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MacOS Monterey - Disable Files on Demand
I use OneDrive to synch all my files with another computer at work and just upgraded to Monterey. I need to be able to search for data in the files using Spotlight/Quick Look etc. so I typically do a full sync and disable files on demand.
Since this is no longer an option with Monterey, I have instead enabled "Always Keep On This Device" from the OneDrive root folder. However, I am now seeing files that are both "Always Available on this Device" and "Not Downloaded". Aren't these two mutually exclusive?
Is there any way to disable Files on demand?
MacOS is 12.1
OneDrive is Version 21.245.1128.0002 (Standalone) with Insider Preview Updates enabled
Thanks.
- That sounds strange. I would expect it to be one or the other as you say. On my own Mac running Monterey I cannot duplicate your issue. As you say, you can't disable FOD from the OneDrive client settings but you should be able to do this with a PList as per https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive/deploy-and-configure-on-macos#filesondemandenabled
This issue appears to be resolved for me - via the latest OneDrive update that was unleashed on March 8th:
I use the same version but the hassle still goes on: the CPU runs up to 200% and after a while the RAM is filled up to 15 GB just for OneDrive. I will give Microsoft a chance until the end of march and then delete my MS365-Account.
Hokey78 Your issue is very different to the majority of other users in post and to the original poster's - pdteo . The issue this update has solved (for me) is the "MacOS Monterey - Disable Files on Demand" issue.
I suspect the cause of your issue lies elsewhere - as there are are reports of your issue in other posts, such as this one: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/high-energy-and-cpu-usage-by-onedrive-on-macos-big/9ceafa79-0f04-4103-86c9-919a90bd46e5?page=3
I have the same issue having updated a 2017 Intel iMac to run Monterey 12.2.1.
To try to mitigate the problem, I am running ls -R from the Terminal in the top-level folder for which I have selected "Always Keep On This Device".
This seems to improve the missing results in Spotlight search and the slow loading of folder listings in Finder.
- I have the exact same problem as well. All was working great until microsoft upgraded the OneDrive app a while ago. Now working has become slow and searching for files tedious...
- Would downgrading to Big Sur solve this?
- Since this all started, the cooling fan on my Macbook Pro runs a lot. Prior to the OneDrive change, it only ran when I had Parallels and Windows open. And, I have wondered if I could set up the OneDrive through Parallels to do the syncing but then access the files through Finder.
same problem with you, M1 pro of 16inch macbook, 12.2.1, china
Astonished by stupid files on demand, after trying hard, files still could be sync properly, so I decided to go back from version 22 to version 21.
Version 21 was hard to download, and I found version 21.150 in the iso package of office for mac 2022
After install version 21.150, you !!must!! disable several update plist, if not, 21.150 will be updated to v22
I am not good at terminal so I disabled update plist using Tencent lemon, the app will show 3 autoupdate plists for onedrive, just delete them
And all the things will be in the right way.
I have the same issue. I wanted to have a folder that is always kept on device. Files deep down in the directory structure exhibit this behavior.
Now Time Machine is not backing up these files!
pdteo hi it shows syncing of 1.5 gb of 1.5 gb it never shows up to date and some folders shows a download icon with a cloud pls help i cannot disable files on demand
This got me as well. I think I stumbled on to a solution that so far appears to be working. Like everyone else has mentioned the "make available offline" doesn't do anything..however, I did notice the cloud icon with the downward arrow next to the tick on all the files I initially said, "make available offline". clicking on that seems to have downloaded them as I can now see the file size in finder which I couldn't before. there is also no longer that initial delay when I open a folder to view my files. I'd send a screenshot but the cloud icon disappears once it's downloaded everything. I also suspect they may be saved locally somewhere as it did seem to 'download' these files pretty quickly. 'I have a 150mb connection and it took probs about 3-5mins to download about 40gb worth of data. I've attached a photo with an arrow indicatingwhere the cloud icon was if it helps
- In my case, the files were always on my machine, they just weren’t ‘synchronised’. It’s the same if you have had to remove OneDrive for done reason and re-install. It does not delete the files but when OneDrive starts up it has to ‘process’ all the files. I assume it checks what’s in the cloud and what’s on your machine and matches them. Because MS have removed the single option to do this you seem to have to click on every folder with the cloud/down arrow icon to sync up - it does not have to download anything as they are already there. The pain for me was I seemed to have to do this at the lowest folder in the hierarchy and work up rather than at the parent folder. So it took a lot or right clicking! At the moment (for me) it all seems to be working, albeit my confidence level is low and I did have real problems with Apple Music and Adobe Lightroom catalogues - but that’s another drama!
- Same thing for me. I had to go and click all the main files. The system kept on getting stuck on a 40GB folder I have. I finally got everything downloaded this morning and moved it all to iCloud. None of these systems are perfect. I moved to OneDrive because I was sick of the problems of DropBox. I only used iCloud for personal stuff (e.g., photos, iPhone backup, etc.). But I'm going to try this and see how it works. It goads me that Microsoft would take off a basic, fundamental condition for use of a cloud service. For some, sure, they don't care because they are somewhat oblivious. But in the end, I want my files on something "hard," too.
it looks to me like it's a cooperation effort between Microsoft and Apple.
I had Monterey 12.1 on one computer and 12.2 on another, SAME OneDrive version, on 12.1 the button to turn on files on demand showed, on the other didn't.
After updating to 12.2, I was greeted with the message above. After choosing Always Keep on this Device nothing happened except I got a little symbol by the name, then I pressed the cloud icon, it looked like it starts to download, but then it quits after a while. After pressing the cloud several times i still have items that didn't download.
Really frustrating. I can only imagine people with thousands of documents. But again, I don't know who to blame??...
- I have a customer that has just encountered this issue after updating to monterey.
All other Windows machines work flawless.
All week he's had this problem with files synchronising as he keeps a copy of all files local.
I've had MS support on who just took screenshots. Apparently there's a fix being released on 14th Feb but thats too far away.
It's taking far too long for files to sync from/to this Mac and it's become unreliable for him to work with colleagues on documents as his files are not being pushed/pulled in a timely fashion. Also, losing the auto save function isnt ideal.- I have 21.230.1206.0004 on an Intel MBP, some folders are cloud-only / view on demand, other selected folders are syncing corrrectly. Finder integration is fine.
The just today updated to 22.002.0103.0004 on a new M1 Pro MBP is a FAIL – I have lost Finder control of what is avialable on demand and what is synced to the MBP (i.e. the Finder icons are missing, the Context Menu is a DNS - reactivating the extension did not help).I have 21.230.1206.0004 on an Intel MBP, some folders are cloud-only / view on demand, other selected folders are syncing corrrectly. Finder integration is fine.
The just today updated to 22.002.0103.0004 on a new M1 Pro MBP is a FAIL – I have lost Finder control of what is avialable on demand and what is synced to the MBP (i.e. the Finder icons are missing, the Context Menu is a DNS - reactivating the extension did not help).... I now have 22.002.0201.0005 on the M1 Pro MBP and function has been restored.
The context menu is as before, so I can choose to keep some files and folders on the MBP ... BUT, now I have to ALSO click the cloud icon to activate a download icon, and before OneDrive will actually download the files & folders to the harddrive (... or even only admit that they are already there?).
Obviously somebody in development decided to screw around with a working system and decided it wasn't important to point out the change in functionality. Who runs these teams?
