MacOS Monterey - Disable Files on Demand

[pdteo]

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.

[#2]

I just gave up, I need files on my laptop because sometimes I'm off the grid or in the air, I just can't trust MS, I just canceled onedrive and moved to iCloud.

[#3]

I'm doing the same thing. Really pisses me off. It sounds juvenile, but how dare they do this? @Bruno930 

[#4]

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??...

[#5]

I have a more recent information and this is all I get. No options at all. 

@aldan454 

[#6]

@obaskirtFurthermore, I just noticed that OneDrive decides to DELETE files locally even if the directory is marked as "Always keep on this device". These 2 files in the recordings directory were on my hard drive yesterday, now they're gone

[#7]

@wswail 

this is even more bizarre... my version is "up to date", I just checked...

[#8]

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?

[#9]

@aldan454 This is my version. I'm on M1 Macbook Air. It updated on February 3, 2022. I am running beta. 

[#10]

So is it fixed in the beta?

[#11]

Here we go, this is what should have been automatically shown to users after the changes from around mid-January (or at least it was certainly not shown to me):

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-onedrive-blog/inside-the-new-files-on-demand-experi...

[#12]

yeah, as about 100 posts in this thread point out, it doesn't really work, at least "always keep on this device" function. But now we know who to blame, "Jack from Microsoft"... all kind of harsh profanities go through my mind right now

[#13]

I have spent the day trying to download all my files and then pushing them to iCloud. And I still can't get OneDrive to download them all. It keeps crashing. Assholes. This is litigious. Class Action?

[#14]

@wswail 

Count me in

[#15]

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

[#16]

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!

[#17]

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.

[#18]

They seem to be the same issue. One comment on the MacRumors article mentioned the loss of native Mac features with the move to Files on Demand as the default setting, which includes valuable features like Quick Look and Spotlight. Spotlight's accuracy and speed are massively helpful for me. They don't work, obviously, if all of your files are online and downloaded only on demand. Seems to be that some of the blame is on Apple and on Microsoft. Two of the biggest developers out there can't update something without breaking what already works. (Sorry, venting.)

[#19]

@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

[#20]

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!

[#21]

Same here