
Then it looks for changes to the file and sycns those changes as they happen. When you open a file the OneDrive sync client kicks in and in the background it downloads a local copy. When you browse your local version of OneDrive the files and folders appear to reside ont he local disk, but in fact they are just pointers to the cloud stored versions. Essentially these are like bookmarks or empty entries for the files and folders. Instead of downloading the whole content of your OneDrive onto the local hard drive, or having to choose which folders and files you sync locally, the client creates what are called Symlinks. There is NO option to turn off Files on Demand. You will no longer be able to choose whether to turn on Files on Demand – it is mandated and will be on from the point of upgrade. When you update your macOS to v12.2 or 12.3 your OneDrive sync client will also be updated automatically. The new Files on Demand feature is available for all versions of Monterey from 12.1 upwards. The current version of Monterey (v12.2) is the last that will support the old technology. If you use macOS 11 (Big Sur) or earlier then this doesn’t affect you. Initially the changes apply to those with macOS 12 (Monterey). This is NOT a new feature, but the implementation and use is changing. The main change that you will see comes to the feature known as “files on demand”. ICT encourages you to update to the latest ICT supported version for your hardware at your earliest convenience to ensure that your system remains up to date with security and functionality patches and fixes.

This means that the OneDrive sync client is going to change for Apple users, and has already started to for some.įor a while it means that there will be multiple versions in use depending on the version of the Apple OS that you are using. Apple is changing the technology that they use within their operating systems and as such Microsoft, along with all other cloud storage providers have to update their sync clients.
