click Ask. A moderator will reply and tell you what to do next.

Notes

You can use a Mac to fetch files that are on a computer running Windows, but you can't fetch files that are on a Mac.
When you connect to a PC to fetch its files, you might be asked to enter a verification code.
If the Fetch files setting is unavailable, it might be blocked by Group Policy. Please contact your network administrator for more info.