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Storage Issues with Onedrive

Jason Peat 0 Reputation points
2026-05-20T15:06:50.7266667+00:00

Good day,

I'm using a Macbook which is almost at its capacity in terms of storage. I notice that documents I save, save both on my actual computer and in the cloud. I want to have offline access to some of my documents, but not some of the larger files. How do I just store the large files in the cloud and just have the smaller files stored on my computer hard drive?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | MacOS
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  1. Sumit D - IA 169.4K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-05-20T15:47:43.17+00:00

    Hi Jason,

    AI Answer has covered most of the critical points. I give the steps for Files on Demand more clearly.

    1. Click the OneDrive cloud icon in your Mac's menu bar (top right)
    2. Click the gear icon → Preferences
    3. Go to the "Files On-Demand" tab (or Sync and Backup depending on your version)
    4. Make sure "Download files as you use them" is selected, then click OK

    Moreover, You can right-click an entire folder and hit "Free Up Space" to clear it all at once, rather than going file by file. This is the quickest way to reclaim a large Storage space at once.

    I hope this information helps. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

    Otherwise, if your problem is resolved, please take a moment to rate the answer. Wishing you good luck!

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-20T15:07:11.9733333+00:00

    On macOS, OneDrive Files On-Demand lets content stay in the cloud while still appearing in Finder. Use it to keep large files online-only and keep smaller files (or specific folders) available offline.

    1. Ensure Files On-Demand is enabled
      • On the menu bar, select the OneDrive cloud icon.
      • Open OneDrive Preferences > Preferences.
      • Files On-Demand is enabled by default on recent macOS versions; if available, keep it on so files can be online-only.
    2. Make large files online-only (cloud only)
      • In Finder, go to the OneDrive folder under Locations in the sidebar.
      • Locate the large files or folders.
      • Right-click each large file/folder and select Free up space (or Clear space in some UI variants).
      • After this, they will show the cloud icon as online-only files and will not take up space on the Mac. They download again only when opened and require an internet connection.
    3. Keep smaller or important files available offline
      • In the same OneDrive folder in Finder, right-click the files or folders that should always be on the Mac.
      • Select Always keep on this device.
      • These will show the “circle with a checkmark” icon as always available files and will stay downloaded for offline use.
    4. Optionally, make everything local except a few large items
      • To keep most content offline and only push a few large items to cloud-only:
        • Select all items in the OneDrive root folder in Finder.
        • Right-click and choose Always keep on this device (this ensures everything is local).
        • Then, for the specific large files/folders, right-click and choose Free up space to move just those back to online-only.
    5. If Finder options don’t appear
      • If the Free up space / Always keep on this device options are missing:
        • Press and hold Control + Option.
        • Click Finder in the Dock and choose Relaunch.
        • Or open Force Quit (Apple menu → Force Quit), select Finder, and click Relaunch.

    This setup keeps storage usage low by making large files online-only while keeping smaller or frequently used files available offline on the Mac.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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