Microsoft has been adding different elements to its operating system that, in many cases, are not especially used by users. A feature built into Windows with little use and popularity is OneDrive, the file sharing system. To encourage its use and adoption, Microsoft has just added a offline mode to the web version of OneDrive.
It is positioned as an alternative to Google Drive that has the strength of being integrated into Windows. The free OneDrive plan allows you to store up to 5 GB of data, but the capacity can be expanded, but it is associated with other services such as Microsoft 365.
We must highlight that in October of last year, new functions and improvements were added to the OneDrive graphical interface. Now, they have added the new offline feature which is another highlight for this service. It allows the user to access files in the browser even if there is no internet connection.
Offline cloud storage
For the operation of this offline mode, we must have the Microsoft 365 Business or Education service. Unfortunately, the offline feature is not available to those on any of the other plans the company offers.
Using this feature requires having the app OneDrive on Windows and Mac. The computer’s local storage system is used to store certain metadata. Local caching allows for improved OneDrive loading times from the web. This allows files to open faster.
Enjoying this service is very simple, we just have to log in to OneDrive from the web. The OneDrive Sync app Automatically performs the initial configuration of offline mode. It seems that this function, at the moment, is only compatible with Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers.
After the process is complete, we will be able to explore, organize, move, copy and rename the files even without an internet connection. In addition, it allows access to the “Home”, “My files”, “Shared”, “Favorites”, “People” and “Meetings” tabs.
In addition, this service has the service called “Files on demand” that allows you to access content without downloading it. This mode only downloads the files when you try to access the services from your computer.
Now allows you, through offline mode, to select files and folders so that they are always available. Those files that are not selected will not be stored locally and will not take up space.
The new feature allows third-party applications to access these files. We could establish that a PDF file opens in a PDF editor, instead of the web browser. The edit made will be synchronized with OneDrive.
According to Microsoft, this new mechanism allows loading times to be significantly reduced. We will access files up to three times faster in the web version of OneDrive.
This service, at the moment, is only accessible to those Microsoft 365 subscribers, in any of the plans. So if you are a user using the free service, you will not have the possibility to use this feature.