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Feb 28, 2016 Copy the OneDrive Folder to New Location. Make sure you don't move it, Moving might cause OneDrive app to crash. Now go to OneDrive Preferences and Unlink Account. One Drive will ask you to re-login to your account. Enter you One Drive User Name and Password and Click Next. One drive will prompt to Choose One Drive Folder Location.

There are two basic ways that you, as an admin, can deploy the OneDrive sync app to Mac users in your organization:

  • Have users install and set up the OneDrive sync app themselves by following the instructions in Sync files with OneDrive on Mac OS X. To install the OneDrive sync app for Mac, a user has to be administrator on the Mac or know an administrator account name and password.

  • Download the installer package file to your local network, and then use your software distribution tools to deploy the app to your users. By using a software distribution tool, you have more control over the deployment, including which users get the sync app and when. The OneDrive sync app for Mac uses the Apple Installer technology for installation. This means you can use the software distribution tools that you normally use to deploy software to Mac users. You can use Microsoft Intune. Other common tools are Jamf Pro, Munki, and AutoPkg. You can also use Apple Remote Desktop and AppleScript.

  1. After the OneDrive sync app for Mac is installed, users can configure settings for the app. These settings are called preferences. As an admin, you might want to provide users in your organization with a standard set of preferences. Preferences for the OneDrive sync app for Mac are stored in preference files.
  2. Microsoft is ending support for the OneDrive Desktop application (sync client) on Mac OS X Yosemite 10.10 and Mac OS X El Capitan 10.11 effective February 1st, 2019. Note: Both Mac OS X Yosemite 10.10 and Mac OS X El Capitan 10.11 are out of Apple’s mainline support since August 2017.

Manage OneDrive settings on macOS using property list (Plist) files

After the OneDrive sync app for Mac is installed, users can configure settings for the app. These settings are called preferences. As an admin, you might want to provide users in your organization with a standard set of preferences. Preferences for the OneDrive sync app for Mac are stored in preference files. These files are often referred to as .plist files.

StandaloneMac App Store
PList Location
~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.OneDrive.plist
~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.OneDrive-mac/Data/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.OneDrive-mac.plist
Domain
com.microsoft.OneDrive
com.microsoft.OneDrive-mac
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Configure sync app settings

Configure the settings on macOS in the typical way:

  1. Quit the OneDrive application.

  2. Define the settings you want to change by creating a Plist with the values, or use a script to set the default values.

  3. Deploy the settings onto the local computer.

  4. Refresh the preferences cache.

    On the next start of OneDrive, the new settings will be picked up.

Overview of settings

Use the following keys to preconfigure or change settings for your users. The keys are the same whether you run the standalone or Mac App Store edition of the sync app, but the property list file name and domain name will be different. When you apply the settings, make sure to target the appropriate domain depending on the edition of the sync app.

