The best way to access your OneDrive just got easier

With the significant changes to OneDrive in Windows 10, thousands of users have been scrambling to find a way to regain the experience they previously enjoyed with placeholder/smart files. Many of these users have turned to odrive for the answer, and rightly so. odrive provides OneDrive users with the flexibility, control, and seamless integration that they need. Our previous blog post digs into how we accomplish this.

This recent influx has prompted us to make things even easier for OneDrive users. Today we added the ability to utilize your existing Microsoft credentials for signing up and linking your OneDrive storage to odrive. It really doesn’t get much easier than that folks!

Try it!

If you haven’t already tried odrive, give it a shot. It’s free and we know you will love the experience.

Get OneDrive placeholder files on Windows 10 & OSX

Windows 10 was released last week and the general consensus is that Microsoft managed to get a lot of things right, blending the better parts of Windows 7 and 8 into a worthy successor. Even though Windows 10 is better than its predecessors in many ways, a staggering number of users have noted the significant step backwards with OneDrive functionality.

Windows 8.x introduced a much lauded feature for OneDrive users with “placeholder” or “smart” files. This feature allowed OneDrive users to visualize all of their OneDrive files without needing them to be physically cached on the system. Unfortunately for loyal OneDrive users, this feature has been taken away in Windows 10.

We have the solution you need

If you are reading this, chances are good that you are one of the unfortunate Windows 10 users that has been impacted by this change (or an OS X user that has been left out in the cold since the beginning). The good news is that odrive has you covered. One of the core features of odrive is the ability to virtualize your files.

Progressive sync

From the start, odrive has employed what is called “progressive sync”. This is the ability to instantly choose what you want to sync locally, at both the folder and file level. With odrive you get the flexibility and control you need, with all of your files.

How it works

odrive has a powerful, always-on sync engine at its core. If any local file system modifications or additions are detected, odrive will automatically and instantly begin syncing those changes to your OneDrive account. This same sync engine is what allows odrive to represent both files and folders, virtually, as “stub” files on your local system.

To ensure that you always know what is virtual and what isn’t, odrive distinguishes between virtual and physical files in a number of ways.

• Cloud files and folders are given unique icons to set them apart from cached files and expanded folders
• Locally cached files are given a checkmark overlay to indicate that they are in sync and physically available on the local file system.
• A cloud file carries the extension .cloudx
• A cloud folder carries the extension of .cloudfx.

With odrive, interaction with virtualized files and folders is extremely intuitive. A simple double-click or right-click sync action will expand cloud folders or locally cache cloud files. Decide in-line and on-the-fly what you need, instead of being forced to preemptively choose what you want synced from a separate, cumbersome UI. With the option to set an automatic download threshold and the ability to recursively sync the folder structures of your choice, odrive gives you the power and flexibility you are looking for, for all of your storage.

A few examples of the control you will gain with odrive's progressive sync:

• Do you want to see all of the files and folders available but have no files cached? No problem. Set the auto-download limit to “never download” and right-click “sync all” on your OneDrive folder.
• Do you want to only cache one file out of thousands to focus your efforts? You can with odrive. Just drill directly to the file you need and sync it.
• Do you need to save some space on that tiny laptop SSD? It is easy with odrive. A right-click “unsync” action is all that it takes to free up that valuable space. 

All of your bases are covered

With odrive, the “placeholder” functionality that users fell in love with in Windows 8.x is available in Windows 10…. and Windows 7, and OS X. Not only is progressive sync available for OneDrive, but it is also available for all of your other storage. Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, Amazon Cloud Drive, file servers, you name it, odrive has you covered, for free.

To read more about odrive sync:

https://medium.odrive.com/sync-differently-b993694e1544#.y8823rsvw

https://medium.odrive.com/unsync-is-the-missing-link-to-cloud-storage-539493c384c1#.egwnn2gpq

How to Get The Most Out of Your Unlimited OneDrive Storage

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that Office 365 subscribers will get unlimited OneDrive storage at no extra cost. While this is exciting news for all Office 365 subscribers, the reality of the situation is all of that storage just doesn’t fit on a person’s computer when using OneDrive.

About a year and a half ago when I first started working in marketing here, I was given a brand new Windows laptop. At this point in time, Microsoft had started pre-installing SkyDrive (now OneDrive) on all Windows computers. Since it was already on my laptop and I had 7GB of free storage to use, I figured I’d give it a try.

