Microsoft’s further blurring the distinction between local and cloud storage with a file-syncing feature letting you treat online files like offline ones.
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The feature, Files On-Demand, lets you access your cloud storage as though they were local files without having to indefinitely store them. The feature is perfect for Windows users on ultrabooks with small amounts of storage.
On-demand access to cloud files is new to Microsoft, but the storage-friendly feature isn’t unheard of. Your standard cloud storage service like Google Drive forces you to store your cloud files you’d like to access on your local storage device. Last year, Dropbox introduced Smart Sync, its business-focused on-demand file storage feature that treats online files like local files.
Files On-Demand also allows you to open online files from within desktop or Windows store apps using the Windows file picker. Simply select the file you want to open in the file picker, and the file will automatically download and open in your app. Furthermore, you’re covered in both your home and professional life since it works with your personal and work OneDrive, as well as your SharePoint Online team sites.
The feature will roll out to all Windows 10 users in the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, though you can try it a little earlier. Windows Insiders members running build 16215 can use it, along with impatient Windows 10 users who can download the update manually.
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