OneDrive Files On-Demand: All You Need to Know

• What Are Files On-Demand in OneDrive?
• How to Turn On/Off OneDrive Files On-Demand
• 7 Fixes: OneDrive Files On-Demand Missing
• Further Reading: How to Automatically Sync OneDrive With Other Clouds
• Conclusion

What Are Files On-Demand in OneDrive?

You can access all your cloud-stored files with Microsoft OneDrive's Files On-Demand feature without downloading them and using up storage space on your device. In essence, it serves as a smart method of saving your local storage while preserving file access.

How to Turn On/Off OneDrive Files On-Demand

Now you know what Files On-Demand is used for. Here are the steps for enabling or disabling this feature on your computer.

Step 1. Open the OneDrive app on your desktop by clicking its icon in the system tray.

Step 2. Click the gear icon in the upper-right corner and choose "Settings".

Step 3. Go to the "Sync and backup" tab and click "Advanced settings".

Step 4. Navigate to the Files On-Demand section. Here you have 2 choices: "Free up disk space" or "Download all files".

• Free up disk space: If you want to turn on OneDrive Files On-Demand, you can use this feature to keep all the files in the cloud, but they can also be accessed on your computer.
• Download all files: If you want to turn off Files On-Demand, choose this option to download all the files to your device so you can access them offline.

7 Fixes: OneDrive Files On-Demand Missing

Sometimes, you may encounter the Files On-Demand missing or not working issue. Don't panic! Here this post will provide you with 7 quick fixes.

1. Restart Your Computer

Restarting your computer is frequently the easiest way to resolve a variety of software issues. Temporary problems that may be preventing the option from appearing can be fixed with a quick restart.

2. Restart OneDrive

Step 1. In the system tray, right-click the OneDrive cloud icon.

Step 2. Click the gear icon and select "Quit OneDrive".

Step 3. Search for "OneDrive" in the Start Menu and reopen it.

3. Check for Windows Update

Sometimes, specific Windows updates are required for Files On-Demand to function or appear correctly (e.g., KB4565503 for Windows 10 version 2004).

Step 1. Click on the Windows icon on the system tray and choose "Settings".

Step 2. Go to "Windows Update" and you can see whether you are using the latest version of Windows.

Step 3. If there is any update, click "Restart Now" or "Schedule start" to install the new version of Windows.

4. Reset OneDrive

This can restore lost options and fix OneDrive not syncing problems.

Step 1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.

Step 2. Type %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset in the blank to reset. Then, press OK.

Note: The OneDrive icon in the notification area should disappear and then reappear after a minute or two. If it doesn't, repeat the command.

Step 3. Re-link your OneDrive account on your computer and re-select the folders to sync.

5. Reinstall OneDrive

Deeper problems can frequently be fixed with a clean reinstallation if the aforementioned fixes are unsuccessful.

Step 1. Click the Windows icon and choose "Settings".

Step 2. Go to the "Apps" tab> "Apps & features". In the list, locate Microsoft OneDrive, click the 3-dot icon next to it, and choose "Uninstall" to uninstall OneDrive from your computer.

Step 3 (optional). Delete residual files by opening File Explorer and navigating to C:\Users\YOURACCOUNT\AppData\Local\OneDrive (Replace YOURACCOUNT with your actual Windows username) and deleting the contents of this folder.

Step 4. Restart your computer and then download and install OneDrive from the official site.

6. Check for Conflicting Software (Antivirus/Firewall)

Sometimes, overly aggressive antivirus software or firewalls can interfere with OneDrive's functionality, including OneDrive Files On-Demand.

Check to see if the Files On-Demand option shows up after temporarily disabling your firewall and antivirus program (or adding OneDrive to their list of exceptions). After troubleshooting, don't forget to re-enable them.

7. Verify Windows WIP (Windows Information Protection)

OneDrive Files On-Demand may occasionally be disabled by Windows Information Protection (WIP), formerly known as Enterprise Data Protection (EDP), if you're in a corporate setting or have particular security policies in place. To change this setting if WIP is enabled, you may need to get in touch with your IT administrator.

Further Reading: How to Automatically Sync OneDrive With Other Clouds

In this digital age, you may use other cloud drives, such as Google Drive, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Box, pCloud, Amazon S3, and MEGA. Have you ever thought of linking these clouds with OneDrive? Do you think it is hard to realize? Break down the cloud integration difficulty with MultCloud Cloud Sync!

MultCloud is a professional online cloud manager. You can add all your cloud accounts to MultCloud to manage the cloud files together on just one website. Cloud Sync is one of MultCloud’s robust functions. It facilitates tasks for direct cloud-to-cloud sync without any downloading or uploading.

If you are a Mac or iPhone user, you can use Cloud Sync to real-time sync OneDrive with iCloud Drive so that you do not have to download the OneDrive app on your Apple devices, but access OneDrive files on iCloud.

How to Sync OneDrive to iCloud Drive by Cloud Sync

Step 1. Open MultCloud and sign up for an account for free.

Step 2. Add OneDrive to MultCloud by clicking "Add Cloud" and the OneDrive icon. Then, you will log in to your OneDrive account and allow MultCloud to access your OneDrive files. Also, add iCloud Drive with the same step. But when you log in to your iCloud account, you have to go through two-factor authentication.

Step 3. Select the "Cloud Sync" function in the left sidebar and choose OneDrive as the source and iCloud Drive as the destination.

Step 4. Toggle the button to Real Time Sync and tap "Sync Now" to real-time sync OneDrive files to iCloud Drive.

Conclusion

This post tells you what OneDrive Files On-Demand is, how to turn it on or off, and what you can do if the feature is missing. If you have more confusion about this feature, you can contact Microsoft Support for a more professional guide.

Moreover, if you want to integrate OneDrive with other clouds, you can try MultCloud Cloud Sync for free. It can automate the sync process and make it proceed in real-time.