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Has OneDrive abandon the download speed?

GEORGANTAS IOANNIS 0 Reputation points
2026-05-20T15:45:00.21+00:00

When i hover on the Onedrive button , all I see is this "Downloading Files (Percentage)"

Where is the uploading and downloading speed?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For education | Windows
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  1. Ian-Ng 13,435 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-20T17:56:02.3+00:00

    Hi @GEORGANTAS IOANNIS, 

    Thank you for your inquiry. 

    After checking on the current support guidance, the OneDrive sync app appears to focus on sync status and progress (for example, icons, “Processing changes,” “Sync pending,” or percentage progress) rather than showing a live upload or download speed in the taskbar hover text. Currently, there is no Microsoft documentation confirming that the hover tooltip still displays real-time KB/s or MB/s transfer speed. 

    So, in your case, seeing only “Downloading Files (Percentage)” is consistent with the current OneDrive experience. 

    Furthermore, if you want to check or adjust the transfer rate, you can still do that from the OneDrive settings: 

    1. Select the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area. 
    2. Open Help & Settings > Settings. 
    3. Go to Sync and back up and expand Advanced settings. 
    4. Adjust the Upload and Download rates as needed. 
    5. User's image

    Please also note that if you are using a work or school account, and those network-related options do not appear, the article indicates that the setting may be managed by your IT department. 

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    Please let me know if you have any further questions, or if I misunderstood your specific concerns so I can investigate the matter further. 

    Looking forward to your reply.

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-20T15:45:16.4933333+00:00

    The current OneDrive sync client no longer shows detailed upload/download speeds in the hover tooltip; it typically shows status text such as “Downloading files (xx%)” instead of live throughput numbers. Transfer speed is now controlled and observed mainly through settings and general network behavior rather than a per‑second speed display in the UI.

    To manage how much bandwidth OneDrive uses:

    1. Open OneDrive settings (select the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area, then select the Help & Settings icon > Settings).
    2. Go to the Sync and back up tab and expand Advanced settings.
    3. Adjust the Upload and Download rates as required, or set upload to Adjust automatically so OneDrive uses only unused bandwidth.

    On macOS, similar controls are under OneDrive Preferences → Network, where Upload and Download rates can be adjusted to apply a speed limit. In managed (work or school) environments, IT admins can also enforce limits via Group Policy, which sets registry keys like DownloadBandwidthLimit; when this is configured, users may not see or be able to change network limits in the client.

    If transfers feel slow, speed can be maximized by:

    • Using a wired instead of wireless connection.
    • Avoiding other heavy internet usage during large syncs.
    • Ensuring the PC does not go to sleep while syncing.

    The absence of a visible speed readout does not mean OneDrive has abandoned control over download speed; it has shifted to configurable limits and automatic bandwidth management rather than showing real‑time Mbps/Kbps in the tray UI.

    References:

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

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