How to Save Storage Space with OneDrive

Dennis Snider

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Since 2017, Windows 10 has included a handy feature to save space on your hard drive by using the Files On-Demand Feature to send files to OneDrive. By right clicking on the saved files, you have the option to send it to OneDrive, which uploads the file and removes it from your hard drive and leaves an icon that you can click on to download it when you need it. This is a handy feature for saving hard drive space; however, users had to choose to do it. Now, with the October 2018 Windows 10 update, this can be done automatically.

There is now a OneDrive option in Storage Sense, the application that searches your hard drive for files that had been in the recycle bin for over a month, and unused temporary files, and delete them. With the new update, this application can now be told to examine the entire hard drive and upload files to OneDrive if they haven’t been used for any period between a day and two months.

To activate this feature, go to Settings> System> Storage and switch on Storage Sense. Choose “Change how we free up space automatically,” “OneDrive” and select when content should be moved to OneDrive if it has been opened.

The application will leave behind an icon so that you can see what files you have in File Explorer and where they are. There are three types of icons for OneDrive files: A blue cloud, which means the file only exists in OneDrive; a green tick in a white circle, which means the file is still on your hard drive, but it might be sent to OneDrive when you’re running low on space’ and a white tick in a green circle, which means the file will never be removed from your hard drive.