How to disable Files On-Demand in OneDrive MacOS? It's enforced since the last update ...

Anonymous
2022-01-27T12:43:10+00:00

For OneDrive home and business, I cannot disable Files-On-Demand since the last update. This is crucial, I need full access to my files at all time.

What is going on? Why would you enforce Files On-Demand on your customers, isn't it enough to enable it by default? My 70GB of cloud data is not local anymore, sometimes I have no internet, you are locking me away from my files. Also making it impossible for me to do full text searches. Files On-Demand is also too slow, waiting a second to display folder contents is too much when you organize things in deep folder structures.

How I can disable Files On-Demand? Will you please stop knowing the best for your customers? We aren't toddlers. Thanks!

If Files On-Demand is enforced by policy, I will leave your cloud service once and for all.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For business | MacOS

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-01-27T14:43:09+00:00

    Total nonsense. Obviously, no-one at Microsoft understands that we are not all interested in a cloud-based solution. I need my files on my hard drive, not three steps away on a remote server.

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-01-28T07:26:51+00:00

    Hi,

    Thanks for posting in our community.

    Based on the detailed description, we do understand the inconveniences it caused on your side with the latest updates in OneDrive for Mac desktop app that Files On-Demand will be enabled automatically. Kindly check the statement in the official article: Save disk space with OneDrive Files On-Demand for Mac (microsoft.com)

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    For the possible workaround currently, it is suggested to right-click on the offline-needed files/folders and select 'Always keep on this device'.

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    For this updated setting, we do understand that it would be better if there have another button/option to turn off the Files On-Demand feature instead of selecting all files/folders manually. As forum engineers here have limited resources to the building of OneDrive apps, kindly submit your feedback to the related OneDrive for Mac product team so that they can get informed that this can cause some inconveniences for users who need files locally when offline. See: How do I give feedback on Microsoft Office?

    Your understanding is highly appreciated and hope a nice day for you!!

    Best Regards,

    Mia

    Hello Mia, sorry your reply is not helpful at all. The problem is not that Files On-Demand are enabled by default, the problem is that Microsoft rolled-out an update few days ago that ENFORCES Files On-Demand.

    I use my OneDrive cloud files with some integrations of other services, including having symbolic links to app setting files. By removing these files without permission you broke some stuff on my device. Files On-Demand also uses a virtual drive which is not what I want for above reasons. I want the files local and no hybrid solution.

    You guys'n'girls are so smart. Did your dev team never learned to never touch a working system? Your cloud solution was perfect and reliable, OneDrive on macOS improved a lot, it was very stable without Files On-Demand in my instance. It was reliable, I was able to integrate it in so many automation work-flows and those stuff broke.

    Not only that, you even deleted all my files without permission. Some people have metered bandwidth, you actually caused cost and damage to those people. Who ever decided this move needs to get down from his/her position, seriously.

    Your solution is unfulfilling to me, I don't want a virtual drive for my OneDrive, it's causing trouble in my system. You don't want to know how much time it took to link all those files properly.

    Mia, this is the support forum for Microsoft software, how can you redirect me to any feedback form of Microsoft Office (which I already filled out, btw), wouldn't it be appropriate to take action and get it contact with your supervisor, so this concern will be redirected to the management/dev team of Microsoft Office?

    My work-flows are partially hindered and I have really no time for all that mess. Microsoft really ruined a perfect cloud experience for me, I'm very disappointed, mad and confused how Microsoft acts like a father who has to teach us what's best. It's one thing to just not provide a requested feature, it's another heavier thing to REMOVE perfectly working features many people rely on.

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-01-27T18:50:15+00:00

    Selecting "Always Keep on This Device" does nothing.

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-01-27T19:07:26+00:00

    Same experience. Selecting "always keep on this device" doesn't help at all. I still need to open each file to force it to sync.

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  5. Anonymous
    2022-01-27T23:42:34+00:00

    You could have asked instead of just deleting everything so I have to download all of my files again. So angry at Microsoft over this. Returning my files to local has been a gigantic pain in the rear end. I have far better things to do than to painstakingly select each folder and choose "always keep on this device". The proposed solution of doing this on the root doesn't work. If I select this option for more than a couple of folders, I am greeted with a Finder error citing "cannot communicate with the helper" (below). I've been working on this for hours and it appears I have several hours to go. Already provided feedback via the option on OneDrive. Bad form, Microsoft.

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    Also now finding that some files refuse to download or open correctly in the default application. Take for example this message I receive several minutes after attempting to open a PDF in Preview:

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