I really enjoyed the responsiveness of the desktop client when I started to use OneDrive, but I noticed it got to be a bit of a pain when I wanted to access my shared documents. Instead of being able to access them locally from my OneDrive folder, I had to go to my browser and login to the web client. I ideally wanted my files and my shared files in one place without having to use the web client every time. That’s why I now use odrive to access all of my stuff from OneDrive!

View shared files right from your desktop with odrive

odrive gives you access to all of your files on OneDrive in a single sync folder right on your desktop. There’s no more need to log into the web client just to view the files that someone has shared with you. Just double-click the “Shared With Me” folder within your OneDrive folder using odrive and all of your shared files are ready for instant viewing!

odrive mirrors all of your files, even the ones shared with you, within OneDrive.

Save disk space by unsyncing the files you no longer need

Since you now have unlimited OneDrive storage, you’re faced with a bit of a dilemma because your computer can only hold so much of it. That’s why using odrive to access your stuff from OneDrive is so useful! Unlike OneDrive which syncs all of your files locally to your computer, odrive lets you sync only what you need.

If you’re done working on some files and no longer need them, just remove them from your computer by selecting “Unsync Folder” from the odrive menu. Don’t panic though, all of your files remain safely in your OneDrive storage when you unsync them. You’re just able to save a ton of space on your computer now! :) You can also access any of your unsynced files again just by double-clicking them.

You can easily unsync folders to save space by right-clicking and selecting "Unsync Folder" from the odrive menu.

Once your folder has successfully unsynced, odrive will let you know just how much disk space you have saved.

Download odrive and start taking full advantage of your newfound unlimited OneDrive storage!

-Michelle

To read more about odrive sync:

https://medium.odrive.com/sync-differently-b993694e1544#.y8823rsvw

https://medium.odrive.com/unsync-is-the-missing-link-to-cloud-storage-539493c384c1#.egwnn2gpq

How to Combine 42GB of Free Storage from Box, Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive

“Free Cloud Storage” is everywhere and who doesn’t like free! Box, Dropbox, Google, and Microsoft all offer tons of free storage. But every one of those companies has a plan to get you hooked so you eventually PAY for more. For some of us, cloud storage isn’t a justifiable cost. And some of us just enjoy the taste of Free-dom. So, if you have an email account, you can easily get 42 GBs of free storage in less than 5 minutes.

odrive is available for both Mac and Windows!

If you’re like me, you probably use one or all of those services already and you know it can be a PITA to use all your different accounts together. You’ve got to use the web to access your files (and have a ridiculously messy “Downloads” folder). If you want desktop access, you’ve got to download 4 different applications that sync everything you put in the cloud, directly to your computer. And those applications don’t play very nicely together when running them at the same time (at least that’s what my CPU tells me).

Fear not! There is finally a way to get the most out of COMPLETELY FREE storage.

odrive is the best way to utilize all your free storage seamlessly

odrive is your folder to everything you already use online. For you quick-to-judge haters out there, we’ll start with what it isn’t. odrive isn’t cloud storage. We don’t store (or want) your data, your files, or even your passwords. With odrive, you are connecting directly to your storage so your data does not go through us. Trust me, we don’t want your confidential files, your #selfies, or photos of your unmentionables. We just want to make your life easier!

odrive lets you connect directly to all your disparate storage apps and brings them all to you in a single desktop folder. What’s more is that odrive allows you to connect to multiple accounts on the same storage platform. Personally, I have 2 Dropbox accounts, 2 Gmail/Google Drive accounts, 1 Box, and 1 OneDrive account (not to mention 1 Facebook and 1 Instagram account).

I want my 42GBs of Free Storage!

To get your free storage you do need to sign up for the services I mentioned above. You can do that here.

• Box

• Dropbox

• Google Drive

• Microsoft OneDrive

After signing up, all you need to do is install odrive, then connect those accounts.

You are now free to move about your storage

odrive makes your cloud storage feel like local storage...because it is! Once you have a file synced to your computer, files can be dragged and dropped. You can move them around from account to account to keep things organized just the way you like.

Open and edit files directly from odrive and it will make sure when you hit that save button, the latest version of the file will make it to your cloud storage. And, if you are offline at the time you save, it will make sure the files get to the cloud once you re-establish internet connection. 

Double your storage, double your fun!

From one free-isseur to another, I love me some free stuff. We got 42GBs of free storage with a single email. How about using another email to get another 42GBs? odrive lets you connect to as many accounts as you want and you can literally do this as many times as you want, with as many different emails as you’d like to use (or create).

Happy Clouding!

odrive is available for Mac and Windows. No gimmicks. Just better access to all the stuff you already use online.

- Aric