Microsoft first announced OneDrive Files On-Demand at Build last month, and now Windows 10 testers can try out the feature today. Thurrott.com reports that Windows Insiders on the Fast Ring running Windows 10 build 16215 can now download and install a new OneDrive update, which enables the new Files On-Demand. The new feature allows you to download files as you use them, rather than sync entire folders down to a device and waste space.
It’s almost identical to the placeholders feature OneDrive used to have in Windows 8.1 before it was cut from Windows 10, and Files On-Demand is actually improved with a better status symbol in File Explorer that shows you which files and folders are synced for offline usage. A green checkmark indicates that items are synced to a device, a solid green checkmark shows files you manually sync for offline use, and an empty cloud icon shows that files are in the cloud and not stored on the device. All apps across Windows 10 will be able to access synced OneDrive files in this way as the desktop client stores them directly in the OneDrive folder.
Microsoft is planning to release OneDrive Files On-Demand with its Windows 10 Fall Creators Update later this year, bringing back the placeholders feature that has been sorely missing in Windows 10.
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