Microsoft is releasing a major update its cloud storage software, OneDrive. One Drive is bundled with Microsoft Office, making it used by millions of consumers and businesses.
Microsoft has been losing market share to Google Workspace, which provides lighter weight and fully online services. Microsoft’s business applications still have many relics of the past in design and architecture, such as Sharepoint.The Verge reports:
Microsoft is announcing the third generation of its OneDrive cloud storage today, complete with the company’s AI-powered Copilot system, a Fluent design refresh, and big improvements to the way businesses share and use cloud documents.
OneDrive hosts trillions of files for consumers and businesses, with 2 billion files added every single day. Microsoft is now overhauling a lot of the experience of working in OneDrive for businesses, with many quality-of-life improvements that will make managing and using files a lot better on the web, in Windows, and in Microsoft’s various Office apps.
A major change will be allowing offline downloading on devices. While already present in a primitive form, this will allow users to do so on the web. MS Power User continues:
Files On-Demand for Web allows you to select which files and folders you want to be available offline on your device. Once you’ve selected these files and folders, OneDrive will download them to your device so that you can access them even when you’re not connected to the internet.
We’re expecting that this feature will work just like on other platforms. So, to use Files On-Demand for Web, you’ll have options to either download files as you use them or download everything altogether.
This change is part of Microsoft’s wider push to modernize. It will also be investing in its Copilot AI.
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