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wingsfan800's avatar
wingsfan800
Copper Contributor
Dec 10, 2025

OneDrive Files on-demand

Hello, I was wondering if anyone has some insight around OneDrive files on-demand. I found that clicking the button to free up space works just fine and all of my items switch to cloud unless I am ac...
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Surya_Narayana's avatar
Surya_Narayana
MCT
Dec 11, 2025

hi wingsfan800​  Yes — you’re not missing anything. This is expected behavior.

The Group Policy for OneDrive Files On-Demand only enables or enforces the feature.
It does NOT trigger “Free up space” or automatically dehydrate existing local files.

Microsoft does not provide a GPO, Intune setting, or registry key that forces the mass conversion of files to cloud-only.

What You Can Do Instead (Workarounds)

Use PowerShell to Dehydrate Files

You can run:

attrib +U -P "C:\Users\<UserName>\OneDrive\*.*" /S

This marks files as online-only, similar to clicking “Free up space.”

You can push this via:

  • Intune script
  • GPO logon script
  • SCCM
  • Manual run

Do NOT run during active sync — do it after OneDrive fully signs in.

Use OneDrive Silent Config + Known Folder Move (KFM)

If your goal is disk cleanup on many devices:

  • Enable KFM via Intune/GPO
  • Enable Files On-Demand
  • Users’ Desktop / Documents / Pictures move to OneDrive and hydrate only what’s needed.

This does not force dehydration but reduces future local data growth.

Deploy per-machine OneDrive (recommended by Microsoft)

Required for consistent Files On-Demand behavior:
https://learn.microsoft.com/onedrive/per-machine-installation

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