OneDrive gives Macs a million things to keep in sync

Microsoft is raising OneDrive's supported macOS sync limit to one million items, matching Windows, alongside new Copilot features, sharing controls, and an admin command-line tool.

The macOS preview is scheduled for the Insiders ring this month, with general availability targeted for June 2027. Eligible devices must meet hardware and configuration requirements; others retain the existing 300,000-item supported limit.

"This increase is intended to help organizations with large OneDrive and SharePoint libraries sync more content reliably across devices," Microsoft said.

However, sync performance may suffer for large numbers of read-only files or accounts under legal hold. "We are actively working to improve performance and reliability for these scenarios," Microsoft said.

Microsoft's cull of OneDrive's File Explorer shortcuts wasn't a retreat from AI. Its latest announcement gives Copilot more to do.

The assistant can now be asked to analyze across files (for example, selecting several spreadsheets and getting the bot to come up with charts and graphs), told to organize folders, or save a repeated workflow as a personal skill in a Markdown file. There is also a Prompt Gallery to save the user from having to come up with their own ideas.

Perhaps most interesting is the addition of "Hero Links," designed to end the proliferation of links to files and folders in OneDrive as permission needs change. The feature provides one link per file and folder by default, with permissions that can be updated while keeping the same URL.

Automatic expiration controls are still coming, however. Organizations that require time-limited access will want to check that gap before adopting the feature.

Administrators also get a OneDrive Sync command-line tool, available in private preview, for inspecting accounts, configuration, policies, and sync status. The tool can pull information from the OneDrive sync client and provide data on status, policy troubleshooting, and issue diagnosis, from folder backup and policy problems on a single PC to identifying devices that need attention across an organization.

And yes, there is, of course, integration with AI agents. ®