Glossary
Files On-Demand
A OneDrive feature that shows synced files in the file system without downloading them until opened.
Files On-Demand is the OneDrive sync client feature that lets files appear in the local file system without actually being downloaded until opened. Built on cloud-files filesystem features in Windows and macOS, it shows file metadata (name, size, type, icon) immediately while keeping the content in the cloud. Icons indicate state: cloud (online-only), green checkmark (downloaded, available offline), green-filled circle ("Always keep on this device"). The result: a user can have a 5 TB SharePoint library synced without filling local disk. Files are transparently downloaded when an application opens them, and can be released back to online-only when disk pressure rises.