OneDrive is available as both a Desktop and Cloud-Based application. The Desktop application must be installed on your device in order to access it, while the Cloud-Based application can be accessed from Office365.com. There are minor functional differences between the two applications that we will explore on this page.
| OneDrive Desktop Application | OneDrive Cloud Application |
|---|
How it's accessed: | From your desktop computer | From Office365.com or OneDrive.com |
Pros: | - Selective sync ensures that files and folders are always available offline
- Can moves files between synced libraries using the native File Explorer experience
- Files automatically sync in the background
- Better bandwidth utilization as it doesn't require to re-download content when opening a file
- You can choose to save documents directly to OneDrive
| - Touch-friendly user interface
- You can view all your files stored in the cloud
- You can download files for offline viewing
- You can connect multiple accounts
- There isn't operating system integration, as such you can uninstall the app at any time
- It doesn't impact local storage
|
Cons: | - You have to select the specific content to sync to your computer
- You can't view files that aren't synced to your computer
- Requires more hard drive space to store data offline
- You can't add multiple Microsoft Accounts
| - Requires a reliable internet connection all the time
- You can't sync files automatically
- You can't download folders
- You can create duplicate files as you make content available offline
- Download require every time you open a file consuming more bandwidth
- Large files can take a long time to download
|
