Fetch files on your PC is a feature introduced when OneDrive still had the SkyDrive name and it’s a fantastic feature often overlooked by many users. The fetching feature allows you to get (fetch) all your files from a remote PC you have connected to your OneDrive account.
Through the OneDrive website, you can get access to all the files on every drive connected to that particular PC, including USB drives, secondary hard drives, and network locations, if they are included in the Windows Libraries or they mapped drives. You can even stream videos and load slideshows.
It’s a complete remote files access solution for home users that overcomes the space limitations in the cloud storage service.
While accessing files remotely is a feature included on OneDrive for Windows 7, Microsoft removed the feature for Windows 8.1, and brought it back with Windows 10.
In this guide, you’ll learn the step-by-step instructions to enable to fetch files on your PC from anywhere.
How to fetch files remotely using OneDrive on Windows 10
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Right-click the OneDrive cloud icon on the notification area (systray) at the bottom-right corner of the screen and select Settings.
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Check the Let me use OneDrive to fetch any of my files on this PC.
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Click OK to complete the task.
The best way to make sure it’s working, go to another computer, sign-in to the OneDrive website, and from the left pane, under PCs, click the PC you just enable the fetching and now you should be able to access all of your files remotely.
Keep in mind that the computer needs to be powered-on and connected to the network in order to work. Although, we’ve seen and use this feature before, it was a lost in Windows 8.1, and it’s good to see that Microsoft is bringing it back in Windows 10.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].