Another OneDrive problem caused by poor documentation

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LANGALIST By Fred Langa Microsoft’s OneDrive service can be excellent, but it also can be frustratingly hard to use to its fullest, impeded by documen
[See the full post at: Another OneDrive problem caused by poor documentation]

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glnz, abbodi86, GreatAndPowerfulTech

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Some of your statements appear to be wrong. Deleting an online only file (the green tick in a white box) deletes the online file. Anyone who follows your advice will lose their files. Of course they can be retrieved from the online recycle bin (for 30 days). The online only files with the cloud symbol are just that, and using dir in a cmd or PowerShell window will show their size in brackets. When you click on a file so marked, it will download from the cloud and it will remain on your device. If you want to save space you will have to right click and choose free up space. White tick in green circle files are always on your hard disk.

Any file with a tick is on your device, so can be edited even when offline. I’m not altogether sure what the difference is between the white tick and green tick.

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

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access-mdb wrote:

Some of your statements appear to be wrong. Deleting an online only file (the green tick in a white box) deletes the online file. Anyone who follows your advice will lose their files.

The green tick in a white circle is not an online only file. But I can’t see where Fred mentioned deleting ANY file.

access-mdb wrote:

Any file with a tick is on your device, so can be edited even when offline. I’m not altogether sure what the difference is between the white tick and green tick.

Explaining that difference was the main point of Fred’s article. Only the white tick in a green circle is a permanent local copy.

Windows 11 Pro version 22H2 build 22621.1778 + Microsoft 365 + Edge

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My bad. I saw that comment ‘delete’, but didn’t lookup Storage Sense, which I’ve never used. If you don’t use it then the two ticked files are the same, stored on the local disk. Perhaps that could have been mentioned. Having moved my OneDrive folder to a separate 1Tb data drive, I’ve no need to. That could have been suggested as well.

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

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I use OneDrive strictly as a backup function, so my OneDrive folder is not in the default location; I moved it to a separate partition in a different drive when I first set it up.  Then, instead of using the OneDrive selection of folders to include, I use a Robocopy task in Task Scheduler to copy folders to the OneDrive folder.  I always have a permanent (original) copy of my files in the same locations they have always been.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We were all once "Average Users". We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do to our systems, we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

Computer Specs

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Thanks for finally explaining the difference between the Default mode and the “Always keep on this device” mode!

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right-click on your C:users…OneDrive folder and select Always keep on this device

That is not an option when I right-click the OneDrive icon. The other obvious choices (Manage, Settings, Properties) don’t seem to offer it either.

Somewhere I did manage to set it because my icons are white arrow/green circle, but I can’t see how.

 

 

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I get that as well, though mine is on my E drive. I think the wrong advice was given. You get the correct options when you click on a folder in the OneDrive folder. You should have a navigation pane on the left, right clicking on OneDrive in that (probably below quick access) will also give you the suggested options.

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

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Ditto. My right-click list is longer with options to scan files by anti-malware apps but nothing related to the OneDrive choices. Do I have to do something to activate OneDrive more fully? No sign of the icons at the end of folder lines or documents or files in Details view either.

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I am having the same issue in that I don’t have that option when I right-click One Drive

 

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Microsoft is notorious for terrible documentation of their services. It should be important that they communicate well. And yet, they do not in many many areas.

GreatAndPowerfulTech

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Hi –

Thanks, Fred, for clarifying Microsoft’s obfuscations.

I’m with Dan in St. Louis: my right-click menu doesn’t have the options you’re working with. Please see attached screenshot.

Also – please note: I don’t get the icons, either.

Thanks again.

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access-mdb wrote:

I get that as well, though mine is on my E drive. I think the wrong advice was given. You get the correct options when you click on a folder in the OneDrive folder. You should have a navigation pane on the left, right clicking on OneDrive in that (probably below quick access) will also give you the suggested options.

I don’t get the desired options by left- or right-clicking on a folder icon under OneDrive either — just the same usual right-click menu.

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This seems to work on my computer:

Keep fewer OneDrive files on your PC (microsoft.com)

[Moderator edit] do not use short URLs as this hides the location. Allowing users to asses the URL before clicking is good netiquette

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“And that leads to the answer to Steve’s question. The easiest way to ensure that you always have a 100% current, local copy of everything that’s been saved to OneDrive is to right-click on your C:\users\…\OneDrive\ folder and select Always keep on this device.”

Fred,

Ain’t no such option on my machine by following the above advice.

Cheers,

Ray

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The options available through the taskbar icon? Tried that. Makes no difference at all.

Thanks anyway.

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From the original article:

“And that leads to the answer to Steve’s question. The easiest way to ensure that you always have a 100% current, local copy of everything that’s been saved to OneDrive is to right-click on your C:\users\…\OneDrive\ folder and select Always keep on this device.”

That is misleading. “Always have a 100% current local copy” implies that if a file is changed elsewhere, the local copy will be untouched.

As an experiment I saved a file on my desktop computer in my Documents folder, which really means the OneDrive Documents folder, since OneDrive sets itself as the default destination and my “local” (C:\Users\{myname\} Documents folder is empty.

And sure enough, it soon appeared in the parallel Documents folder on my laptop as expected. But is the original permanent? No. I deleted the laptop copy and, again as expected, it also disappeared from my desktop. The only way to achieve “permanence” is to also store the file in a non-synced folder.

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Fred Langa’s articles on OneDrive are great, but I have a question about the intersection of some OneDrive settings/features.

I just upgraded a family member’s PC to Win 10 and put one of our six MS 365 Family Office instances on her PC and started a new Outlook account for that user for the purposes of the MS 365 Family Office and its OneDrive.  So it’s all new from the point of view of Office and OneDrive and she hasn’t selected any of her existing files or folders to backup or sync with OneDrive yet.

In the OneDrive Settings – Settings tab, should I leave the “Files On-Demand” box checked or uncheck it?  My goal is to make EVERY new or existing file on the PC that she designates to sync or backup with OneDrive be “Always keep on this device” automatically.

1.  If I UNcheck the “Files On-Demand” box in Settings-Settings, will I achieve my goal?  Or will I do something worse, like stop all syncing or backing up into OneDrive?
2. On a different PC that’s had MS 365 Family for a long time and been syncing many files with OneDrive, and in which all the files have been the default “Files on demand” and the “Files On-Demand” box in Settings-Settings is checked, what happens if I now UNcheck the “Files On-Demand” box in Settings-Settings?  Will a gazillion files suddenly become “Always keep on this device” and now download into the PC taking a lot of time to download?  Will they continue to sync in the future?

Looking forward to your wisdom, but please specify which of my questions you are responding to.

Thanks.

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Also posted at;

Qs re “Files On-Demand” checkbox in OneDrive Settings – Settings tab

and

UNchecking “Files On-Demand” box in OneDrive Settings-Settings tab ??

Windows 11 Pro version 22H2 build 22621.1778 + Microsoft 365 + Edge

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