Microsoft has begun the deployment of a new offline mode for OneDrive on the web, targeting users with work and school accounts. This update is part of a broader revamp of the OneDrive service, which includes enhancements to the user interface, the addition of folder colours, and various other improvements.
The newly introduced offline mode enables users to access and interact with files marked as available for offline use. This means you can open files, navigate to favourite files, and access the home section of OneDrive without needing an internet connection. Moreover, operations like renaming, sorting, moving, and copying files are possible offline, with changes synchronising once an internet connection is re-established.
Even with an internet connection, the offline mode offers performance enhancements, with Microsoft reporting up to three times faster loading times when viewing or interacting with files on OneDrive via the web, Teams, or Outlook. Andrey Esipov, a principal product manager at Microsoft, explains that offline mode utilises the device's local storage to keep essential file information such as names, sizes, authors, and last accessed dates. This functionality is supported by the OneDrive Sync app, which maintains a local cache of your files' metadata.
While the new offline mode is not yet available for consumer accounts, users with Microsoft 365 business or school accounts can activate this feature immediately. To enable offline mode, users must have the latest version of the OneDrive Sync app installed on their Windows or macOS devices. Activation occurs through a one-time automatic setup by accessing OneDrive on the web via Chrome or Edge browsers.
This update also complements the existing Files On-Demand feature found in OneDrive's File Explorer for Windows and Finder on macOS. Now, users can control this feature directly within their browsers, choosing which files should always be available on their computers.
