Forum Discussion
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
128 Replies
I found this:
It is from January 12, 2022 but references plans back to June. It appears this is all intentional by MS. It says:
macOS 12.2 will be the last version that supports the classic Files On-Demand experience. For future macOS versions, this means:
- Files On-Demand will default to on for all users and cannot be disabled.
- Devices will migrate automatically to the new Files On-Demand as soon as they receive a macOS update. You cannot delay this update without also delaying an update to macOS.
- Both our Standalone and App Store versions of OneDrive will have the same behavior.
- Users running a developer or beta version of macOS will have the same experience as a release version of macOS.
It is not a quirk or programming oversight. It is the way they want it. But, is it MS being difficult or Apple not allowing freer access for companies to create apps for Macs?
The MS tech helper I am working with told me to use SharePoint. However, I learned that SharePoint's access to files is via OneDrive. Therefore, the files still are not on your computer.
I conclude the only answer is to fine a new cloud storage program. Or buy a PC?
- What's funny though is that it's sort of working more or less properly on my new M1 MBP but my older 2016 MBP is going berserk trying to sync files which do not exist and cannot be deleted because it thinks they are in the cloud even though when you go to sharepoint they can't be seen either. I could then consider using Sharepoint online exclusively — one person in my team is doing so — but as it happens, some files are not rendered properly online. This is utter buggeration 😞
Today morning after many attempts, I have updated the macOS to Monterey 12.2 and re-installed the One Drive 22.0002.0103.0004 version. After these changes, I selected the "Always keep on this device" option for the root folder and also for critical folders I clicked the download cloud icon and OD started to download the files up until now and still downloading... It took more than 10 hours and it could not finish 84 GB of files. I will keep the MacBook open till morning, I hope at least some critical folders will be downloaded and I can work properly tomorrow.
- I agree David, I'm thinking of moving back to Dropbox
pdteo I am having exactly the same problem.
To the comments of the other users. My whole workflow has been destroyed the other day when OneDrive updated itself automatically. I am now on version 22.002.0103.0004. This is the app store version, which I tried after unlinking the same standalone version and removing it. Exactly the same behaviour.
Furthermore, there are some strange ways the app is working. When I chose "Always keep on this device", OD looks like it is downloading something, but then when I right click a "downloaded" file and choose get info - I see "zero bytes on disk"!!! Useless to say, spotlight is not indexing anything, so I cannot find anything... The weirdest thing is that once I turn off my network and quit OD and then I double click on the file I am able to open it and view it!!???! Thereafter, the icon changes and spotlight finds the file.
I have been reading microsoft docs, but could not find anything describing this behaviour. Lastly I created a ticket with them and I have not received any reaction.
Hopefully this issue is resolved soon.
- I am new to this forum so I apologize if I violate the proper etiquette by adding a non-helpful complaint. But this On Demand only prevents us from previewing files in Finder using the space bar. This will be another constant stumbling block using OneDrive.
- I am not sure this is an Apple/Mac issue. I have 2 iMac desktops (1 at home, 1 at work). Both are running the same operating system: Monterey 12.1. There was no hiccup with my work computer, I can disable Files on Demand in OneDrive Preferences (that option is available). The other no longer shows the option to disable Files on Demand in Preferences. Has there been versioning of OneDrive such that a newer version is the one with the issue?
- This is almost assuredly a Microsoft issue. Apple wouldn't care how MS uses its cloud system.
- Maybe an issue with Monterey + M1 machines, there is a separate version of Onedrive. I'm only having the problem with my M1 machine, not my Intel machine.
I agree this is caused by Microsoft and not Apple. On my second Macbook (a new Air), OneDrive has not changed. It shows OneDrive version 21.220.1024.0555. On my Pro, which is having these new problems, the version is 22.007.0109.0002.
Luckily I had not used the Air for a few days. I have disabled auto updates on it and will hustle it back and forth to work until (I hope) this is resolved by Microsoft.
And, the older OneDrive has a button to turn on Files on Demand, at the preferences. The 2022 version removes this option. I am working with a MS tech person who said he is going to research a resolution. If I get one, I will share it.
- Looks like this announcement may be related?
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/01/25/macos-12-3-cloud-storage-changes/
I have a 2020 mac mini that I recently updated OneDrive on and also ran in to this issue. I use CloudBerry to back up my OneDrive folder so it's very useful to be able to disable files on demand.
I did find the option to right click on the top level folder and select always keep on this device, but that didn't seem to work as expected.
My silly solution is to first set the top level folder to always keep on this device and to then run a recursive md5 check sum on every file in the OneDrive folder.find . -type f -exec md5 '{}' \;After the md5 check sum finished each file no longer showed the cloud icon and only showed the always available on this device icon. I was also then able to successfully run a backup of the folder.
