Set OneDrive to On-Demand in Windows

Owned by Austin Dion (Deactivated)
Last updated: Jul 06, 2023 by Dan Jakubiak
2 min read

UConn faculty, staff, and students may enable or disable the Files On-Demand setting within their OneDrive application. ITS recommends that all users keep the Files On-Demand feature enabled.

Files On-Demand is turned on by default and is recommended for all users with access to a stable high-speed internet connection.

Turning on Files On-Demand

This guide applies to both OneDrive and SharePoint, as they both use the same OneDrive App on your computer

With Files On-Demand enabled, files that you edit will remain on your computer for 30 days and then move back into the cloud until they are needed again. This feature saves space on your computer. For a full explanation of this feature, visit OneDrive Files On-Demand

  1. Click on the OneDrive cloud icon in the Windows taskbar notification area at the bottom right corner.

    blue cloud onedrive icon

    1. If the cloud icon is not here, click on the caret to view hidden icons, this opens your System Tray. If the icon is still not here, OneDrive is likely not running; please open OneDrive on your computer.

  2. Click on the settings gear at the top of the popup window. Click on Settings.

  3. In the new window, click on Advanced settings to see more settings.

  4. Check the box for Files On-Demand.

”Always keep on this device”

Remember: “local” means the item is on your laptop; it’s local to your computers. In contrast, “online-only” files are remote; they are not on your computer but rather they are out in the cloud. Local files consume space on your computer.

Full explanation: OneDrive Files On-Demand

If you would like a file to be “local” and remain on your computer indefinitely, follow these steps.

  1. Log in to your computer. From your desktop, open File Explorer by clicking the icon, using the keyboard shortcut (Windows Key + E), or searching for it in the Start menu.

  2. Navigate to the file or folder you would like to keep local.

  3. Right-click on the file or folder and select “Always keep on this device”.

  4. Remember to repeat this process if you want the same item(s) to “always keep on this device” on another computer.

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