OneDrive - Sync Icons Explained for files and folders

OneDrive is great for syncing your files. OneDrive has a great feature called Files on Demand. Your files on your computer could have three possible status icons with Files on Demand running. These icons appear when you are in File Explorer. I'll explain the three OneDrive sync icons and determine the local hard drive space used on your computer from OneDrive. We will look at how to free up hard drive space used by OneDrive.

The OneDrive Files on Demand sync icons are easy to understand. You have three icons for your files and folders. The "Blue cloud icon" is for files available online. No space is taken up on your local hard drive. If you don't have an internet connection, you can't download or access the blue cloud icons only.

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The "Green tick icon" or "green check in a white circle icon", is for files on your computer and OneDrive. Unlike the blue cloud icon, these files are available without an internet connection.

The last icon is the "Solid green circle with the white check mark icon". These files are the same as the Green tick, except, if Storage Sense is turned on, these files will ALWAYS be on your hard drive and OneDrive. If you do not have Storage Sense running, the two checked icons would work the same. Storage Sense, if configured, will take the green tick mark files, when your hard drive starts getting full or after x numbers of days of no file activity, and move the green tick marks to the cloud only - the blue cloud icon.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:21 OneDrive storage
3:35 View OneDrive space online
4:32 Three icons for storage
5:18 Blue cloud icon
5:35 Tick icon or Green check
6:18 White check with Green circle
7:47 Download cloud become tick icon
8:55 Free up space
11:40 Setting - Files on Demand

Storage:
When you open File Explorer, click OneDrive, and select Properties to see two storage numbers. One is the total storage of your OneDrive account. numbers. This is not the storage that's on your computer that's the total amount of storage being used in your OneDrive account. To see the storage is being used on your computer look at size on disk So much time

Icons explained
Blue Cloud icon
A blue cloud icon next to your OneDrive files or folders indicates that the file is only available online. Online-only files don’t take up space on your computer.
No internet, no file download.

Green tick icons
When you open an online-only file, it downloads to your device and becomes a locally available file. You can open a locally available file anytime, even without Internet access.

If you need more space, you can change the file back to online only. Just right-click the file and select “Free up space.”

Solid green circle with the white check mark
Files that you mark as "Always keep on this device" have the green circle with the white check mark. These always available files download to your device and take up space, but they’re always there for you even when you’re offline.

OneDrive Files On-Demand for Windows 10
Files on demand work on Windows and Mac.
Files On-Demand allows you to access all your files and folders stored in OneDrive without having to download all of them, and use up your hard drive storage. By default you have 1024 GB of storage in OneDrive, or 1 TB.

When you turn on Files On-Demand, you’ll see all your files in File Explorer and get new information about each file. The three icons are the blue cloud, the green tick icon, and the solid green circle with the white check mark.

Microsoft Support Article - What do the OneDrive icons mean?

#onedrive #microsoftonedrive #chrismenardtraining #chrismenard #onedriveicons

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Video editing by @Graphicious

[lacanche]

If it wasn't so far away I would come to offer you a drink. Man, that's explained as the best. Thanks a lot.

[monalisakarataua]

Yay finally found someone who is clear, doesn't rush thru steps, without having to pause and rewind repeatedly to understand, and friendly. Not to mention knowledgeable. You are the one. Thanks Chris

[balkishanchandak]

So far the only tutorial I've seen that takes it slow and doesn't require prior experience to soft design.

[kateldelacruz]

I accidentally tapped that "always keep on this device" and my files turned out in green tick. dunno what that means since I am not really techie. 👏😊 now I'm on speaking terms with my laptop and OneDrive. Thanks Sir Menard ❤

[MrHallusination]

Finally, someone that knows what the purpose of the solid green circle means.

[bobby_boy]

Brilliantly explained in plain English that even I can understand. Been struggling to understand OneDrive and why it is taking up so much space on my C: Drive when my Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos folders are all on my D: Drive. Now I know! Not only that, I now know how to free up that space. Thanks ever so much.

[SpotWorksLNC]

I had my doubts that you could save my opinion of OneDrive but kudos to you. Without your video OneDrive was the most confusing online back up systems I've ever seen. Now, it makes sense. Thanks so much!!!

[merlliacharles]

once again YouTube has saved my life😭😭 thank you so much for the explanation👍💯

[tylertrafford]

At last ... somebody who explains things clearly, not as if I should already know it!

[Angie-qihe]

Cant believe I struggled so long to understand one drive - thank you so much for this

[hassanmaje]

The icons were confusing and you have aptly clarified.

[Global_Enlightenment_Now_]

2023 SETTING AND LOCATIONS : are not in this video, but you can figure it out yourself, with this video guide, it helped a lot

[andy]

🤔 I've watched several of the onedrive videos on YouTube and remained confused or worse more 😵‍💫confused than before watching. However, Chris finally managed to get onedrive status icons explained in a way or manner that made it MUCH easier for me. 👍

[hassanhammod]

Thanks for your explanation!
Finally i found some one explain the main difference between the green check mark & the white check mark.

[bethkoch]

This was great. I recently had a clean install of Windows 10 done on my PC. Although I had most of my files backed up to an external hard drive, I did lose some things. With this new install, I've made the decision to go to One Drive. I'm still a novice at One Drive so this was extremely clear and helpful.

[mohammedshoaibali]

Thank you chris menard . From 2021. I am searching for the green tick that comes on folder from one drive . Now I satisfied by this video u explain . Great job man . 👍

[amybilkey]

I found your video to be the most useful instruction in all of the web. You kept me from making monumental errors.

[BC]

When I view onedrive online most my folders are empty, on my pc they have the blue cloud and I click on it and it is empty. I just started using ondrive, but years ago i'm sure my files somehow when to onedrive without me knowing. I was never interested in it back then, but now I'm starting to use it. Lots of stuff to learn. Your video was very good.

[DanPeay]

Well done! Clear, Concise, and Accurate! Clear videography, clean audio, excellent editing. Thank you.

[mustafae]

This video is a gem. I've been searching for over a year for a good explanation and walk through on this. Finally a clear thorough explanation. Thank you