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Why OneDrive Online-Only Files Still Use Hard Drive Space & How to Fix It
Question details
The user wants to know why OneDrive files set as online-only are still taking up significant local hard drive space and how to resolve this storage issue.
- Product
- OneDrive
- Device & OS
- Windows, macOS
- Scenario
- Managing local storage space while using the OneDrive Files On-Demand feature.
- Observed behavior
- Even with Files On-Demand enabled, local cache data or the UBF8T346G9.OneDriveStandaloneSuite folder continues to consume significant disk space.
Ensure your OneDrive application is actively running and fully synced before making changes to your file availability settings.
Use the Free Up Space Command
Manually force OneDrive to remove the locally downloaded versions of your files so they are only stored in the cloud.
OneDrive may retain local cache data even when files are set to online-only. By using the 'Free up space' command, you prompt the system to remove the local data and replace it with a cloud placeholder.
Launch File Explorer (on Windows) or Finder (on macOS) and navigate to your synchronized OneDrive folder.
Highlight the specific files or folders that are taking up unnecessary hard drive space.
Right-click the selected items and ensure they are not marked with the 'Always keep on this device' option.
Click 'Free up space' from the context menu to remove the local copies and retain only the cloud placeholders.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the OneDriveStandaloneSuite folder take up space on macOS?
On macOS, this folder stores local cache and sync-root files. Because of macOS APFS file cloning, these files might display as consuming space even though they share data blocks with the actual files on your drive, making the storage usage appear duplicated.
Can I manually delete the OneDrive cache folders to save space?
No, you should never manually delete the hidden OneDrive cache or standalone suite folders while the OneDrive application is running, as this can corrupt your sync status and lead to data loss. Always use the built-in 'Free up space' feature.
What happens if a file is marked 'Always keep on this device'?
When a file is marked 'Always keep on this device', OneDrive downloads a permanent local copy for offline access. These files will bypass the Files On-Demand online-only rule and will not automatically free up local disk space until you uncheck the option.
