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Files On-Demand for macOS QA
Hello there!
2.24.22 UPDATE: We've been listening to your feedback, and we've made some design changes. We're releasing a new version that addresses the most common themes and makes it easier ...
I wanted to add some thoughts/deficiencies on OneDrive for MacOS:
I work for a large wholesaler with 300+ employees. Our two marketing departments of around 35 people are on MacOS while the rest of the business is on Windows 10.
We've been assessing different tools to migrate off our physical shared drive to get the entire business working on the cloud. We currently have a SharePoint installation and the teams will be trained to use the OneDrive sync client.
However, multiple deficiencies in the MacOS version of the OneDrive sync client are causing us to reconsider our SharePoint/Microsoft implementation.
I don't have to share these, but I think it's in Microsoft's best interest to take note of these deficiencies:
Downloads started by clicking the cloud icon in Finder cannot be cancelled. We've had multiple instances of users accidentally clicking this icon when selecting the folder and then starting a download for an entire Lifestyle image folder containing hundreds of GB of TIFFs. The only way to rectify this as far as we can tell is to uninstall OneDrive and reinstall it. Not ideal, especially when downloads should be able to be cancelled. In our opinion, a basic necessity for a cloud sync app.
There’s no way to prioritise uploads and downloads, meaning if you have lots to upload, you have difficulty downloading working files for other projects. It also means you can't prioritise the upload of critical elements that need to be shared on deadlines etc.
It takes up to 10 minutes just to start uploading even just a 1MB file. OneDrive sync client will be stuck on ‘Processing Changes’ or ‘Preparing to Upload’. Not sure if this is a glitch/bug? Seems consistent across all devices.
The OneDrive folder cannot be moved, meaning it’s stuck in the ‘Users’ folder in MacOS. This means that any linked files in our design teams working files (InDesign, Illustrator, After Effects etc) will be broken. Microsoft have stated that this is an OS restriction (might be the case?), however I know that other cloud sync services such as Dropbox/Google Drive can be moved without issue. Furthermore, when setting a unique folder in the OneDrive sync app, there's no error or notice that it doesn't work. When you select a unique folder for OneDrive, it seemingly works without issue, but it's not until later if you go searching for that folder that you'll realise that OneDrive is in it's default location.
Finder search/spotlight doesn’t work for OneDrive files unless you’ve visited that folder already.
Would love to have a discussion on the above points.
I work for a large wholesaler with 300+ employees. Our two marketing departments of around 35 people are on MacOS while the rest of the business is on Windows 10.
We've been assessing different tools to migrate off our physical shared drive to get the entire business working on the cloud. We currently have a SharePoint installation and the teams will be trained to use the OneDrive sync client.
However, multiple deficiencies in the MacOS version of the OneDrive sync client are causing us to reconsider our SharePoint/Microsoft implementation.
I don't have to share these, but I think it's in Microsoft's best interest to take note of these deficiencies:
Downloads started by clicking the cloud icon in Finder cannot be cancelled. We've had multiple instances of users accidentally clicking this icon when selecting the folder and then starting a download for an entire Lifestyle image folder containing hundreds of GB of TIFFs. The only way to rectify this as far as we can tell is to uninstall OneDrive and reinstall it. Not ideal, especially when downloads should be able to be cancelled. In our opinion, a basic necessity for a cloud sync app.
There’s no way to prioritise uploads and downloads, meaning if you have lots to upload, you have difficulty downloading working files for other projects. It also means you can't prioritise the upload of critical elements that need to be shared on deadlines etc.
It takes up to 10 minutes just to start uploading even just a 1MB file. OneDrive sync client will be stuck on ‘Processing Changes’ or ‘Preparing to Upload’. Not sure if this is a glitch/bug? Seems consistent across all devices.
The OneDrive folder cannot be moved, meaning it’s stuck in the ‘Users’ folder in MacOS. This means that any linked files in our design teams working files (InDesign, Illustrator, After Effects etc) will be broken. Microsoft have stated that this is an OS restriction (might be the case?), however I know that other cloud sync services such as Dropbox/Google Drive can be moved without issue. Furthermore, when setting a unique folder in the OneDrive sync app, there's no error or notice that it doesn't work. When you select a unique folder for OneDrive, it seemingly works without issue, but it's not until later if you go searching for that folder that you'll realise that OneDrive is in it's default location.
Finder search/spotlight doesn’t work for OneDrive files unless you’ve visited that folder already.
Would love to have a discussion on the above points.
Superb detailed commentary on some of the core issues that I've encountered too. One more to add to this list which I think is important when working with OneDrive at scale is its handling of conflicts. A busy user will see the options and click whichever gets them working again quickly. This is likely within a matter of weeks or months to result in hundreds or thousands of copy files with "-WORKSTATIONNAME" appended to them. There is no way for admins to track this - to my knowledge - nor any way for users to review the duplicates/clashes without it paralysing the main OneDrive sync engine.
JakeFraserIME I am seeing this as well. We're on airplanes all the time and if the Internet drops even for a very short period of time, we now have a handful of files - one from each of us and we need to put them together ourselves.
Ron_LaPedis Tells us the big issue here: OneDrive isn’t designed to handle working on shared drives/files. In its current state it can only handle personal/single-user work, which is after all what OneDrive’s origins are. But it isn’t fit for proper collaborative work or using synced SharePoint sites.
- Agree. Additionally, after many data losses apparently due to network hiccups (file on server overwrites updated file on my laptop), I have started MOVING single-user work files to iCloud, editing them, then moving them back to OneDrive.
