Allow priority settings for files being uploaded
I'm currently uploading a high amount of data (I selected all the files I wanted and copied them to onedrive folder) and it's taking a lot of time. The problem is that some files are more important to me than others and I need them to be uploaded first. It would be great if I could make certain files/ folders that are being uploaded a priority so that those files with higher priority will be the first uploaded (for example, bittorent has this option when downloading files). It would take me a lot of time to cancel the upload and just copy/paste each file in the order I want them to be uploaded.

Thanks for the suggestion.
63 comments
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Jedediah commented
Here's a workaround I just discovered. It mainly works when you have large files blocking the upload but you need the small files to process first. Look in the upload center at the files that are hogging the upload, navigate to their directory, and rename them with a Z in front. For instance, Videos becomes ZVideos and Pictures becomes ZPictures. So far as I can tell, OneDrive either prioritizes alphabetically or by last modified so this resolves both issues and lets you easily find the files later. It's just as quick as a Microsoft implemented solution, and you don't have to wait another 5 years for them to put it on there.
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Michael Hutchens commented
As per all the comments below it's insane that this wasn't included as a standard feature in the first release of OneDrive, as it's such an obvious problem that everyone comes across the moment they start using the platform on any meaningful level.
Microsoft really needs to allocate some of their Azure sales team budget to the OneDrive/SharePoint engineering teams.
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Stuart Gower commented
I live in a rural area with very poor upload speeds (0.1 Mbps) I have spent the last week uploading photo image files, and every time I alter an essential business file it does not update without manual intervention?!
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Katka commented
How can this not be an option?? Why has Microsoft not created an option to prioritize certain file uploads over others?? It makes it so difficult if you have to share a file from Onedrive, but cannot until gigabytes of data are all uploaded... how is it possible that someone at Microsoft hasn't come up with a solution???
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Mouses commented
Since 2015 and still no priority settings for up/downloads... I work in different computers on my company and they get constantly wiped for security reasons so I have to wait until everything syncs everytime I want to access some file... Sometimes I just need 1 folder but I need to wait until OneDrive decides to start syncing that folder...
Only workaround I have found is to just check what I critically want to use and then check it all when I have got what I really need because later on I will need most of the files I have in OneDrive for my daily work.
Anyways this is not a way to have an app, we are not supposed to do workarounds!!!! Please implement priority files/folders or customizable download/upload order ASAP!
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ab commented
There are a bunch of similar ideas on here re prioritising sync - when will microsoft act on this?????
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Anonymous commented
Jason Moore, do something! My onedrive is looking for changes for a week, found 361 changes and none was made! It's one week man! I need some files, some I don't. Let me choose please! Or make it work!
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Cory Macdonald commented
Another important reason for this - this month I've only got very limited data (20GB) available, and don't want to be syncing all my files. I just want to sync the ones I need to do for my work, then pause syncing until I have more data available. I'm sure this happens more often for people who work abroad, too.
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Anonymous commented
OneDrive long sync was stuck on 1 thumbs file..rest of the 20000 files didn't continue. Real stressful situation for an shoulder be overnight migration...priority sync needs to be scheduled soon.
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IT aanspreekpunt commented
This really needs to be implemented. How long will this stay on thinking about it? it takes very long to sync small libraries with a lot of small files. Onedrive keeps processing until all smaller files are done. So users cant contineu working on priority files someone else needs...
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Hal Scholz commented
I was struggling with this as well, but just found that I could open the web version and drag/drop the files I really needed and they went immediately to the server.
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Switching back to Dropbox commented
Pretty sure Jason quit under the immense pressure of implementing this basic feature that ANY sort of sync software should have. Microsoft, it is well overdue to ditch SP and purchase a company that actually has some experience in this field.
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Dave commented
OMG. OneDrive is completely worthless. At the current rate of requiring everything to upload without ability to select which files to upload, it will take 15 months, 3 weeks, and 5 days of bringing my DSL Internet connection to a complete standstill to sync 600GB. That assumes I don't add any new files in the next year, which of course would a reasonable assumption given how my computer would be as responsive as a 38-year old Commodore 64. I'm turning this feature off until Microsoft actually puts a development team back on this product.
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Caleb soper commented
lets go Jack ****, we all need this implemented
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Anonymous commented
MIcrosoft, please implement this 5 year old request before we all retire. Even a simple right-click upload now would be great. Thanks
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Levi Collinsworth commented
This feature literally requires one piece of logic in the code that would look a little like (and I don't have it 100% accurate, because I simplified it and I don't know what they named their methods and variables or how they structured the source code)
if( User.OnClick(SyncPriority))
{
Menu.Display(1,2);
if( User.OnClick(1))
{
File1.PrioritySync(1);
File2.PrioritySync(2);
}
if( User.OnClick(2))
{
File1.PrioritySync(2);
File2.PrioritySync(1);
}
else
{
}
}
else
{
}This feature is absolutely necessary for students, programmers, office workers, etc.
Stop just "thinking about it". I've got a class in which I have to make a game in Unity, and OneDrive is just stuck syncing literally everything else first.
To be perfectly clear, I'm not invoking hyperbole when using the term "literally".
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Anonymous commented
Jason Moore, Are you done "thinking about it"? Or do you still need a couple more YEARS???????
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Anonymous commented
It's been years. I don't believe this feature is so technically difficult.
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passerby commented
今日は9012-01-21、この問題はまだ解決出来ない
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Anonymous commented
A huge ditto on this one!!! I need to keep my computer locked down and off at nights or times when I'm not in office (HIPAA regs), so some of the most important files don't get updated. Hugely inconvenient.