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Next Windows 10 Update Will Auto-Move Files to OneDrive to Free Space......

Next Windows 10 Update Will Auto-Move Files to OneDrive to Free Space - ExtremeTech

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"Microsoft has been weaving OneDrive more deeply into Windows with each update, and the upcoming Windows 10 feature update (build 17720) will continue the trend. An updated version of Microsoft Storage Sense will automatically back up content to OneDrive, and it may even remove the local version of the file to save space. This could be great for smaller disks, but you can disable Storage Sense if you want to manage your drives manually.

In the new version of Windows 10, Microsoft wants Storage Sense to operate as a “silent assistant” that you don’t have to babysit. As you use your computer and generate new files, they’ll be trickled up to OneDrive for safekeeping. That part isn’t new—the improvements come in what happens to the local files afterward. When you don’t use a file for some period of time (the default is 30 days), Windows can remove the local copy and replace it with a placeholder icon. Microsoft calls this process “dehydration.”

So, you could go to open an older file and find that it’s actually not on your hard drive anymore. That’s where “Files On-Demand” comes in. Those “dehydrated” files can be restored seamlessly when you click on the placeholders. You will need to be connected to the internet, of course. You might not want to rely on the cloud for access to specific files, even if you don’t use them very often. So, there’s an option to flag content for offline access, and Storage Sense won’t remove your local copies.

Flagging offline content isn’t the only tweak available. Microsoft wants you to leave Storage Sense on, so there are various settings to make it less intrusive. Rather than having Storage Sense run daily, you can knock it back to weekly or monthly. You can also edit the amount of time it takes for files to become “-only.” Storage Sense automatically clears out your Downloads folder as well, and you can alter the frequency of this purge.

If the automatic file management isn’t your thing, you can just invoke Storage Sense manually with the “Free up space now” option. Here, you can pick which temporary files and logs will get the ax.

Storage Sense will ask for permission to manage your drive when the new Windows 10 build is live, so you can opt out at that point. Just make sure you know what Storage Sense is going to do before you give it the go-ahead.

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7 Replies

Problem is the old 7backup (in WinT) is trying to backup 1Drive folders even it has been *uninstalled* hence popping an (skipped files) error! The W10 new backup adjusts to the uninstall but that's it!...

MS is becoming a PiA with their games!

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I realize some people like One Drive and have a use for it...but just do a google search for "hate One Drive" to see what others have to say.

Only the computer literate will know how to disable all the 'wonderful' changes Microsoft does for you. Security upgrades are fine...not this.

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OneDrive is useful, but for those of us on metered connections it's not really an option, especially with Microsoft having a habit of flipping settings after updates, so it's really best to either disable or uninstall it, and if you need to share the small files across multiple devices, such as documents, presentations, video clips, pics, things like that, setup a partition on your NAS and configure it for HTTPS access, or better yet purchase a second NAS so it's more isolated from your primary NAS.

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markwilliams
Adept II

You must be trying to be doing as demented decisions as possible to get promoted in post-Gates Microsoft.

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sourdo
Journeyman III

Windows acts like were still using megabyte sized hard drives and have free unlimited internet.

I recently rebuilt my rig, new install and I missed the "Keep my files on this computer" message. As I restored my files, I notice activity on Onedrive. HOLY COW, it's uploading all of my music and photo files, like 50 GB! I paused the upload, found the appropriate settings and turned that stuff off! Well I don't have unlimited internet, it costs me $100 a month for 250 GB and it goes fast watching the tube alone.

I like Onedrive for a few things, but I'm quite competent to manage my own files. On my wife's computer I turned it off, she doesn't really understand the cloud or cares.

I'm not sure what the business model is about but to get you to think you need to buy cloud storage, and for the majority of mom's and pop's, we don't need any of that. Googles just as bad and both company's sneak this stuff on you if your not sharp eyed!

I really don't care for any of it, seems sneaky and slimy.

sourdo

There are a lot of Windows installations running on computers with antique hardware, not to mention the mobile space where the hard drives are 256GB or less, so with the idiotic WAAS model meaning upgrades run 20GB, space is a real problem. My Surface Pro 3, for example, that cost $1100 two years ago, only has a 128GB drive.

In a world of unlimited internet this isn't a problem, but in a world where people like me pay out the arse for 20GB of data a month, one does not simply use an online cloud.