SettingDescriptionParametersExample Plist Entry
Disable personal accounts
Blocks users from signing in and syncing files in personal OneDrive accounts. If this key is set after a user has set up sync with a personal account, the user will be signed out.
DisablePersonalSync (Bool): When set to true, this parameter prevents users from adding or syncing personal accounts.
<key>DisablePersonalSync</key>
<(Bool)/>
Default folder location
Specifies the default location of the OneDrive folder for each organization
TenantID (String): TenantID determines which accounts the default folder location setting should apply to. Find your Microsoft 365 tenant ID
DefaultFolderPath (String): DefaultFolder specifies the default folder location.
Mac App Store:
The path must already exist when users set up the sync app.
Standalone:
The path will be created on users' computers if it doesn't already exist. Only with the Standalone sync app can you prevent users from changing the location.
<key>DefaultFolder
<array>
<dict>
<key>Path
<string>(DefaultFolderPath)</string>
<key>TenantId
<string>(TenantID)</string>
</dict>
</array>
Automatic upload bandwidth percentage
Enables the sync app to automatically set the amount of bandwidth used based on available bandwidth for uploading files
AutomaticUploadBandwidthPercentage (int): This parameter determines the percentage of local upload bandwidth that the sync app can use. Accepted values are from 1 through 99.
<key>AutomaticUploadBandwidthPercentage</key>
<int>(Bandwidth)</int>
Set maximum upload throughput
Sets the maximum upload throughput rate in kilobytes (KB)/sec for computers running the OneDrive sync app
UploadBandwidthLimited (int): This parameter determines the upload throughput in KB/sec that the sync app can use. The minimum rate is 50 KB/sec and the maximum rate is 100,000 KB/sec.
<key>UploadBandwidthLimited</key>
<int>(Upload Throughput Rate in KB/sec)</int>
Set maximum download throughput
Sets the maximum download throughput rate in kilobytes (KB)/sec for computers running the OneDrive sync app
DownloadBandwidthLimited (int): This parameter determines the download throughput in KB/sec that the sync app can use. The minimum rate is 50 KB/sec and the maximum rate is 100,000 KB/sec.
<key>DownloadBandwidthLimited</key>
<int>(Download Throughput Rate in KB/sec)</int>
Dock icon
Specifies whether a dock icon for OneDrive is shown
HideDockIcon (Bool): When set to true, this parameter hides the OneDrive dock icon even when the application is running.
<key>HideDockIcon</key>
<(Bool)/>
Open at login
Specifies whether OneDrive starts automatically when the user logs in
OpenAtLogin (Bool): When set to true, OneDrive will start automatically when the user logs in on the Mac.
<key>OpenAtLogin</key>
<(Bool)/>
Enable Files On-Demand
Specifies whether Files On-Demand is enabled. If you don't set this setting, Files On-Demand will be enabled automatically as we roll out the feature, and users can turn the setting on or off
FilesOnDemandEnabled (Bool): When set to true, new users who set up the sync app will download online-only files by default. When set to false, Files On-Demand will be disabled and users won't be able to turn it on.
<key>FilesOnDemandEnabled</key>
<(Bool)/>
Disable download toasts
Prevents toasts from appearing when applications cause file contents to be downloaded
DisableHydrationToast (Bool): When set to true, toasts will not appear when applications trigger the download of file contents.
<key>DisableHydrationToast</key>
<(Bool)/>
Block apps from downloading online-only files
Prevents applications from automatically downloading online-only files. You can use this setting to lock down applications that don't work correctly with your deployment of Files On-Demand.
HydrationDisallowedApps (String): Json in the following format
[{'ApplicationId':'appId','MaxBundleVersion':'1.1','MaxBuildVersion':'1.0'}]
'AppID' can be either the BSD process name or the bundle display name. MaxBuildVersion denotes the maximum build version of the application that will be blocked. MaxBundleVersion denotes the maximum bundle version of the application that will be blocked
<key>HydrationDisallowedApps </key>
<string> [{'ApplicationId':'appId','MaxBundleVersion':'1.1','MaxBuildVersion':'1.0'}, {'ApplicationId':'appId2','MaxBundleVersion':'3.2','MaxBuildVersion':'2.0'}]</string>
<(Bool)/>
SharePoint Server Front Door URL
Specifies the SharePoint Server 2019 on-premises URL that the OneDrive sync app should try to authenticate and sync against
SharePointOnPremFrontDoorUrl (string): The URL of the on-premises SharePoint Server.
<key>SharePointOnPremFrontDoorUrl</key>
<string>https://Contoso.SharePoint.com</string>
SharePoint Server Tenant Name
Specifies the name of the folder created for syncing the SharePoint Server 2019 files specified in the Front Door URL.
SharePointOnPremTenantName (string): The name that will be used when creating a folder to sync the on-premises SharePoint Server files. If specified, the folder names will take the form of:
OneDrive – TenantName
TenantName
If not specified, the folder names will use the first segment of the FrontDoorURL as the Tenant Name.
Example - https://Contoso.SharePoint.com will use Contoso as the Tenant Name
<key>SharePointOnPremTenantName</key>
<string>Contoso</string>
SharePoint OnPrem Prioritization
For hybrid scenarios where the email is the same for both SharePoint Server on-premises and SharePoint in Microsoft 365, determines whether or not the client should set up sync for SharePoint Server or SharePoint in Microsoft 365 first during the first-run scenario.
SharePointOnPremPrioritizationPolicy (int): This parameter determines which service to attempt to authenticate against for setting up sync.
1 indicates OneDrive should set up SharePoint Server on-premises first, followed by SharePoint in Microsoft 365.
<key>SharePointOnPremPrioritizationPolicy</key>
<int>(0 or 1)</int>
BlockExternalSyncPrevents the sync app from syncing libraries and folders shared from other organizations.BlockExternalSync (Bool): Set to true to prevent syncing OneDrive and SharePoint libraries and folders from organizations other than the user's own organization. Set to false or do not include the setting to allow.
Learn about OneDrive B2B Sync.
<key>BlockExternalSync</key>
<(Bool)/>

You can also configure the OneDrive Standalone sync app to receive delayed updates.

