Where would you choose to save a document or spreadsheet which is updated periodically

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alisam

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#324858 3-Jun-2026 19:21

I use NAS storage and OneDrive.

All are accessible on my home network across Windows 10, 11 and Linux.

If you had a document or spreadsheet which you updated once, twice or several times a week/month, which storage system would you prefer/choose and why?

(For me, the file relates to household information and not something I would ever access on (say) my mobile phone).

I tend to use NAS storage (which is backed up).

I cannot see any advantage to the storage system, but there may be advantages/disadvantages I hadn't considered.

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insane

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#3499991 3-Jun-2026 21:03

Google Docs seems like a perfectly good location for me

Or are you talking about ext3/zfs or raid levels etc?

freitasm

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#3500018 3-Jun-2026 21:39

I see from your other discussion that you had problems with your NAS. For the sake of resilience, I suggest you store the spreadsheet on a OneDrive or Google Docs folder, and a backup on the NAS (not the other way around).

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gehenna

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#3500028 3-Jun-2026 21:48

If I'm making a household document I'm probably collaborating on it with my wife, so it'll be in OneDrive.

Tinkerisk

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#3500030 3-Jun-2026 21:55

gehenna:

If I'm making a household document I'm probably collaborating on it with my wife, so it'll be in ~~OneDrive~~ Nextcloud.

Fixed that for me. 😎

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gehenna

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#3500034 3-Jun-2026 22:04

If I'm collaborating with my wife then I'm already doing way too much to be bothered with Nextcloud

freitasm

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#3500035 3-Jun-2026 22:07

While I like the idea, wife works with education and the school uses Google Education. So for her it gotta be Google Docs. For everything else, I pay a Microsoft 365 Family subscription.

I use Synology Cloud Sync to backup data from Microsoft 365, and Synology Backup for Office 365 for Geekzone Office 365 Exchange Online. These go to my NAS, with multiple versions.

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gzt

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#3500037 3-Jun-2026 22:15

Given Windows OS and applications pretty crappy ability to consistently handle locking and sharing I'd be inclined to rely on OneDrive to handle that. Assuming I have some reason not to go with my first preference Google Sheets and the equivalent Office 365 cloud product. Backup in both cases.

alisam

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#3500038 3-Jun-2026 22:16

freitasm:

I see from your other discussion that you had problems with your NAS. For the sake of resilience, I suggest you store the spreadsheet on a OneDrive or Google Docs folder, and a backup on the NAS (not the other way around).

Yes, I do have problems with a NAS Drive. But this was more of a question as to what other members used for frequently/periodically updating documents.

It is something I have struggled to form an opinion on i.e. NAS or Cloud.

I do like OneDrive (since it was a Company offering at the time when I worked), but have tended to use my NAS (and yes, I do have backups).

Thank you for your recommendation.

Tinkerisk

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#3500061 3-Jun-2026 23:30

gehenna:

If I'm collaborating with my wife then I'm already doing way too much to be bothered with Nextcloud

Understandable. But why should Google or Microsoft have to know about all of that, too? 😉

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Firewalls do NOT stop dragons. Really not!
I avoid Big Tech. They try hard to dictate technology and „culture“ across borders.
In effect we have everything to hide from someone, and no idea who „someone“ is.

lxsw20

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#3500063 3-Jun-2026 23:37

OneDrive so you have access to the web version of Word/Excel for editing in browser.

Tinkerisk

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#3500066 4-Jun-2026 00:44

freitasm:

While I like the idea, wife works with education and the school uses Google Education. So for her it gotta be Google Docs. For everything else, I pay a Microsoft 365 Family subscription.

I use Synology Cloud Sync to backup data from Microsoft 365, and Synology Backup for Office 365 for Geekzone Office 365 Exchange Online. These go to my NAS, with multiple versions.

Depending on whether you have a Synology x86 NAS -bare metal or VM- (or, if not, an idle, diskless x86 mini-PC with access to a share on the Synology), you could give Nextcloud a try—install it and run it with the relevant client apps in parallel for a while. If everything works to your satisfaction, all you have to do is retrieve your data from Office 365+, and from then on, simply use EuroOffice (a fork of OpenOffice designed to replace Office 365+ or Google Suite, to be released next week). After all, the data formats remain compatible.

Furthermore, OneDrive and Google Drive (as well as iCloud) can be seamlessly synchronized with Nextcloud—meaning your wife would be covered, too. It is not an either/or solution, but rather a coexistent one—provided, of course, that one wishes for it to remain so.

The only third-party cloud service I use at all consists of the minimal iCloud functions—for instance, to utilize AirTags, "Find My" features, or the anti-theft capabilities of Apple devices—but I do not store any files or photos there.

My team members (familiy member, friends, …) use their own device zoo, and after I set up their respective accounts and assigned permissions, they simply had to install and configure the Nextcloud client app to join in using their laptops, tablets, and/or smartphones. In the respective file manager, Nextcloud simply appears (either additionally or exclusively) as a storage location. The same applies, of course, to the Android client.

If your server has a bit more CPU oomph, you can also seamlessly handle teleconferences and phone calls directly within Nextcloud.

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I avoid Big Tech. They try hard to dictate technology and „culture“ across borders.
In effect we have everything to hide from someone, and no idea who „someone“ is.

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#3500099 4-Jun-2026 08:35

I have a spreadsheet updated twice a day.

Been through using OneDrive and Excel online via Power Automate.

Shifted to google Docs with Power Automate and then self-hosted n8n workflow.

Now shifted to a fully self-hosted solution using Synology Office. The Synology Sheet API and n8n. Fully private.

Set and forget solution.

The little things make the biggest difference.