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Richard_Gration's avatar
Richard_Gration
Copper Contributor
Nov 08, 2023

Change in Files On-Demand behaviour in recent update to OneDrive for Windows

I have two PCs - one I use at home and another I use at work.  Both are running Windows 11 23H2 and are fully up to date with Microsoft updates.  Both are running OneDrive version 23.214.1015.0001.  ...
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LeonPavesic's avatar
LeonPavesic
Silver Contributor
Nov 13, 2023

Hi Richard_Gration,

To disable Files On-Demand in OneDrive, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the OneDrive icon in the taskbar corner.
  2. Select the Help & Settings (gear) icon, then click on Settings.
  3. In the Settings window, go to the "Sync and backup" section.
  4. Under the "Files On-Demand" sub-section, click on the "Download all files" button.

By doing this, all your OneDrive files will be downloaded to your local hard drive, and the Files On-Demand feature will be turned off.

If you prefer using the Group Policy editor to disable Files On-Demand, follow these steps:

  1. Press Win+R to open the Run prompt.
  2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to open Group Policy Editor.
  3. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates.
  4. Scroll down to find OneDrive and double-click to open it.
  5. Open the "Use OneDrive Files On-Demand settings" policy.
  6. Choose the Disabled option.
  7. Click OK to apply the changes.

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Kindest regards,


Leon Pavesic
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  • jamescadence's avatar
    jamescadence
    Copper Contributor
    Feb 20, 2024

    LeonPavesicRichard_Gration I can confirm that using this option is vastly different than being able to disable Files On-Demand entirely and is having quite the impact in my work space, especially since the Files On-Demand system doesn't seem to allow two people to operate in the same document at the same time. Its possible that it would be better if all of the computers were changed to this system, but if it isn't then we're essentially going back in time 10 years in OneDrive functionality.

     

    Has anyone come up with a solution to solve this problem, or is this another case of Microsoft handicapping their users for no apparent reason?

    • jcap's avatar
      jcap
      Copper Contributor
      Mar 17, 2024

      jamescadence 

       

      This is a joke!

       

      I have thousands of files in my OneDrive and every time I reboot my machine it takes hours to 'Process Changes' before any changes to existing files I make uploads, rendering OneDrive a much worse experience to what I had before without the ability to disable files on demand.

       

       

      Not to mention, half the 'Status' icons are just incorrect:

       

       

       

      • ImNotExpecting's avatar
        ImNotExpecting
        Copper Contributor
        Jun 11, 2024

        @jamescadence

        I figured this one out!

         

        You want to navigate to 

        C:\Program Files\Microsoft OneDrive\Build Number\adm\

        Or

        %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\Build Number\adm\

        If it is a user installation

         

        Make sure build number is replaced with the build number.

         

        Then you should copy the ADMX file to C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions.

        After that copy the ADML file to C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\en-US

         

        With that done you should be able to go to administrative templates then OneDrive and set "Use Files On Demand" to disabled.

        After that you should be able to re-open OneDrive and it should work.

         

        I hope this guide helped someone out :).

        Also this is my first post on the forum so sorry if its bad

         

        Edit: Sorry I didn't mention that this was on windows 10 the behaviour might be different in windows 11

         

  • Richard_Gration's avatar
    Richard_Gration
    Copper Contributor
    Nov 13, 2023

    Hi LeonPavesic,

    Thanks for your reply. However, I'm not sure it is correct that by clicking on the new 'Download all files' button that 'all your OneDrive files will be downloaded to your local hard drive, and the Files On-Demand feature will be turned off'.  The link in your reply to https://www.elevenforum.com/t/enable-or-disable-onedrive-files-on-demand-in-windows-11.4371/ actually says:

     

    You will know that Files On-Demand is turned on if you see the https://www.elevenforum.com/t/what-do-the-onedrive-sync-status-icons-mean-in-windows-11.11685/ next to your files in File Explorer.

     

    As per my original post, what I am seeing is the status icons next to the files in File Explorer (rather than superimposed on the file icons as occurs when you have files on-demand disabled). So what appears to be happening is that files on-demand is being forced on, but all files on OneDrive are being marked as 'always keep on device'.

     

    I had previously tried the Group Policy Editor approach, but there is no 'Use OneDrive Files On-Demand settings' policy:

    I tried manually creating [HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\OneDrive\FilesOnDemandEnabled] as a REG_DWORD in the registry and setting it to 0, but that didn't seem to make any difference.

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