Microsoft sprinkles AI 'magic' and additional storage tiers on OneDrive

Big emphasis on photos in mobile app

Microsoft has unveiled a slew of new features for its OneDrive cloud storage service "all through the magic of AI."

Microsoft's AI assistant featured heavily in announcement. The Windows maker says Copilot in OneDrive is available now. The company first discussed new skills in Copilot for OneDrive in 2023. This time, it highlighted the use of the technology to summarize, compare, and "get answers on specific files" without having to open anything.

Also moving from Coming Soon to Now Available are Colored OneDrive folders in Windows File Explorer, "allowing you to personalize and organize your files with vibrant hues." Microsoft also promised updates to Document Libraries and a revamped sharing and collaboration experience.

More interesting, however, are enhancements in search functionality. The company called the upgrades a "game-changer" with additional controls and improved results aimed at making it easier to find a specific file or folder, whether in the user's own OneDrive or a folder from a teammate. Microsoft said the search improvements were "rolling out now" and would be available to all commercial customers by the end of 2024.

Administrators will also welcome upcoming previews of a site policy comparison report to ensure files meet compliance standards and Restricted Content Discoverability (RCD) – a critical feature for businesses considering rolling out Copilot. Files in libraries with the RCD policy configured won't appear in Copilot-generated results.

But what about storage?

While enterprises will be delighted to learn about the new features available now, as well as more coming to OneDrive in 2025, consumers will be more interested in the additional storage tiers. While it hasn't disclosed pricing, Microsoft will be adding 5 TB and 10 TB storage tiers by the end of the year. This is quite a step up from the existing 2 TB made possible in 2019, but a long way from the unlimited storage the company was offering a decade ago before pulling the deal a year later.

Customers will need that extra storage as Microsoft is making images a priority in its mobile application. Alongside enhancements to photo editing and a new natural language search rolling out to Microsoft 365 subscribers now, due to hit all users during the summer of 2025, Microsoft is describing the redesigned app as "a refreshed, photos-first mobile experience." The update is available on Android now, while iOS users have to wait until November.

Microsoft's plans were generally well received, although some expressed concerns about the privacy implications of turning the Copilot AI loose on personal data. Microsoft was quick to respond that "we take data privacy very seriously" and personal data wouldn't be used to train its models.

The Register asked Microsoft how much users should expect to pay for the new storage tiers and whether it might finally ditch the comparatively weedy 1 TB limit (especially considering the focus on photos). We will update this piece if any information is forthcoming. ®