Microsoft Releases Preview of 64-Bit OneDrive Client for Windows Systems -- Redmondmag.com

Microsoft Releases Preview of 64-Bit OneDrive Client for Windows Systems

By Kurt Mackie
04/08/2021

Microsoft announced on Thursday that a 64-bit OneDrive storage service sync client at the preview stage is now available for Windows 10 systems with x64-based processors.

This 64-bit OneDrive client preview is available for work, school or home users. If users already have the OneDrive client, then they've likely got the 32-bit version installed. The 64-bit preview is new.

Version Caveat
This release is still a preview, and Microsoft offered the following caveat for people or organizations wanting to install the new OneDrive 64-bit client:

To move from the 32-bit to 64-bit (or vice versa) you'll need to make sure the OneDrive version you install is the same version as you currently have, or newer.

Steps to check the OneDrive version that's installed on a machine can be found in this Microsoft document.

Microsoft's announcement didn't indicate the version number of the 64-bit OneDrive client preview that's been released. Only a direct download link to the 64-bit version is accessible within Microsoft's announcement, so its version number isn't apparent. Users could check for version compatibility after the download completes, perhaps.

Client Options
Users with Windows 64-bit operating systems having x64-based processors have the option to use either the 32-bit OneDrive client or the 64-bit preview version, but not both. Microsoft isn't supporting having both versions installed on a system.

The 64-bit OneDrive client was described in a Microsoft FAQ document as being "the right choice if you plan to use large files, if you have a lot of files, and if you have a computer that's running a 64-bit version of Windows." Advantages include better processing power and memory improvements over the 32-bit version.

When the 64-bit version gets commercially released (known as the "general availability" stage), Microsoft is planning to automatically upgrade eligible OneDrive installations, per the FAQ document:

After the 64-bit OneDrive is generally available, your device will be automatically updated to 64-bit if it meets the requirements.

ARM Support Coming
Users having devices based on ARM64 hardware are advised to use the 32-bit OneDrive client.

However, Microsoft is working on adding ARM64 support, according to Omar Shahine, vice president of product for Microsoft OneDrive, SharePoint, Lists and Viva Connections and Topics, in a recent Twitter post. The timeline wasn't described, though.

About the Author

Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group.

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