Towards the end of March this year, Microsoft announced that it would soon start prompting users to back up and sync their files to OneDrive. The company published the news on its Microsoft 365 (M365) Admin Center portal, where it said that "eligible" M365 users will be prompted to do so.
The tech giant is making backup a big part of Windows 11 as well with a new migration tool inside its official Backup app.
Microsoft shared a list of all the advantages of OneDrive's known folder move (KFM) to help users and admins understand why such a move would be beneficial to end users, aside from the obvious one of backup. It wrote:
When users are enrolled in KFM, the files in their enrolled folder benefit from the advantages of cloud files:
- Copilot support: Files are Copilot-enabled, making it simple and intuitive to access and leverage Copilot.Easy collaboration: Cloud files enable sharing, commenting, and easy collaboration, with AutoSave ensuring changes are frequently and consistently saved.
- Access from anywhere: Cloud files can be accessed from Windows, Mac, the web, iOS, and Android with synchronized changes.
- Increased security and compliance: Enterprises can increase security and compliance, because all cloud files are subject to default classification, labeling, and protection (CLP) policies and auto-labeling.
- Backup: Protection from data loss due to device failure.
- Access to cloud-specific features like AutoSave and Version History
- After enrolling, users can access their files in the known folders in File Explorer or OneDrive.
However, similar to the other recent delays for Microsoft 365 (M365) feature rollouts like unified app management for M365 products and changes to the New Outlook enablement option, the OneDrive prompts schedule has been pushed back too. A new M365 Admin Center message ID has been issued as well, and the feature is not arriving before June 2025.
Microsoft writes:
Updated May 15, 2025: We have updated the timeline below. Thank you for your patience.
This message replaces MC1024398 (Updated) Microsoft 365 apps: We will prompt users to back up their files in Microsoft OneDrive (published March 2025, updated March 2025) and includes additional details. Please refer to this new post going forward:
Coming soon: Eligible users will be prompted in the Message Bar below the toolbar in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows desktops to enroll in OneDrive Known Folder Move (KFM). Users will be able to select the folders to back up in Microsoft OneDrive.
When this will happen:
Public Preview: We will begin rolling out mid-April 2025 and expect to complete by late April 2025.
General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out mid-May 2025 (previously early May) and expect to complete by mid-June 2025.
Despite all these delays, there is a big positive regarding M365 apps that the company announced recently. Neowin, a few days ago, noticed that Microsoft had quietly extended support for the service on Windows 10 up to 2028.
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