Set OneDrive to On-Demand in MacOS

Owned by Dan Jakubiak
Last updated: Mar 06, 2023
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

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

  1. Click on the cloud icon in the top menu bar.

  2. Click on the settings cog and then Preferences.

  3. In the Preferences tab, click on Download files as you use them (recommended).

  4. In the popup window, click on OK.

”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: and

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 Finder by clicking on the icon or by pressing Command + Spacebar on your keyboard and searching for Finder.

  2. Click on OneDrive in the left column.

  3. Find the folder/file that you would like to keep on your computer.

  4. Right-click on the file or folder and select “Always Keep on this Device”.

  5. 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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