PList Location
~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.OneDriveUpdater.plist
Domain
com.microsoft.OneDriveUpdater
SettingDescriptionParametersExample Plist Entry
Tier
Defines the update ring for the computer
UpdateRing (String): This parameter has two different values.
Production - The default update ring for OneDrive updates.
Insiders - This update ring receives updates that are 'pre-production' and will allow you to play with features before they are released. Note that builds from this ring may be less stable.
Enterprise - This update ring (now called 'Deferred') receives updates after they have rolled out through the Production ring. It also lets you control the deployment of updates. For more info about the update rings and how the sync app checks for updates, see The OneDrive sync app update process.
<key>Tier</key>
<string>(UpdateRing)</string>

There are plenty of reasons to put things into the cloud, be it as a backup or to access them remotely from other devices. But putting things into the cloud can be a hassle — Apple's trying to make it a little more seamless with iCloud but if you're old school like me, that seamlessness just doesn't do it for you. There's something about having all my computer's files neatly organized and accessible that soothes my more obsessive tendencies.

At the same time, I want to be able to access my important files while I'm on the go, and I want to know that they're backed up in case catastrophe strikes. That's where the cloud really comes in. I've got a local Time Machine backup running (two, actually) and I use Backblaze for nightly backups to the cloud, and though I can use Backblaze to access files from my iPhone, it's just terribly slow.

Enter Dropbox

Dropbox, on the other hand, is blazing fast. Uploads and downloads sling through the web as fast as my connection can handle. I can open the Dropbox app on my iPhone or iPad and get to all the files in there with ease and speed. But there were two basic options for backing up my files to Dropbox: either copy them over regularly, or just move them onto Dropbox (oh, the humanity).

Turns out, there's another way, one in which you can keep your folders and files right where they are and have them backed up and synced with Dropbox. It all works through the magic of symbolic links.

How does this work?

You might be familiar with alias links on your Mac — it creates a shortcut that points to another file, open the shortcut and it opens that file. A symbolic link is similar, except that instead of creating a pointer it creates a redirect. Whatever you do with the symbolic link (or symlink) is applied to the linked file.

Dropbox works by creating a folder on your computer that is synced with their servers. Place a file in that folder and it's synced to the cloud. Upload a file from a Dropbox app or their web interface and it'll be downloaded onto your computer. Basically, that's it. Thing is, if you want to back up files to Dropbox, copying them into that folder means they're taking up space twice on your hard drive, and just moving them to Dropbox takes them right out of your organizational flow.

Put a tiny symlink into Dropbox and it can back up an entire folder elsewhere on your computer

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If you were to create an alias to a file and put that in the Dropbox folder, only the alias would get backed up, and that's not terribly useful. But if you put a symlink into the Dropbox folder, when the Dropbox backup app looks at it it's redirected to the linked file, and it backs that up instead. So with one 25-byte symlink you can back up gigabytes upon gigabytes of data without duplicating it on your computer.

The additional benefit is that you can sync and back up entire directories that would be otherwise difficult to move. You can put your Pictures folder into Dropbox with a symlink or your entire Documents folder. Heck, you could even sync and back up your Mac's desktop files and installed apps.

This sounds too good to be true…

There are some caveats to note here. The first is cost: Dropbox does offer a free tier, and it's a paltry 2GB. That might be enough for you, but chances are if you're planning on putting an entire folder like Documents in there you'll need more space. Thankfully, Dropbox isn't terribly expensive, offering 1TB of storage for $9.99/month. Chances are you'd be able to back up your entire computer onto that if you really wanted to.

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There are risks that come with putting your files into the cloud, of course, and they come down to you to manage them. Make sure you have a strong and unique Dropbox password and use pin or Touch ID security in the mobile apps when available.

