Microsoft OneDrive update will prevent those annoying sync errors

(Image credit: Shutterstock - monticello)

Making sense of your unwieldy Microsoft OneDrive library could soon be a lot easier thanks to a new update.

The cloud storage platform is set to receive a new feature that will allow it to automatically rename files without annoying users with alerts noting that their files or folders have not synced properly.

The change should apply to files with names that contain invalid characters, with the likes of asterisks, forward and backward slashes, and even colons among those that will be replaced.

(ed: Check out our comparisons: Microsoft OneDrive vs Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive vs Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive vs iCloud)

Microsoft OneDrive automatic renaming

In place of the invalid characters, Microsoft says that OneDrive will insert an underscore, hopefully providing a clearer way to keep track of those tricky files.

In its official entry on the Microsoft 365 roadmap, the feature is listed as still being in development, but has an Auugst 2022 release date, meaning a launch shouldn't be too far away.

Interestingly, the feature will initially only be available to Microsoft 365 users on Mac devices - with other platforms having to wait a little longer.

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The news is the latest in a series of updates from Microsoft as it looks to ensure OneDrive remains a useful and intuitive platform for users everywhere.

Recently, the company announced the service is adding the ability to rename your "Add to OneDrive" shortcuts, hopefully making it a lot simpler to track down specific files and folders.

The company also detailed how OneDrive for Business users will soon benefit from a dedicated feed that highlights recent activity associated with their files. A new Activity column in the ‘My Files’ page in OneDrive for Business Web will now show which of your shared documents have unseen edits and comments.

It also unveiled an update that gives users the ability to specify access permissions before copying a sharing link for a file, helping control who has access to their files.

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Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.