Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

To obtain a DocuShare account, you need to place a request through the IT Service Desk at ext. 6555 or by completing the Service Desk request form. Once your account is created, the Service Desk will assign your ticket to the DocuShare administration team to create a folder structure or to provide access on DocuShare.

Yes. If you go to the properties of the document, you will see the options for "permissions". Click on it and that will give you a list of people and groups who have access to your documents as well as their access rights.

Yes. Access in DocuShare may be given to uOttawa staff as well as clients and partners not belonging to the University. To get the accounts created, please contact the IT Service Desk at by completing the Service Desk request form or calling extension 6555.

You can set specific permissions to any object in DocuShare. Permissions can be inherited or stand-alone. That means you can specify permissions for a file to a group and not have that file accessed by other users.

Yes. Giving appropriate "Guest" permissions to the document in question will allow users to access it without having to log on. This means, the document is now publicly accessible from the outside. It is important to note that public access allows the document to be accessible via a simple Google search on the Internet .

DocuShare, by default, is displayed in the preferred language of your browser. In order to modify your language preferences so that it appears in French, follow the instructions below:

• Internet Explorer (IE)
  • From the tools menu, select "Internet Options", click on the "Languages" button in the "General" tab, move up your preferred language in the "Language Preference" window and click on "Ok".
• Chrome
  • From the "Customize and control Google Chrome" menu, select "Settings", click on "Show advanced settings", select "Language and input settings", order the languages based on your preferences and click on "Done".
• Firefox
  • From the Firefox drop down menu, select "Options" and click on "Options". In the "Content" tab, select "Choose" under the "Languages" section, order your languages in terms of preference (add French to the list if it is missing), and click on "Ok".
•  Safari 
  • It is not possible at this time to change the preferred language in Safari once the browser is installed. The only way to change the browser's preferred language is to change the local language of your operating system. We recommend that you use a different browser if you want to display DocuShare in another language. 

Every user is entitled to 5 GB of storage space, and the upload size for individual files is limited to 800 MB. If you have additional space requirements, contact the DocuShare Team for more information.

Most file types are accepted in DocuShare. The list of accepted extensions in DocuShare can be found here

Yes. All deleted documents are kept in the DocuShare trashcan for six months. If a document has not been recovered after six months it will be permanently deleted. To recover your deleted files, select "My DocuShare" in the "My Links" section and scroll down to "Personal Trashcan". Select "Document" from the "show" dropdown. This will show you all the documents that were deleted. Select the document you would like to restore and click on "Restore" from the "Action" menu.

“check-out” and “check-in” are collaboration tools that enhance working together. When a user checks out a document, it is locked for other users and only the user who has locked the document can modify it. Once the user is done modifying the document, he/she needs to check in the document. This action will unlock the document for other modifications and update the current version of the document on the DocuShare server. Users can check the different versions of a document by clicking on the "Version History"  tab on the Properties page.

You need to have the DocuShare client installed on your machine to add multiple documents at once in DocuShare. The DocuShare client is a plug in that allows users to access DocuShare from their computer.

Once you have the DocuShare client installed on your computer, you can add multiple documents at once by doing a drag and drop or copy and paste action. If you do not have the DocuShare client, you can contact the IT Service Desk by completing the Service Desk request form or calling extension 6555.

DocuShare has a variety of collaboration tools, including workspaces, weblogs, discussions, document routing, notifications, calendar, and "check-out" and "check-in" functions.

DocuShare is hosted and managed by Information Technology at the University of Ottawa (including servers and maintenance).

The search functionality in DocuShare searches throughout the site and individual objects as well as within the documents. It is not limited to the metadata; it extends the search to the text within a document file, providing more accurate results.

We encourage every faculty and service to have a DocuShare champion so that users can independently manage their DocuShare solution themselves. If you would like to become a DocuShare champion, please secure the approval from the appropriate supervisor in your sector, and contact our team to initiate the process. 

Metadata is a type of date used to identify an object. It holds information that describes an object and is used to improve search results. For example, when you upload a document, you include the summary, description etc. These fields are metadata information that describe your document and are essential to generating accurate search results.

The DS client is a tool that integrates with the Windows operating system, and allows access to DocuShare from your desktop, MS Office applications and Outlook without having to go through the Web. The client files to be dragged and dropped directly from one place to another, and allows them to be accessed from the “Open” and “Save” commands in Windows. (Please note that the DS client is only available for MS Windows.)

Please contact the IT Service Desk by completing the Service Desk request form or calling extension 6555 in order to request installation. Alternatively, if you have administrator rights on your computer, you can install it directly by clicking on the installation package named "DSClient_6.5.2_b36_Win7_x64" for 64 bit computer or "DSClient_6.5.2_b36_Win7_x86" for 32 bit computer in the DocuShare collection “DocuShare Support Documentation”.

You can contact the IT Service Desk by completing the Service Desk request form or calling extension 6555.

Internet Explorer is the only browser that is compatible with the DocuShare client.It is recommended to use version 6 and higher.

There is currently no DocuShare client for MAC OS. However, there is a DocuShare Application available from the Apple store that will work with most Apple devices.

Go into the App Store and search for “DocuShare”. Select the “Xerox DocuShare” application and install it.

Make sure you enter the below information carefully on each field which is also found on the “Mobile Client Settings” page in DocuShare:

If you are from Facilities please use the settings below:

You may also find screen shots that will help you enter the information above rightly

The DocuShare user guide is available in the "DocuShare Support Documentation" collection, or by clicking on the following link.

Contact the DocuShare team to discuss your training requirements. Note as well that the requester will be responsible for booking the room where the training session will take place.

Please contact the Service Desk for this type of request.

Service Desk

DocuShare is absolutely free. Information Technology (IT) has purchased licenses for all University of Ottawa employees (academic and support staff) and students.

Please contact the DocuShare team to discuss the procedure regarding electronic forms.

DocuShare is equipped to provide workflow automation capabilities. Please contact our DocuShare team to discuss if DocuShare is suitable for your requirements.