3 Ways to Enable and Disable Offline Files in Windows 10

Offline Files in Windows 10 is a great convenience for end-users. It lets you access, edit, and update your files anytime, anywhere, even without an internet connection. But do you know how to enable or disable it? This article introduces three practical methods to enable or disable offline files in Windows 10. After reading this, you can choose any method based on your needs. Before diving into the hands-on methods, let's first have a brief understanding of what Offline Files are.

What are offline files?

In the past, files stored on a computer network could only be accessed when connected to it. However, things have changed, thanks to the Sync Center in Windows 10, which keeps copies of files stored on the network. These copies are called offline files, and you can access and edit them without being connected to the network.

Having offline copies of files stored online is a handy feature, but there are some prerequisites to enabling and disabling them. Let's take a closer look.

Prerequisites for Enabling and Disabling Offline Files

There are a few prerequisites to enable or disable offline files. First, it's best to use any version of the Windows 10 operating system. Offline Files works best with Windows 10, but there are still millions of users on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1.

If you're using Windows 8 or 8.1, you can use the Offline Files feature to work on your files while you're away. However, if you're still using Windows 7, you'll need to check which edition you have, as Offline Files is only available in some editions of Windows 7, such as Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise.

To check which version of Windows 7 you're using, click the “Start” button, type “Computer” in the search box, and press “Enter.” Right-click “Computer” and select “Properties.” Here, you can see which version is installed on your computer.

Three Ways to Enable or Disable Offline Files in Windows 10

This article will discuss how to enable and disable offline files in Windows 10. If you're a Windows 10 user, you have three practical methods at your disposal that can be accomplished in just a few steps.

Method 1: Enable or Disable Offline Files through Sync Center

The "Sync Center" is the official gateway to enabling or disabling offline files in Windows 10. It's a built-in utility that creates copies of files stored on a network or server. Here's how to use it.

**Step 1:** Click the Start menu, and type "Control Panel" into the search bar, then open it. If you've previously set up Sync Center, you'll find it here; if not, search for it within Control Panel. Click the Sync Center icon.

(Chart via Sync Center)

Step 2: On the left, you will see the “Manage Offline Files” option – click on it to proceed.

(Image courtesy of Sync Center 2.)

Step 3: Check the box next to “Enable Offline Files,” and then click OK at the bottom.

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Step 4: A window will pop up asking you to restart your computer for the changes to take effect. Click “Yes,” and your offline files will be enabled.

(Image courtesy of Sync Center 4)

5. To disable Offline Files, open Manage Offline Files again; then click the Disable Offline Files option and click OK.


6. Restart your computer. The window will reappear. Click “OK” to successfully disable Offline Files.

【Related article】Sync Center not working in Windows 10

Method 2: Enable or disable Offline Files through Group Policy Editor

Another way to enable or disable Offline Files in Windows 10 is through the Local Group Policy Editor. It's a Windows management tool used for managing and configuring various key settings. Here's how to use this editor to enable or disable Offline Files:

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor by typing “Edit group policy” in the search bar.

Step 2. In the left pane of the Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to the following path:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Offline Files

Step 3: In the right pane of Local Group Policy Editor, locate and double-click on Allow or disallow use of the Offline Files feature.

A new window will open displaying three different options: Not Configured, Enabled, and Disabled. Choose either “Enabled” or “Disabled” as per your requirement, and then click “OK” to finalize the process.

Method 3: Enable or Disable Offline Files through the Registry

Windows 10 lets you enable or disable Offline Files through the Windows Registry, a database containing all the setting files for apps on your operating system. You can use this method by following the step-by-step process below.

Step 1. Press the Win + R keys to open the Run command.

Step 2. Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor. If User Account Control asks you if you want to allow the app to make changes, click Yes.

Step 3. In the left panel of Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CSC

This line of code represents an image tag with the following attributes: - The alternative text for the image is "registry-2" - The original height of the image is 354 pixels - The source path for the image is "/images/en/wiki-news/reg-editor-1.png" - The original width of the image is 700 pixels.

