OneDrive

OneDrive is Microsoft's desktop cloud-storage synchronization client. On a Mac it integrates cloud files into Finder, helping individuals and organizations keep selected files available across devices and work with OneDrive and supported SharePoint libraries. It suits users who need Microsoft-account storage or access to their organization's Microsoft 365 files.

Sync and file availability

Files On-Demand shows cloud files in Finder without initially downloading their entire contents. Opening an online-only file downloads it and requires connectivity. Always Keep on This Device downloads content for offline use, while Free Up Space removes local downloaded content while preserving its cloud copy. Files marked for offline use still occupy local storage, and metadata or caches can use space even when content is online-only.

Sync is bidirectional: adding, changing or deleting a synchronized file can propagate to the cloud and other devices. Moving a file outside the OneDrive folder can remove it from OneDrive after downloading it to the destination. Free Up Space is different from deleting a file. Recycle-bin recovery, version history and organizational retention have their own rules; syncing is not an independent immutable backup.

Sharing links and access controls depend on your account and organizational policies. OneDrive can synchronize supported SharePoint document libraries with work or school accounts. Features such as required file check-out and Copilot have specific account, license, policy and rollout requirements; downloading the app does not enable every Microsoft 365 feature.

Install and first setup

Install with brew install --cask onedrive, or use the official Mac standalone installer. This Cask installs the standalone OneDrive.pkg, not the Mac App Store edition. Run OneDrive, sign in with your personal Microsoft account or work/school account, and follow setup to select the appropriate sync location and folders. Review folder-backup choices rather than assuming every local folder should be uploaded.

A supported Mac and internet connection are needed to sign in and synchronize. The package installer may request administrator authorization. Grant macOS file and folder permissions required by the features you choose, including protected-folder access when enabling folder backup. Finder integration and File Provider manage cloud-file availability; this is not a reason to grant unrelated Accessibility, Input Monitoring or Screen Recording permissions.

The recorded Cask conflicts with microsoft-office and microsoft-office-businesspro, which can overlap in bundled components. Avoid installing duplicate standalone and App Store sync clients for the same setup. Microsoft identifies their File Provider and bundle identifiers separately; this package uses the standalone com.microsoft.OneDrive family.

Accounts, storage and fees

You need an active Microsoft personal account or an authorized work/school account. OneDrive supports only one personal account in the sync app but can have multiple work/school accounts. Organization administrators can restrict sign-in, sharing, synchronization and device access. A Microsoft account password is not interchangeable with every organization's sign-in or multifactor policy.

The client download is free. Personal storage has free and paid plans, while work/school entitlements depend on the organization's subscriptions. Cloud capacity, file availability and premium features depend on the applicable plan; installing OneDrive does not grant unlimited storage or an Office/Copilot subscription. Check Microsoft's current plan terms, quota and regional offers rather than assuming a fixed price or capacity for every account.

Mac requirements and package size

Microsoft's current English system-requirements page requires macOS 15.8 or newer, Apple Silicon or Intel, at least 1 GB RAM, a minimum 1024 by 576 display and case-insensitive APFS. The recorded Cask declares macOS 14, and some older feature and localized support pages list lower versions. Follow the current central support requirements when planning a supported installation rather than treating an older Files On-Demand requirement as the current client minimum.

The recorded standalone installer is a Universal Mac package, version 26.153.0809.0004, with an HTTP Content-Length of 313,891,319 bytes. Installed size, caches and downloaded cloud files require additional space. The Cask declares no extra formula dependency. Microsoft also offers Windows, mobile and web experiences separately; this Mac package is not those clients and its release notes must not be read as Windows feature promises.

Updates, privacy and license

The standalone client supports automatic updates, and feature releases can roll out gradually independently of the installed build. Personal and business account capabilities can differ even on the same version. Uploading or synchronizing files transfers data to the configured Microsoft service and can make it available to authorized recipients or organizational administrators under the relevant policies.

OneDrive is proprietary Microsoft software governed by the applicable software license terms and Microsoft service or organizational agreements. It is not an open-source sync client. Review the service terms and privacy information before synchronizing confidential material. The app does not make every shared link private by default or bypass a tenant's policies.

The icon is Microsoft Corporation's official Mac App Store artwork, used as the product mark. The screenshot is a historical Microsoft support example of OneDrive actions in Mac Finder, including offline availability and Free Up Space; it is not a fresh capture of version 26.153.0809.0004.

Sources: OneDrive overview, Current requirements, Mac Files On-Demand, Standalone and Store editions, Mac release notes, Microsoft services agreement, Privacy statement.