Microsoft claims that OneDrive is more than just simple cloud storage

OneDrive is Microsoft's premier cloud storage solution that comes bundled in Microsoft 365 subscription plans and standalone packages. The service also offers deep integration with Windows, but there are signs that native integration may be discontinued in Samsung Galaxy phones soon. Now, Microsoft has emphasized that OneDrive is much more than simple cloud storage.

In a blog post, Microsoft has described OneDrive as a "productivity powerhouse" that offers multiple benefits apart from just storing your files on the cloud. These features may not be new to customers who actively use the service, but it seems that Microsoft is intent on proving that OneDrive is much different than its competitors.

Some capabilities offered by OneDrive include real-time collaboration with Office applications and automatic backup of files stored on your PCs, which means that you don't have to worry about damage to your physical hardware. In addition, files stored on OneDrive are accessible across multiple platforms and devices, and offer full version history and recovery capabilities. Finally, Files On-Demand is a nifty feature that allows you to view and manage content directly in File Explorer on Windows, without requiring you to download files.

For those unaware, Microsoft offers 5GB of OneDrive storage (plus 10GB of mailbox storage) for free to all customers, which is slightly less than the 15GB that Google Drive provides. Beyond that, customers have the ability to purchase 100GB of OneDrive storage for $19.99/year through Microsoft 365 Basic. Both the aforementioned plans offer free access to mobile and web versions of certain Office applications.

After that, the cost of OneDrive gets factored into Microsoft 365 Personal and Microsoft 365 Family, carrying a price tag of $99.99/year and $129.99/year, respectively. Storage comes in at 1TB per person too, but the deal is sweetened primarily because of access to desktop versions of Office applications, with Copilot included. This is where OneDrive primarily differentiates itself from its competitors, so Microsoft may claim that OneDrive is a productivity powerhouse, but it arguably matters if you can actually access your Office files in desktop apps - and that is where more expensive tiers of Microsoft 365 start to make sense.

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Posted Friday 26 September 2025 at 6:05 pm AEST (my time).

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