Save disk space with OneDrive Files On-Demand for Windows

OneDrive Files On-Demand is a feature available for Windows that allows you to save disk space by selectively downloading and accessing files stored in your OneDrive cloud storage. With Files On-Demand enabled, you can see all your files and folders in File Explorer, but they are not necessarily stored locally on your computer unless you choose to open or edit them.

Here's how you can use OneDrive Files On-Demand to save disk space:

1. Enable Files On-Demand: Right-click on the OneDrive icon in the system tray (located in the bottom-right corner of the screen) and select "Settings."

2. In the Microsoft OneDrive settings window, go to the "Files On-Demand" tab.

3. Check the box that says "Save space and download files as you use them."

Once you've enabled Files On-Demand, you can start managing your files to save disk space:

1. Access files without downloading: In File Explorer, you'll notice that your OneDrive files and folders have a cloud icon next to them. These files are not taking up space on your local drive. Double-clicking on a file will download and open it, allowing you to view and edit it. Once you're done, the file will be removed from your local drive but will still be available in the cloud.

2. Free up space: If you want to reclaim disk space, you can right-click on any file or folder in File Explorer and select "Free up space." This action will remove the local copy of the file or folder, but it will still be visible and accessible through File Explorer. You can always download it again if needed.

With OneDrive Files On-Demand, you can:

• Save space on your device by making files online only

• Set files and folders to be always available locally on your device

• See important information about files, such as whether they are shared

Your files will have these statuses in File Explorer:

Introduction

OneDrive for Business is your private space and a great place to save your work. OneDrive is for documents you don’t plan to share with many colleagues, like draft documents or personal documents that others don’t need to see. It’s also a good choice for ad-hoc collaboration with a limited scope of colleagues or for documents with a brief lifecycle.

It might be tempting to save all your documents to OneDrive since it’s easy and convenient. However, you need to think about the content that you have there and consider the implications. If a document is a collaborative effort related to a project or needs to be preserved as part of the Organization’s records, Unite Docs would be a better choice.

Components & Features

• Store your unclassified* work files on the Office 365 cloud

• Sync with your computer to work offline

• Sync with your mobile devices for access anywhere

Benefits

• Files are accessible anywhere on any device

• Files are protected from hard drive failure and accidental data loss

• Sharing files reduces the number of attachments sent by email

Difference between OneDrive for Business and SharePoint Online Site

The main difference: OneDrive is your personal drive vs SharePoint Online Site is a department content space. The good news - both applications function very similarly regarding document management.