Forum Discussion
OneDrive for MacOS is Unsuitable for Professional Work
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.
Cheers.
I understand your concerns about the OneDrive sync client for MacOS. It seems like you’re facing several issues that are impacting your workflow. Here are some suggestions that might help:
1.Downloads started by clicking the cloud icon in Finder cannot be cancelled: This is indeed a limitation of the current version of OneDrive for MacOS. As a workaround, you could consider using the OneDrive web interface to selectively download files as needed.
2.No way to prioritize uploads and downloads: Unfortunately, OneDrive currently does not support this feature. However, you could manually manage your uploads and downloads by only moving files into the OneDrive folder when you’re ready for them to sync.
3.Delays in uploading files: This could be due to a number of factors including your internet connection, the size of the file, and the overall load on the OneDrive service.
4.OneDrive folder cannot be moved: This is indeed a restriction of MacOS. However, you could consider creating symbolic links (symlinks) from your desired location to the OneDrive folder. This would allow your design team to work with files in their preferred locations while still having those files sync with OneDrive.
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