I'm considering setting up OneDrive to sync known folders—like Desktop, Documents, and Pictures—to make switching machines easier. Our computers are domain-joined but not hybrid joined, and currently, we don't have them in Intune. We recently gained access to Microsoft 365 and are using local Active Directory servers. Is there any reason we shouldn't proceed with this plan?
If we do go ahead, I need clarification on the Group Policy settings I should use. I want to redirect these folders without the users being aware. Here are the settings I'm thinking of:
* Silently sign in users to the OneDrive sync app with their Windows credentials: Enabled
* Prevent users from syncing personal OneDrive accounts: Enabled
* Prevent users from redirecting their Windows known folders to their PC: Enabled
* Silently move Windows known folders to OneDrive: Enabled, plus I'll add the tenant ID and turn off notifications for users after the redirection.
Will these settings successfully redirect all user folders to OneDrive without them noticing? And after implementation, can they still access their Desktop, Documents, and Pictures via Quick Access in File Explorer, or will they have to dig into the OneDrive folder? If all goes well, will this maintain local copies of their files as well?
4 Answers
You might want to set up a new Organizational Unit (OU) for this purpose. Create the Group Policy Object (GPO) with your OneDrive settings, test it on a single computer, and see how it performs. Remember, files can stay local or be cloud-only based on available disk space.
I wasn't a fan of folder redirection in my past experience due to some user confusion. If you aren't using folder redirection yet, I've found success creating junctions in the OneDrive folder for user folders like Desktop and Documents. It feels seamless for users and avoids some pitfalls of traditional redirection.
Make sure to inform your users about this change, as some of them might have a lot of data that will take days to sync to OneDrive. It's not something they should be caught off-guard with.
It's important to first check if you currently use folder redirection policies. If so, you'll have to revert those back to the C drive before applying OneDrive policies. This was a challenge we faced at my company when we had user folders pointing to a server. Once we redirected them back to C drive, we could then set up OneDrive appropriately. It's crucial to manage this transition carefully.
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