OneDrive Mac Users Unhappy With Buggy Update That Removes Ability to Keep Local Copies of Synced Files

[bviktor]

Worsening matters, in tandem with the new macOS extensions integration, Microsoft has also made Files On-Demand the default behavior of its OneDrive client.

That part specifically isn't "worsening" anything. It's been like this for ages on Windows. THANK GOD. I'd be really angry if the default behavior would be to download 700 GB of cr@p every time I log into a new PC.

Files on demand is a godsend (it's really annoying that no Linux client supports this feature, not even Insync), but removing the option indeed hurts.

 

[Someirishguy]

After a minor heart attack and disruption to my work flow (for basically the same reasons given above), I followed the instructions for keeping local files (select in the root folder etc.), but that didn’t work right away, so I finished up my day, then patiently clicked download (about 100 times in total) popping back and forth to the computer over the evening. Everything’s back to normal now, no issues throughout today. Phew. Interestingly, noting actually needed to download, they were all still there (somewhere - about 120GB of work files that I need to be able to zip around, search, and copy from), the app just needed to ‘make the connection’ or something. I think it’s just a bug riddled release and will be fixed (hopefully soon).

 

[dsusanj]

All you need to do is right-click on the folders and files you want to keep offline and choose "Always Keep on This Device." It works exactly the same as it did before the update.

Except when it doesn’t. Like deleted files bypassing the trash, or like when the files added from other devices do not sync and download locally automatically even when they are within the “always kept locally” folder.

 

[VictorTango777]

Except when it doesn’t. Like deleted files bypassing the trash, or like when the files added from other devices do not sync and download locally automatically even when they are within the “always kept locally” folder.

Some people have more than one file or folder in OneDrive. Some people use OneDrive with more than one computer. Too bad these users weren’t considered by Apple and/or Microsoft when releasing their updates, or by the know-it-alls saying “just do…..….”

 

[tomkerswill]

I've had an absolute nightmare with OneDrive on this new version. I previously had all files synced to my device. So once the new version updated, and everything seemed to have synced, I right-clicked on the root file and chose to keep all files.

OneDrive deleted quite a few files from the server during the initial sync; which was no issue - I could restore these from the sharepoint online trash folder.

But, much worse, it seems to have got into a corrupted state where files, or sometimes whole folders, end up moving to completely different random locations in the hierarchy. So that after the update, and once it had resynched, the remote shared folder ended up with loads of stuff in completely random places.

It's much, much harder to reverse random file moves like this; and Sharepoint doesn't really have a good audit log that'll show what's moved. Its activity viewer does show the random moves / renames in its history, but the links to the files within Sharepoint / Office365 online are broken.

Absolute mess! Only way I've really been able to get back to normality is to completely uninstall OneDrive; and then also had to remove the .ODContainer, and start back from the beginning.

 

[ManuCH]

Where are those happy users who recently reported how happy they were with OneDrive and they went out from Dropbox as it didn’t support Apple Silicon?

I have actually migrated from Dropbox to OneDrive, not only because of the price, but because of the changes they did to their client. It works surprisingly well, actually better than Dropbox, on macOS 12.2 on my M1 Mac Mini and MacBook Pro. I couldn't be happier.

 

[imDavid]

I work with OneDrive files that are constantly synching to the cloud. I have After Effects files stored in my OneDrive folder that I access everyday for work.

Today I tried to save a dependency file and it froze when exporting (via OneDrive desktop app folder).
I copied the project to desktop and exported dependency again and it worked...

Whats the solution here? Does Microsoft need to issue an update? This throws my workflow into shambles. Why does Apple keep depreciating things over and over again.

 

[joesegh]

Seriously. I've had OneDrive for Mac for years and I got this update a couple days ago. This whole uproar is a nothingburger.

All you need to do is right-click on the folders and files you want to keep offline and choose "Always Keep on This Device." It works exactly the same as it did before the update.

that is not true universally. there are real issues with this software update.

for example, the following icons represent files that are all set to always be kept on this device, but they are not all stored locally! the second two are, but the first one takes up zero space on disk. if I open the file, then it will pull it down and save it.

and have you tried deleting a file from your onedrive and then recovering it from the trash? cause you can't anymore lol. this is not a "nothingburger", it's a horrible rollout for both apple and microsoft.

 

[posguy99]

People expected OneDrive to be less buggy on the Mac than it has historically been? Amazing.

