How to Save Files on a VDI (VMWare Client on Personal Computer)

- Ways to save files from vdi
- Transferring files from vdi to personal computer

Once the user logs off the VDI, ALL DOCUMENTS WILL BE ERASED

BYU-Idaho's VDI client allows you to access BYU-Idaho software (like what's available on classroom lab computers) wherever you are from your personal Windows, Mac, or tablet devices. Steps on how to access it can be found here. When you log onto the BYU-Idaho VDI, you will have access to a variety of programs. You can work on homework, projects, or other documents. However, once you log off all the documents you created will be erased, so you will need to save them.

There are several ways to save documents from the VDI:

 

OneDrive

OneDrive is Microsoft's cloud storage platform, and is provided to students by the university. When you save files to OneDrive, those files are then accessible from any browser or computer that you sign into OneDrive on. This method is recommended because you can access your files from anywhere, and your files won't get lost (as can happen with other methods).

OneDrive can be accessed through a browser or the computer app. There are steps for each below.

OneDrive Browser

1. Open your browser (ex. Chrome or Edge) and go to onedrive.live.com/login

2. Enter your BYUI email

3. You will be taken to the BYUI login page. Enter your BYUI username and password.

4. Verify with duo

5. You should now be taken to your OneDrive. You'll see the files you've opened the most recently at the top.

6. To upload a file to your OneDrive, there are multiple options

• Drag and drop
• Upload from computer

7. You can also create and edit your documents in your browser, and they will automatically save to OneDrive. To do so, click "add new" in the top left of the OneDrive website and then select the type of document you'd like to create.

Drag and drop

1. Click the folder icon at the bottom of your screen to open File Explorer.
   
2. Find the file you want to save
   
3. Click the file and drag it to your OneDrive. Unclick to drop it and upload it to OneDrive.
   
4. Your file is now uploaded to OneDrive.

Upload from your computer

1. In the top left of OneDrive, click the "+" button
   
2. Click "Files upload"
   
3. Find the file you want to save to OneDrive and click it. Then click "Open"
   
4. Your file is now uploaded to OneDrive.

Create Desktop Shortcut for OneDrive

If you use the browser version of OneDrive frequently, you can create a desktop shortcut to give you easy access. To create the shortcut, follow the steps below

1. Open your browser (ex. Chrome or Edge) and go to onedrive.live.com/login

2. Log in with your BYUI account

3. You should now be taken to your OneDrive.

4. One the OneDrive page, click the icon next to the URL and drag it onto your desktop. Drop it anywhere and it will create a shortcut.

5. You can now click this shortcut at any time to be taken to your OneDrive.

 

OneDrive App

If you are using the VDI client downloaded to your computer, you do not need to log into OneDrive to save files to it. Instead, go to your computer's hard drive following the steps outlined in the section below. From here you can upload your files to OneDrive like you would on your computer. If you need steps for how to set up OneDrive on your personal computer, check out this Accessing OneDrive article.

If you are using the VDI though HTML in your browser, you will need to log into OneDrive in the VDI. To do so, follow the steps below.

1. Click the search bar at the bottom of your screen and type "OneDrive"

2. Click OneDrive.

3. Enter your BYUI email address

4. Sign in with your BYUI username and password

5. Verify with duo

6. Click "Next"

7. Now open File Explorer

8. In the left-hand menu, you should now see "OneDrive"

9. When you go to save files, you can now save them to your OneDrive folder.

• For more information about OneDrive see Transferring Drive Files to OneDrive.

Creating folders can be a helpful way to keep your files organized. For steps on how to create folders for your files, check out Creating Folders in OneDrive.

Your Computer's Hard Drive

If you are using the VDI client downloaded to your computer, you can save files to your computer's hard drive.

Note: This method does not work on the browser version on VMWare Horizon. To save files there, you will need to use OneDrive, Google Drive, or Email.

1. Open "VMware Horizon Client"

2. Select vdi.byui.edu (or use this article for steps on how to log in if this is your first time using the client).

3. Enter your BYUI username and password

4. In the bottom left of the window, click "Settings"

5. Make sure you are in the "Drive and Folder Sharing" section. You then have 2 options:

• If you want to sync all the folders and files from your computer, toggle on "Share your local files"
• If you only want to sync some folders, click "Add", then select the folders you want to sync

6. Now log in to the VDI

7. Open File Explorer

8. Go to "This PC"

9. Under "Network locations", you should be able to see your folder(s). You can now save files to this location.

Disclaimer: Files are not backed up if you use this method. The files will only be stored locally on your computer. For this reason, we recommend OneDrive.

Thumbdrive

Thumbdrives are physical, portable devices you can store files on. Once you've saved files to a thumbdrive, you simply need to plug the thumbdrive into another device to access the files on it. Below are steps on how to save your files to a thumbdrive.

2. Open "VMware Horizon Client"

3. Select vdi.byui.edu (or use this article for steps on how to log in if this is your first time using the client).

4. Enter your BYUI username and password

5. In the bottom left of the window, click "Settings"

6. Make sure you are in "Drive & Folde Sharing". At the bottom of that section, ensure you have both of the options below selected.

7. Now log in to the VDI

8. Open file explorer

9. The name of your thubmdrive should show up on the left-hand menu (or under This PC). Click on it to view all your files

10. To upload your files to the thumbdrive, you can either

• Drag and drop
• Copy and paste

Drag and drop

1. If the file is on your desktop, you can click it and drag it to your file explorer where you have the thumbdrive open.

2. Unclick to drop the file into the thumbdrive.
   

Copy and paste

1. Locate the file you want to save
2. Right click the file
3. Click "copy"
   
4. Now go back to your thumbdrive in File Explorer
   
5. Right click in the empty white section then click "Paste"
   

Copy and Paste

You can also copy and paste the document from the VDI to your personal computer.

If you are using the HTML, use the instructions here for how to cut and paste your file.

If you are using the client, you can copy and paste as normal following the steps below.

1. Locate the file you want to save
2. Right click the file
3. Click "copy"
   
4. Now on your computer, open the location in File Explorer you would like to save the file.
5. Right click in the empty white section then click "Paste"
   

Email

While not recommended, emailing documents to yourself is also an option. To do this, follow the steps below.

1. Go to outlook.office365.com/mail

2. Enter your BYUI email

3. Log in by entering your BYUI username and password

4. Start a new email by clicking "New mail"

5. In the "To" field, enter your BYUI email address to send the email to yourself

6. To attach the document, click the paperclip icon and select "Browse this computer"

7. Find the file you want and click it. Then click "Open"​​​​​​

8. You can then send the email. It will show up in your inbox shortly after being sent. You can now access your file from anywhere you log into your email.

 

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