This isn't my favorite solution, but it seems to be working. I though others mind find this useful.
BTW my 2015 mac book pro hasn't gotten the most recent update to OneDrive that changed the behavior of disabling files on demand.
TAIngalls Thanks! your MD5 trick worked for me to fix the two icons issue, but it takes a long time to run. Do you know of another command that could do the same thing but a bit faster? I have 150 Gb of small (node.js etc) files to get through.
The first time that you run the find with md5 it will take quite a long time. After the first long run you should be able to run the following that only scans items modified within the last day. I did see that someone else ran "head -n 1" instead to only read the first line of each file. I chose to go with md5 since I wasn't sure if something like the head command would have issues with binary files or not.
find /Users/USERNAME/OneDrive/ -type f -newermt $(date -v -1d +'%Y-%m-%d') -exec md5 '{}' \;
- Upon doing this (with a phone call to my computer science major son at college), it worked but when I tested it by creating a document on another computer and letting it flow through OneDrive, there were two problems. First, it never appeared until I right clicked the folder and selected Always Keep on this Device. Second, that file was not downloaded, just visible.
Same problem for me. I cannot imagine why this was changed by Apple. I have found when I look at the OneDrive icon in the top toolbar, it shows a files as being synced/downloaded. But it is not in the spot in OneDrive where it should be. Also, when you click the OneDrive with down arrow icon and download files, it any file is added by someone who shares the folder, the icon reverts to undownloaded. Then you have to redo the download.
MS tech's only solution was to use Sharepoint. If you have done so and it works, please let me know. Thanks.
I am having the same problem. The app automatically updated and killed my day and still struggling. The option "always keep on device" does not download the files and all my work projects are under One Drive and I could not work today and still cannot work. I don't know how to solve this issue, at worst I will manually download files and work them locally with out using One Drive but I am not sure how to update it maybe do it manually time to time. This is a huge epic fail and very bad breaking change for all of us.
- *if any file is added...
- Hi David, as I wrote above, I've let sleeping dogs lie for a while and I was right to. This very afternoon, Onedrive stopped syncing and after a little while it crashed altogether. I had to reboot and upon restart, Onedrive fired up and started to sync my 60,000+ files. Last time I looked (it's on my other computer back in the office), the second icon had disappeared for all downloaded files and Onedrive was sort of working properly. Still cautious here but it looks like it was a bug and fixed itself upon the way, without even downloading a new version. Go figure it out. Anyway, don't panic, use the sharepoint (i.e. online version) if needs be. You will still be able to open your files using the Mac Apps. In due course, onedrive will certainly crash on your computer as it did on mine and all will end well. Good luck! Your sharepoint link should look like
https://ms365accountname-my.sharepoint.com/personal/username_accountame_com/
- 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
- Sorry, I haven't edited a plist file before. I looked around online about how to do it, and found some stuff about it. Would "defaults write com.microsoft.OneDrive FilesOnDemandEnabled false" be what I need to put into Terminal, or am I doing it wrong? I find the lack of an option to turn this off in the client extremely annoying.
Ryland301 - what do we know, we are only the user/customer. I have mow synchronised every folder I'm my OneDrive and selected 'always keep on this device' but have found if I add a new file to a folder, it does not work and have to synchronise it manually. I do think this is a bug rather than the way Microsoft/Apple want this to work otherwise why would the 'always keep on this device' be an option?
I ran into the same issue, but seem to have corrected it by right clicking the highest folder and choosing "always keep on this device". The result was having both icons (the check mark and the cloud). I then left clicked on the cloud for each file or folder and the information downloaded. When it downloaded, the cloud disappeared and I was left with only the check mark as before and it looks like it is synching as before as well. Hopefully this will help someone.
- Mike_Thomas2030, thank you for this. I wasn't getting anywhere other than frustrated with MS support on this issue.
Larger directories seemed to require clicking on the 'cloud' multiple times to get it to disappear. Just be patient and you should have things back to normal. I was a little worried at first because I was seeing drive usage climb during the sync process (my drive space usage didn't drop after the OneDrive/Monterey change), but usage didn't increase significantly and it bounced back after several hours.
For those backing up their OneDrive locally, below is the new path you'll need to point to.
/Users/[username]/Library/CloudStorage
PeterRisingThanks for this. I tried adding
<key>FilesOnDemandEnabled</key>
<false/>to the plist file and restarted the Mac but didn't seem to make a difference. OneDrive happily tells me "You're all set. All files are in sync" but I am still seeing the following in Finder
Philip
- Same here
