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Microsoft OneDrive Blog
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Improved Filename and External Drive Support for OneDrive Mac

Jack_Nichols's avatar
Jack_Nichols
Icon for Microsoft rankMicrosoft
Jan 29, 2025
In early 2022, we launched a new Files- On-Demand experience for macOS, enhancing OS integration and support for new features like Known-Folder-Move (KFM). Since then, we’ve continued to refine this ...
Updated Jan 30, 2025
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semvn's avatar
semvn
Brass Contributor
Jan 30, 2025

Thanks, these are much needed updates.
However, for now I'm out of luck ...

  • The latest version in the App Store, released yesterday (29/1) is 24.232.1118, not 25.004.
  • My files were on an external ssd, which was working fine, until yesterday I was forced to unlink the drive and re-install onedrive. Despite selecting the external drive for storage, the sync root seems to be in the home folder and internal disk space was used. As there was - obviously - insufficient disk space on my laptop, I could not sync all my files and had to remove some out of Onedrive.
  • Why not send a notification announcement before implementing such pervasive changes? We are working against tight deadlines and do not have four hours to spare to resynch and shuffle with files.
  • The concept of non-ejectable external disks escapes me.

Folders concerned:

/Users/MYNAME/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.OneDriveSyncClientSuite (82.6 GB)
/Users/MYNAME/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive-KULeuven (82.3 GB, probably a symlink to the first folder)
As well as the external drive (98.14 GB - including some folders of colleagues I managed to synch before but probably can't sync now because it will eat up my internal disk space)

  • Jack_Nichols's avatar
    Jack_Nichols
    Icon for Microsoft rankMicrosoft
    Jan 30, 2025

    Hi - thanks for your comments.

    The new external drive support is not yet available in the App Store. You must be on the Insiders ring which isn't available on the App Store version of OneDrive. We'll bring this to all of our users soon. 

    For users on an eligible build/the Insiders ring, we won't automatically switch to the new external drive experience. As mentioned in the blog, to opt-in, you need to unlink and relink your OneDrive to do so. We haven't decided yet whether we'll update automatically in the future, but for now you need to do it yourself if this is the experience you'd like.

    Some types of drives are considered removable by macOS, and can be ejected. OneDrive for Mac has never supported this type of drive, with or without the enhancments I've described here. The only change we're introducing is that the ~/Library/CloudStorage folder is now located on the drive you choose, instead of on your home volume.

    Thanks, Jack

    • heman64's avatar
      heman64
      Copper Contributor
      Feb 05, 2025

      I am using OneDrive 25.005.0112.0003 ("Get OneDrive Insider Preview updates" is checked).

      I am also trying to move OneDrive data to an SSD.  I did as requested:

      • unlinked onedrive
      • created a new directory on the external SSD
      • relink OneDrive and chose the external SSD/OneDrive as a location.

      The surprising result is that OneDrive REPLACED my directory with a symlink back to the User CloudStorage directory.  It went from (using ls -l on terminal).

        64 Feb  4 21:13 OneDrive

      to:

      59 Feb  4 21:14 OneDrive -> /Volumes/USER/user1/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive-Personal

      Is this version not the one in which it is supposed to work?

       

      Any help appreciated.

       

       

    • semvn's avatar
      semvn
      Brass Contributor
      Jan 30, 2025

      What is the point in letting us select a folder on an (ejectable/removable?) external SSD when everything is stored in the library on the home folder? 
      Why is Onedrive, despite being locked into the home folder, taking up the same space on both the internal and external drive?

      In short, it doesn't seem like using an external SSD (e.g. Samsung T7) will be possible anytime soon, which would be the most common use case.