If you change a file on your phone or with Dropbox on the web, that file will be synced down to your computer, and vice versa.

The biggest risk you run, however, is inherent to Dropbox itself: any changes made to a file in Dropbox are synced to all devices linked to that account. So if you change a file from your phone, that file is saved on the server and synced down to your computer with those changes. If you delete a file from the web interface, it's deleted from your computer. And vice versa. Dropbox does offer paying customers 30 days of stored historical versions and backups of deleted files, but it's still worth noting the risks of what you're wading into here.

Those risks are minor, though. Set and practice good security and be conscious of what you're doing with your files and you'll be in good shape — and your files will be there for you whenever and wherever you need them.

How to sync folders on your Mac to Dropbox

  1. Download and install the Dropbox app from the Dropbox website (download will start automatically).
  2. Once you've got the Dropbox app up and running, open Terminal.
  3. Navigate in Terminal to your Dropbox folder by typing cd /Users/YourMacUsernameHere/Dropbox and then hitting return. A new line in Terminal will appear that's Your-Computer-Name:Dropbox YourUserName$
  4. Create your symbolic link by typing ln -s ~/FolderNameHere and hitting return. A folder will appear in your Dropbox folder with the alias/shortcut arrow and it will immediately begin uploading.
    • To create a symlink to your Desktop, type ln -s ~/Desktop
    • To create a symlink to your Documents folder, type ln -s ~/Documents
    • To create a symlink to any other folder or file, simply type its file path after ln -s ~/FilePathGoesHere — this is useful for if you want to back up most your Documents folder, but not necessarily everything in there (for instance, a 30GB Windows virtual machine from Parallels).
    • To create a symlink to a folder or file with a space in its name, put a backslash before the space, like so: ln -s ~/Documents/Star Trek Aldrin
  5. Dropbox will start uploading your symlinked folders.

Now what?

Now you go about using your Mac like you normally would. Any time you edit or create a file in one of your symlinked folders, it'll be automatically uploaded to Dropbox. Any time you remotely edit one of those files, it will be synced back down to your Mac. It's the magic of the cloud.

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Advanced: Sync files with another Mac!

This isn't just a handy cloud back-up and storage tool — you can also use Dropbox to sync files between multiple Macs. Yeah, crazy, we know. Just imagine stepping away from your iMac and opening your MacBook at the coffee shop to have all of your important files, even your desktop, synced right over. Here's how to make that a reality:

  1. Get your folder(s) set up on your primary computer as instructed above.
  2. Install and set up Dropbox on your second computer. It will start to download the folder that you symlinked and uploaded from your primary computer.
  3. Wait for both computers to finish syncing. See that little syncing icon on the Dropbox menu bar icon? That means that Dropbox is still syncing. You want just the open box Dropbox icon, no little sync icon. Seriously. Wait for the sync to finish.
  4. Once the folder is fully downloaded, quit Dropbox on the secondary computer. Seriously, quit Dropbox.
    1. Click on Dropbox in the menu bar.
    2. Click on the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the Dropbox menu.
    3. Click on Quit Dropbox.
  5. On the secondary computer, open the Dropbox folder.
  6. On the secondary computer,drag your synced folder out of the Dropbox folder and into the location where you want it to be. In the case of Documents or Desktop, you'll be replacing an existing folder in your user folder (get to that by opening Documents or Applications and hitting cmd + up arrow).
  7. On the secondary computer, open Terminal and navigate to your Dropbox folder by typing cd /Users/YourMacUsernameHere/Dropbox and then hitting return.
  8. On the secondary computer, create a symlink to the folder you dragged out of Dropbox by typing ln -s ~/FolderNameHere and hitting return.
  9. Double check that both the primary and secondary computers have identically-named symlink files in the exact same Dropbox folder locations.
  10. Re-start Dropbox on the secondary computer (it's in Applications) and give it a moment to sync. If all has gone well, there won't be anything to sync since both folders are identical.

And that's it. Now when you change a file in your symlinked folder on one computer, it will be uploaded to Dropbox and immediately downloaded onto the other computer. Voilà, you're in sync.

Any questions?

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Let us know in the comments!

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