 

[southerndoc]

Just let Time Machine do backups for ~/Library/CloudStorage/ when files and folders are always kept.

Do you have to specifically allow the library folders, or does TM automatically back it up?

After a minor heart attack and disruption to my work flow (for basically the same reasons given above), I followed the instructions for keeping local files (select in the root folder etc.), but that didn’t work right away, so I finished up my day, then patiently clicked download (about 100 times in total) popping back and forth to the computer over the evening. Everything’s back to normal now, no issues throughout today. Phew. Interestingly, noting actually needed to download, they were all still there (somewhere - about 120GB of work files that I need to be able to zip around, search, and copy from), the app just needed to ‘make the connection’ or something. I think it’s just a bug riddled release and will be fixed (hopefully soon).

This is why this has been a horrible rollout. Lots of people wasted a lot of time with this update.

 

[svenmany]

Do you have to specifically allow the library folders, or does TM automatically back it up?

It's automatically included.

 

[svenmany]

for example, the following icons represent files that are all set to always be kept on this device, but they are not all stored locally! the second two are, but the first one takes up zero space on disk. if I open the file, then it will pull it down and save it.
View attachment 1952854

This is a very confusing display. I was also confused by it until it was explained to me on another thread.

The file with a cloud is on your machine, but it's in the cache directory. Pinned files are always in your cache directory. I had this exact display, I then disconnected the internet and clicked on the cloud. The file appeared with its complete content.

It's curious that Microsoft doesn't proactively create the clone in the sync root directory, but instead waits until you interact with it in some way. Even if it doesn't proactively create the clone, there is no point in display the misleading cloud which shows the wording "Not Downloaded" when you hover your mouse over it. In my opinion, the checkmark is telling the truth and the cloud is lying.

 

[Wando64]

Microsoft have just appended a FAQ (and some apologies) to the original blog post, answering most of the questions.

Inside the new Files On-Demand Experience on macOS | Microsoft Community Hub

Take an inside look into the new Files On-Demand experience that's rolling out right now for macOS 12.1 or later.

techcommunity.microsoft.com

 

[jace88]

I get the whole caching methodology and ability for the system to release files/etc... but it just is very janky in it's implementation. I've set up my core Documents directories to all be kept on this device but clearly they aren't since it both takes a while to display the contents of sub folders, and then I can't use Quick Look anymore (since the files aren't local) and then it just takes forever to actually use the documents/PDFs/etc since they aren't all kept local.

As a heavy OneDrive user (1TB used out of my 1.2TB) maybe it's because I have too much stuff but I've been using OneDrive for all my documents and photos across multiple Windows PCs and Macs.

 

[SFjohn]

I’m happy I never used OneDrive, and as for Dropbox I have a few files on it that I could easily move to iCloud (and I probably will). After moving my 1Password for our family to 1Password’s cloud for $3 a month, I no longer have a need for either OneDrive or Dropbox. Sorry for everyone having to use them for work & mission critical stuff.

 

[DailySlow]

Cautious "WHEW"

 

[ACHD]

At least now we know why. This has been an ongoing issue for a long time. Can’t really rely on OneDrive anymore. That is exactly why I decided to venture out.

Every cloud provider is being subjected to this by apple.

Apple has been depreciating features and API's that many 3rd parties have used. Its making it more difficult for all other 3rd party's to have software on MacOS, in a push to make everyone use Apple only ecosystems. Anti competitive behavior. Lol this **** started way back like 4-5 years ago when apple started removing API's and features basically every release.

They have broken a LOT more software than Cloud vendor software lol.

 

[VictorTango777]

Microsoft have just appended a FAQ (and some apologies) to the original blog post, answering most of the questions.

Inside the new Files On-Demand Experience on macOS | Microsoft Community Hub

Take an inside look into the new Files On-Demand experience that's rolling out right now for macOS 12.1 or later.

techcommunity.microsoft.com

1. The author's explanation for all the "Not downloaded" (cloud) icons is that it's a limitation in Apple File Provider.

2. Next, he explains how to make all OneDrive files available offline for Mac by going through the convoluted steps of opening the OneDrive folder, changing to icon view, right clicking and selecting Always Keep on This Device. Then he displays selective amnesia with the statement "We're actively looking at ways to make this easier to configure on both macOS and Windows." Selective amnesia because he began that new FAQ by stating that he is "the architect for the OneDrive sync client. I'm the engineer who led the teams that designed and built Files On-Demand for Windows, macOS". So with those credentials he surely would have known about the checkbox in OneDrive for Windows and the Turn On/Turn Off buttons in OneDrive for Mac before the update:

3. Then he poses the question "Is there a technical reason that explains why Files On-Demand must always be enabled?" He spends several paragraphs extolling the virtues of Apple File Provider. He uses the same Apple PR style of saying "Only a very small number of users..." when trying to minimize issues with their own products. In this case, he says "Only a very small number of users disable Files On-Demand on both platforms". And he never answers his own question about why it must always be enabled with no way to turn it off.

