Buzz
Files On-Demand can be considered a useful feature, especially for users storing tens of gigabytes of data in their OneDrive cloud storage accounts, but running out of space on their computers.
With OneDrive Files On-Demand, you can view all your OneDrive files in Windows 10 File Explorer (or the OneDrive folder) without downloading them. However, you cannot open online-only files or OneDrive files that you haven't downloaded to your computer, not 'occupying' free space on your computer if there is no internet connection.
You might wonder how to recognize online-only files. It's quite simple; online-only files will display a cloud icon as you can see in the image below:
When you double-click on an online-only file to open it, the file will be downloaded to your computer. Now the online-only file will be available on your Windows 10 computer. This means you can open or edit files available on your computer without being online or using an internet connection. If you want to free up space, you can 'restore' these files to their default online-only state by right-clicking on the file and selecting Free up space.
In summary, the Files On-Demand feature 'avoids' storing files on your computer but allows you to access files when needed.
If you're wondering what happens when you delete a file? Remember that when you delete an online-only file on one of your devices, the file will be deleted from all your devices.
If you wish to restore, you can recover deleted files from the OneDrive recycle bin within 30 days (from the deletion date). Also, when you delete an available file, it will be 'moved' to the OneDrive recycle bin as well as the Windows 10 recycle bin.
Activating, deactivating OneDrive Files On-Demand on Windows 10
Activating, deactivating the OneDrive Files On-Demand feature on Windows 10 is quite straightforward; you just need to follow the step-by-step guide below.
Step 1: Right-click on the OneDrive icon in the system tray on the Taskbar, then click Settings. If you don't see the OneDrive icon, click the small arrow icon on the Taskbar to view hidden icons.
Step 2: Now, a Microsoft OneDrive dialog box appears on the screen; here, you switch to the Settings tab.
Step 3: Finally, check the option Save space and download files as you use them, then click OK to activate the Files On-Demand feature on your computer.
In case you want to disable Files On-Demand on OneDrive Windows 10, you perform similar steps and uncheck the option Save space and download files as you use them, then click OK to finish.
As shared earlier, OneDrive and Google Drive are among the top online storage services preferred by users; sharing files on Google Drive as well as OneDrive has similar aspects. If you need clarification on how to share files on Google Drive or OneDrive, please comment, and we will respond as quickly as possible.
