How To Get Files On Demand In OneDrive On Windows 10
Cloud drives are a great way to back-up important files but they take up space on our local drives. Some people might think a cloud drive is a good place to store files and save disk space but most cloud drives sync a copy of the files to your local disk. OneDrive is no different however, in the Fall Creators Update for Windows 10, there’s a new feature called File On Demand in OneDrive.
This feature, when enabled, only downloads files that you need/access to your local drive. It rolled out with the Fall Creators Update and it is enabled by default. Unfortunately, as with most Windows 10 updates, this particular feature has problems. It’s not showing up for some users. Here’s how to get Files on demand in OneDrive.
Get Files On Demand In OneDrive
First, open OneDrive from the system tray and go to its settings. On the Settings tab, look for the “Save space and download files as you use them” option and enable it. This works if all has gone well with the update however, as you can see from the screenshot below, the option is missing and that’s how it is for some users.
There’s a simple way to fix this. (href=”https://oneclient.sfx.ms/Win/Prod/17.3.7073.1013/OneDriveSetup.exe) Download OneDrive again from this linkĀ and install it again. After updating to the Fall Creators Update, you might have been asked to install OneDrive again. Regardless if you were or not, if you don’t see the Files on Demand in OneDrive, you need to install the app again from the above link.
Once installed, open OneDrive’s settings and go to the Settings tab. This time around, you will see the “Save space and download files as you use them” option. Enable it and you’re done.
Why Does This Work?
Windows 10 is downloading the wrong version of the OneDrive app. Check out the screenshot below. The properties window on the left shows the OneDrive install client that Windows 10 downloaded right after I upgraded to the Fall Creators Update. The version is 17.3.6998.830. This version doesn’t have the files on demand feature. The properties window on the right is for the OneDrive install client that I downloaded from the link above. The app version is 17.3.7073.1013. This is the version with the files on demand feature. Unfortunately, if you go to the official OneDrive download page, you get the old, incorrect version.
Microsoft will probably fix this in a few days. They have the updated app ready but they’ve made a mistake when linking to it so it’s only a matter of time. If you’re impatient to try the feature out, the solution to the problem is pretty simple and there are no side-effects.
