You can view all your files stored in the cloud.Here are the pros and cons for the Universal app: Pros Perhaps where the OneDrive Universal app can really shine is on touch-enabled devices, such as on the Surface Pro 4 or Surface Book, as the touch-friendly user interface offers a simple way to navigate and access to your files in the cloud, something that can be rather uncomfortable using File Explorer. However, saving files to a different folder brings the problem of duplicate files, which defeats the purpose of having a central location to store your files to avoid this issue in the first place. With the OneDrive app, you can only download individual files manually for offline viewing, but they have to be saved locally on your computer. Every time you want to watch the same video, the app will re-download the same bits all over again, wasting time and bandwidth. You can open a video stored in the cloud, but the stream won't get save to your computer. In fact, the app looks and feels very similar to the mobile version, and its functionalities are very analogous to the web experience. The new OneDrive app has been built for Windows 10 with the same design language that follows the trend we see in the Store apps. You can't add multiple Microsoft Accounts.Requires more hard drive space to store data offline.There aren't placeholders, which means that you can't view files that aren't synced to your computer.Integration can't be removed from the operating system.You have to select the specific content to sync to your computer.Works best for desktop and laptop users.You can choose to save documents and pictures directly to OneDrive.You can control the upload and download speeds.Better bandwidth utilization as it doesn't require to re-download content when you re-open a file.Files automatically sync in the background.Selective sync ensures that files and folders are always available offline.Here are the pros and cons for the desktop client: Pros But if you're without an internet connection (or stuck on a hideously slow one) you can still access those files because they're on your computer.
Microsoft's rebranding of SkyDrive to OneDrive works seamlessly, and offers a service to rival Dropbox and co.Of course, syncing those files to your computer means they'll take up space on your local storage, and you obviously can't sync more files than you have available space. Aside from the name change (which is reflected in the fact your SkyDrive folder is now called OneDrive), little else has changed from the previous release. This latest release follows on from Microsoft's rebranding of its SkyDrive service to OneDrive. And if all else fails then you can purchase one of their paid plans, which seem fairly reasonably priced (+50GB for $25 per year, +100GB for $50, +200GB for $100). Even if you didn't qualify for the free 25GB accounts that were on offer to existing users before April 2012, you can now earn up to an additional 8GB: 3GB for using the new camera backup tool on your mobile, and 5GB for referring up to 10 friends or family (500MB per referral). There's even a new Fetch feature, which means that if you've gone somewhere and realised you've forgotten an important file on your home PC, then you can access it through .Īnd if you need more than the standard 7GB storage, then don't worry. Delete a file on the web interface and it'll similarly disappear from the folder, immediately.Īnother useful feature is being able to selectively choose which folders to sync with which computer, allowing you to parcel off separate portions of your storage for different PCs and Macs. Rename a file on your phone and the change will appear on your PC and Mac, too. If you copy files to the folder, they'll be synchronised.
However, you can now synchronise the full 7GB the desktop app allows you to work with files up to 2GB in size (the web version and other apps restrict file sizes to 300MB) and the whole syncing system is now much easier to use.Įssentially the program takes a Dropbox-type approach, adding a custom OneDrive folder to your PC, Mac or device. The new system offers 7GB of online storage space, a big drop from the previous 25GB. Microsoft OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) is a powerful tool which makes it easy to sync and store your files online.