Updates to Files On-Demand on macOS

I've certainly encountered issues with recent OneDrive builds from the App Store, so I won't claim that everything is going smoothly. However, for a lot of people here, I think the problems are largely being caused by Apple, and Microsoft is doing its best to work within the constraints of what Apple is giving them.

Apple doesn't see cloud storage as something that the user has control over - there is no provision in iCloud Drive to change where it stores the files, or to have any granular control over when files are kept on or deleted from local storage. Apple's new system for third-party cloud storage providers largely duplicates this set of assumptions, so Microsoft is having to come up with ways to provide something like the previous user experience while working within a system that is not designed for that. For everyone who is saying "Dropbox still works perfectly!", that's because Dropbox has not shown a version of their Mac app that works with the new system, and the existing version will break in the next update to macOS. I expect that Dropbox will also have a lot of work to get close to users' expectations, and will go through the same issues along the way. The grass may not be nearly as green there as you expect.

Don't discount the possibility that Apple is putting these restrictions on third-part cloud providers not only to increase security (as the previous system involved a kernel extension that could crash the system under certain circumstances), but also to make them less attractive compared to iCloud Drive. If nobody has the flexibility to easily control things on a granular level, more people might just get more iCloud storage or go with a bundle that helps drive Apple's services revenue.

I feel weird having to say this, but I think a number of users here really need to check their behavior and remember that the developers and support staff are people. I understand being frustrated, but some of the name-calling and tantrums here have been pretty shocking to see. Nothing is back to normal for anyone, many people are still struggling, companies are doing whatever they can to keep staff happy, and nobody wants to do a job where they just get yelled at all day for things they don't have a lot of control over. Be kind, people.

Finally, on the Mac, it's called the Trash, not the Recycle Bin!

Rick_Baumhauer Will all do respect, check yourself, bruh.

Most folks here are aware Apple got up to tomfoolery and Microsoft has to play within the rules. However...

1) It was clearly possible to address most of the issues raised because Microsoft just ended up doing it for the upcoming release.

2) Microsoft's communication on this issue has been will-find-its-way-into-a-textbook bad. Before and after the change.

So let me be perfectly clear about this:

1) Microsoft failed product management for this product by incorrectly understanding customer needs

2) Microsoft failed product marketing and support by failing to adequately communicate

3) Microsoft failed basic human compassion right from the very beginning of this by cynically using Apple's changes to push their publicly stated goals of "nudging" (at first) and then "forcing" (when nudging fails) everyone to be "cloud first" with all data and workloads.

Do the devs deserve to be shit on? No. It's maybe even the case that the specific product manager for OneDrive on MacOS is themselves blameless, caught between priorities from above and changes from Apple.

But above that product manager there are multiple layers of directors, senior directors, VPs and so forth. Those people set the agenda by issuing priorities to their product managers and aligning the incentives of those product managers with Microsoft's strategic directives. The single most important of those strategic directives being to nudge and then force everyone into being "cloud first".

AND THAT RIGHT THERE IS THE PROBLEM

Way higher up than the developers themselves someone within the product management organization absolutely, 100% should have:
1) Recognized that there are actually quite a few people who do not have fibre optic hookups, especially given that the pandemic is still on and distributed working is still a thing.

2) Refused to set dev's priorities such that they functionally eliminated the ability of this product to be used by people without LOLWUT-fast internet connections.

3) Refused to release this update without way more QA, even if they were unable to muster the human compassion for the above two priorities.

All of those criticisms are absolutely, 100% valid, and they literally are the job. Standing up for users is the job of a product manager. Pushing back against unreasonable demands from on high is part of the job of a product manager. Ensuring that your product is tested adequately is part of the job of a product manager.

Given that this release resulted in everything from memory leaks to being functionally unusable for distributed users all the way to deleting people's file without their permission, the anger, resentment, and even hostility demonstrated by the affected towards Microsoft is absolutely justified. What's more, this isn't an incident in isolation. Microsoft makes insensitive choices like this all the time. They regularly crap on their users in order to push their corporate strategic priorities because they know they have a stranglehold on their userbase.

So please go simp for Microsoft elsewhere. For far too many of us using this mismanaged shite isn't a choice. It's something forced upon us if we want to remain employed. We have every right to use any and all methods short of violence to express our displeasure and attempt to drive change.

After all, there are no other mechanisms available.  Nor, in many cases, is there competition. Which is exactly why Microsoft feels comfortable taking this lackadaisical approach to product management, and exactly why every single one of us should be absolutely and mercilessly unrelenting until we see movements towards cultural and business process changes - including amendments to strategic priorities! - which take our requirements and use cases into account.

Good day to you, sir.