Step 4: Right-click in the right pane of Registry Editor and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

This is an HTML image tag that displays an image with the description "registry-3". The original image has a width of 700 pixels and a height of 362 pixels. The source path for the image data is "/images/en/wiki-news/reg-editor-2.png".

Step 5: Rename its value to “Start” and change the value in the Number Data field from 20 to 1.

This code represents an image tag in HTML, used to display an image. The attributes translated into English are as follows: - `alt`: The alternative text for the image, which is "registry-4" in Chinese. - `height`: The height of the image, stated as "359 pixels" in Chinese. - `data-src`: The source URL of the image, translated as "/images/en/wiki-news/reg-editor-3.png" in Chinese. - `width`: The width of the image, indicated as "700 pixels" in Chinese.

Step 6. Next, go to the Csc folder under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services key. Create a new DWORD value named Start and set its value data to 2. This will enable Offline Files on the computer.

This is an HTML image tag that displays an image with the description "registry-5". The original image has a height of 359 pixels and a width of 700 pixels. The source path for the image data is "/images/en/wiki-news/reg-editor-4.png".

Step 7. Change the value data of both Start values you created in CSC and CscService to 4 to disable Offline Files on Windows 10.

### Tip 4: Back Up Your Files with Cloud Backup Software

Over time, your computer may contain many important files. Storing them on your computer takes up disk space and makes them vulnerable to virus attacks. Then you can use professional backup software to back up files. The practical file backup tool Todo Backup is at your service.

Todo Backup Home is a versatile backup tool for Windows 11/10/8/7. It helps you back up your system, disks, partitions, and more. It allows you to automatically back up files to an external hard drive, create scheduled backups, as well as perform full, incremental, and differential backups. You can easily migrate Windows 10 from HDD to SSD and clone your hard drive. Most importantly, it offers 250GB of free cloud storage space to cater to your various storage needs.

Here are the steps to back up your computer files.

Step 2: There are four backup categories, Files, Disk, OS, and Mail. Please click on “Files”.

**Step 3:** On the left, you'll see Local Files and Network Files. Expand the folders to locate your backup file.

Step 4: Follow the on-screen instructions to choose where you want to save your backup.

Click the “Options” button, go to “Backup Options,” set a password for your backup, and then click “Backup Schedule” to set when you want it to run. You can also choose other options to suit your specific needs.

Next up, we just need the translation in American English:

Step 5: Backups can be stored on a local disk, an online service, or a network-attached storage (NAS) device.

Step 6: Todo Backup lets you back up your data to third-party cloud storage or to your own cloud storage.

If you want to back up your data to a cloud drive provided by a third party, choose “Local Disk,” scroll down to add “Cloud Device,” and then add and sign in to your account.

You can also choose Todo Backup Cloud Drive. Sign up for a Todo Backup account, then click Todo Cloud and log in.

Step 7. Click Backup Now to start the backup process. When complete, the backup job will appear as a card on the left pane. Right-click the backup job for further processing.

Bottom line

The new hybrid work environment has doubled the need for offline files. Being able to access, edit, and update shared files online while working remotely is crucial. Windows 10 offers the functionality to make files available offline. Moreover, enabling or disabling this feature is a simple process that can be accomplished with just a few steps. This article presents three straightforward methods to easily complete this task.

Frequently Asked Questions

**What happens if I turn off offline files?**

If you turn off offline files, the Windows Sync Center no longer creates an available copy on a connected server or network.

How do I get my folder back online?

Open File Explorer, then click the ribbon tab. Click the “Ease of Access” dropdown, and select “Map Network Drive.” You can reconnect to your network from here.

How do I change an offline file to an online file?

Open the Sync Center from the Control Panel, and then choose Manage Offline Files from the left pane. On the General tab, check Enable Offline Files, and click OK.

How do I know if the Offline Files feature is enabled?

Open the Synchronization Center, and then look at the General tab. If you see “Enable Offline Files,” it's currently disabled. If you see “Disable Offline Files,” it's currently enabled.