Does Microsoft plan to do the same thing in OneDrive for Windows? If Microsoft really believes that this "new experience" is superior to having a simple checkbox, then shouldn't they want this superior experience for their own Windows OS? Put their money where their mouth is.

 

[svenmany]

3. Then he poses the question "Is there a technical reason that explains why Files On-Demand must always be enabled?" He spends several paragraphs extolling the virtues of Apple File Provider. He uses the same Apple PR style of saying "Only a very small number of users..." when trying to minimize issues with their own products. In this case, he says "Only a very small number of users disable Files On-Demand on both platforms". And he never answers his own question about why it must always be enabled with no way to turn it off.

Yeah, I was waiting for the answer that never came.

I did take the icon view approach to get everything pinned. As a test, I created a brand new folder and it was automatically pinned. Great! But, then I changed my mind about one folder, so I tried to unpin that single one. Immediately everything became unpinned. Oops.

Well, I have one big directory that I really didn't want to be offloaded, so I tried to re-pin it. OneDrive got into a funky state, displaying an X on the top left of that big folder. Nothing resolved for quite a while. I restarted Finder on the chance it was just a visual problem. Eventually I just rebooted.

On logging in OneDrive reported that it had encountered a problem and had to be reset. It made me sign in to OneDrive and set things up again. It had to download all my files again.

Lesson learned - don't mess with it and it might not bite you.

 

[Bustycat]

Lesson learned - don't mess with it and it might not bite you.

The update he posted addressed the features only, but did not admit how unreliable and buggy OneDrive for macOS is now.

 

[john123]

This has been absolutely wrecking me with work the last few days. "Always Keep On This Device" isn't working reliably either. What a cluster.

 

[Bregalad]

Realistically I haven’t actually seen many normal end users who manage to fill up a 256Gb mac So I’m not sure what your point is. Even me as a power user with 90 years of photo archives is sitting here with 120Gb free.

According to Finder my Photos library is 254.59GB. Over 95% from when my kids were young (2004-2018). JPEGs and short videos from a 5MP Minolta, 7MP Canon, 10MP Nikon and 16MP Fuji. Probably 1000 stills from crappy low-res camera phones, iPhone 6 and iPhone 8. Hardly any additions in the last few years.

Based on the stuff you see on the internet, most normal end users shoot way more photos and videos than I ever did. From that standpoint my library should be on the small side.

 

[MacRS4]

This update has been an utter nightmare for me - most of my clients use it, and I ended up spending an age trying to sort all the stuff I had setup.

I've now removed it completely, and instead have OneDrive setup on my NAS, and then I use the NAS sync client to sync those folders. Stupid setup, but it works now and I don't have the horrible client to deal with.

What a thoroughly frustrating update.

 

[the_max0r]

Except when it doesn’t. Like deleted files bypassing the trash, or like when the files added from other devices do not sync and download locally automatically even when they are within the “always kept locally” folder.

Bypassing the trash is IMO even worse than not downloading the files.

 

[Danfango]

According to Finder my Photos library is 254.59GB. Over 95% from when my kids were young (2004-2018). JPEGs and short videos from a 5MP Minolta, 7MP Canon, 10MP Nikon and 16MP Fuji. Probably 1000 stills from crappy low-res camera phones, iPhone 6 and iPhone 8. Hardly any additions in the last few years.

Based on the stuff you see on the internet, most normal end users shoot way more photos and videos than I ever did. From that standpoint my library should be on the small side.

The difference I think is I carefully curate my photo library rather than keep every crap shot out there. Do I need that photo of my 2 year old crying with red eye or twenty shots where I try and get my 5 year old to smile? Nope.

What I don’t want to do is end up a digital hoarder because I inherited a 4TB photo library of RAWs from my father which was almost entirely garbage. It’s just as bad as having to clear out a whole house full of crap. I got his stuff down to 2GB of material.