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If you are syncing your OneDrive to an external drive, we will not be able to remove conflicting icons.

This is not acceptable, and this is a terrible user experience. How could you possibly think this is good?

Opening files will bring them into your OneDrive folder on the external drive and onto your home drive and allow you to open them without an internet connection.

Sorry, no, this makes no sense. The entire purpose of keeping my OneDrive files on an external volume is so that they are never, ever, ever on my home drive. I do not consent to OneDrive ever touching any files on my home drive, period. My home drive is not large enough to store the 600GB of files I have in my OneDrive, which I need local access to at all times. This update doesn't change or fix anything in this regard. When will this be corrected?

@UserNameNotFound What has "keeping this professional" gotten us, the users? Absolutely nothing.

Why should Microsoft be allowed to threaten the livelihoods of their users without criticism?
Why should Microsoft be allowed to engage in some of the poorest communication about breaking product changes in the history of tech without criticism?

Why should users act grateful towards Microsoft?

Why should users be anything other than angry towards Microsoft?

What has Microsoft done to earn our professionalism, let alone our respect?

Microsoft is a corporation. Corporations do not innately deserve anything from anyone.
The people working for Microsoft are paid to do so. While they deserve basic accommodation as human beings, they do not deserve any professionalism or respect simply because they work for a corporation. That is earned.

Microsoft's handling of this situation has been beyond unprofessional, veering straight into appalling. Given that rvisima did not attack anyone at Microsoft personally, you have no call to chastise someone for venting their entirely legitimate frustrations in the only forum made available for them to do so.

Instead of playing tone police maybe you can attempt to exercise a modicum of compassion for the human beings that are being negatively affected by the decisions made by Microsoft, a top 30 corporation in the entire world by revenue, and which is currently third by market cap.

Microsoft has the resources to do right by its customers here, and it is not doing so. When people are negatively affected by their actions - and in some cases Microsoft's decisions in this regard have threatened our very livelihoods - you choose to castigate the victims.

TL;DR: Get bent.

Carter_MSFT Thanks appreciate the update however more timely updates would be appreciated by all, there have been hundreds on this blog (and the previous one) are pulling their hair out with this update that frankly has been badly misrepresented, and then worse, poorly communicated, we are (usually) your strongest advocates please treat us with respect

Syncing to an external drive (and leveraging that larger drive, keeping the large amounts of data separate from where the OS lives so you don't crash your system, etc.) is the entire point of using a tool like OneDrive for many of us.  Having duplicate copies in both the root directory and the external drive seems to literally be the worst of both worlds.  Unless this is fixed so we can sync to only the external drive this is no longer a viable solution for my company.  I understand that Microsoft is limited by the Mac OS constraints and APIs, but you are one of the largest technology companies in the world and should be able to figure this out (e.g. why can't you put links or metadata files in the root directory for each file that is then kept on the external drive? or just build your own solution outside of the Apple API so you aren't beholden to it?).

BobD68you are mistaken.  The update this article is talking about is currently insider-only but the issues began in January 2022 with a release that was rolled out to production users.  The complaints are flowing over from the dodgy production update which was rolled out without prior notice, and which are still not fixed.  Indeed, this very article is suggesting that to fix some of the issues which were rolled out to production one needs to opt-in to the insider program to install the fix.

This is exceptionally poor communication from Microsoft.  There has been no acknowledgment as to the disruption caused from January 2022 onwards.  Hence why people are venting in this forum.  Microsoft would do well to consider coming forward with a mea culpa and explaining how this will never occur again.  Until then, the members will be dropping OneDrive for Mac like flies.  I ditched OneDrive for Dropbox a couple of weeks ago.  Even the Microsoft 365 support rep acknowledged that this was perhaps the best way to fix the problems while Microsoft sorts out its issues with OneDrive for Mac.

In the new version (22.033) how do I know if my settings are set to always download? The new UI just has a button, but not a checkbox or on/off switch. Or do I need to regularly, manually, press the button to make sure I always have a local copy of everything? 

This is fundamentally really poor UI design. The use has no visual indication of what "mode" the software is in. This is shockingly novice level design. 

Definitely seems an improvement, but how many copies of the data will there be on the computer if we have all downloaded.

Would it be possible to have file deletion in Finder behave like every other service and place a copy in the Mac recycle bin (iCloud, google drive, dropbox all do this, sometimes with a warning about removing file from the cloud which is fine).

CondEnt Like many users I am disappointed in the recycle bin experience and want this reverted for offline or locally held files AND folders, however for cloud based content it does not make sense to require this to be downloaded and then recycled especially where it is larger than the hard drive space allowed. Fingers crossed this new version operates like the pre On Demand one.