With the File Provider platform, these problems have gone away, so application compatibility issues on macOS should be much less likely to occur.

Still, there were a few cases where, due to the technology stack we were using on macOS, it made sense for certain users to disable Files On-Demand to preserve compatibility. On macOS, we took a similarly cautious approach, but the application compatibility landscape is quite different and, in some ways, less complex. Over time, we've fixed most of these problems. When Files On-Demand first shipped on Windows, some applications didn't work well with the way we stored files, or with anti-virus or other security software that was installed. Only a very small number of users disable Files On-Demand on both platforms, and there are two main reasons for that. In that time, we've progressed from the feature being opt-in only to being on by default for all users and have closely monitored how many users turn off Files On-Demand. On the question of whether this has introduced a technical reason for why Files On-Demand must always be enabled, Microsoft touts the benefits of OneDrive's new dependency on Apple's File Provider platform, including the resolution of compatibility issues, and how that has factored into its controversial decision to enforce its Files On-Demand feature:įiles On-Demand has been available on Windows since 2017, and on macOS since 2018. In an update to its original blog post introducing this aspect of its new 'Files On-Demand Experience,' Microsoft has now responded to these concerns by explaining that the first version of Files On-Demand is built on several pieces of technology that are now deprecated by Apple in macOS 12.3, currently still in beta.Īpple is deprecating the kernel extensions originally used by OneDrive's syncing features, so the Mac client is now using Apple's File Provider extensions instead. Earlier this week, MacRumors reported on a OneDrive for Mac update that has caused upset among users of the cloud storage service, partly due to alleged bugs it has introduced but mainly because the new version no longer allows users to opt out of its cloud-based Files On-Demand feature, which was previously an optional setting.

Microsoft onedrive mac updating files