Microsoft has announced the rollout of offline mode for OneDrive on the web in an effort to improve file accessibility and productivity,
The update follows other feature enhancements applied to the cloud storage platform late in 2023, and is designed to give users access to their files wherever they are on even more devices.
With OneDrive’s new web-based offline mode, users will be able to access Home, My Files, Shared, Favorites, People and Meeting tabs without an active Internet connection.
OneDrive for web new offline mode
Other changes include the ability to rename, sort, move and copy files offline, with changes set to sync once the Internet connection has been restored.
Besides improving functionality when a user is unable to connect to the Internet, OneDrive’s new offline mode also promises performance enhancements when a connection is active. Users will be able to designate files or folders for offline access from OneDrive for web, streamlining the process and optimizing local storage space.
According to Microsoft’s blog post, viewing and interacting with files in offline mode promises up to three times faster loading times both in the browser and on the OneDrive app, Teams and Outlook.
OneDrive and Microsoft Lists Principal Product Manager Andrey Esipov explained that the offline mode uses local storage to store file metadata, which allows the bypassing of cloud service-related throttling issues.
Work and school accounts are now seeing the enhanced offline mode roll out globally. In order to use the feature, users will need the latest Windows or macOS version of the OneDrive app. The feature is also restricted to Edge and Chrome.
A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed in an email with TechRadar Pro:
"We do plan to bring offline mode to personal OneDrive accounts and extend support to other browsers beyond Chrome and Edge in the future."
More from TechRadar Pro
- We’ve rounded up the best cloud backup tools
- Fancy a swanky new upgrade? Check out the best business laptops
- Microsoft unveils the next generation of OneDrive - and it might actually make you like using cloud storage
