Can I delete a SkyDrive folder from my computer but not from SkyDrive cloud storage?

Question

I have a Windows 8.1 computer, and all my SkyDrives files show in c:\Users\MyUserName\SkyDrive.

I wanted to move all my pictures to SkyDrive, so I moved all of them to my SkyDrive folder.

But now I want to free that space these pictures use. Is there any way to remove the files from my computer without erasing them from my SkyDrive?

Answer 1

This can be done. Skydrive has a new feature called Smart Files, which allows you to selectively sync.

Open your Skydrive folder, in the Desktop, not Metro, select the Details view, and note the column 'Availability'. This tells you whether the files are on your computer ('Available offline') or in Skydrive only ('Online-only').

You can right-click on a file or folder and there's a context-sensitive menu entry to change the online status. In your case you'd want to select 'Make available online-only'.

There's an introduction to the feature here: Skydrive Introduces Smart Files

and a more detailed description of the process I'm describing here (it's the first answer, by 'Vasudev'): 'How can I delete folders from my HDD without deleting them in Skydrive'

Update: There's also a way to do this from the Metro ("Modern") Skydrive app. Open it, make sure you have Skydrive selected in the top-left corner. Right-click or press and hold to select a file or folder, and you'll see in the middle of the app bar which appears at the bottom of the screen, a button for Make offline/online. Details and screenshots here: Deeper Skydrive Integration in Windows 8.1

Answer 2

You should be able to efficiently do this simply by choosing which folders to sync with your device.

1. Go to the icons at the right side of the tool bar (Windows 7 - use the arrow symbol to see hidden icons). Right click the OneDrive icon (looks like a cloud) and choose settings.
2. Inside Settings pick the "Choose Folders" tab.
3. Click the "Choose Folders" button and then pick "Choose Folders to Sync".
4. From here it should be simple to pick the folders you would like to Sync (Note: you cannot choose individual files) and unselect the folders you do not want synced. Any folders that are unselected will be removed from the computer but remain online.