Podcast Summary: Hands-On Windows 165 – The New OneDrive App
Podcast: All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio)
Host: Paul Thurrott
Episode: Hands-On Windows 165: The New OneDrive App
Date: November 6, 2025
Overview
In this episode, Paul Thurrott provides a comprehensive overview of the new OneDrive app for Windows, following Microsoft's recent October 2025 event. He explores the updated interfaces and features rolling out across the web, mobile, and Windows desktop versions of OneDrive, with a special focus on AI-powered tools and enhanced photo management. The discussion touches on what’s available now, what’s coming soon, and how these changes signal a shift toward a smarter, more unified experience for users.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. OneDrive’s Evolution & Event Highlights
- Microsoft’s October 2025 OneDrive event brought both business and consumer updates.
- The major consumer-facing news: an entirely new OneDrive app for Windows that’s starting to appear for some users.
- Significant changes are coming to OneDrive’s integration with Windows, moving beyond File Explorer and basic sync.
“To me, the biggest thing was the announcement of a completely new OneDrive app for Windows which might be changing a lot of different parts of Windows actually...”
— Paul Thurrott [01:16]
2. Web Interface: Cleaner and Smarter
- The web version of OneDrive is now available to all users, featuring a revamped, more visual interface with distinct toggles for Photos and Files.
- Moments Interface: Surfaces memories by showing photos taken on the same day in different years.
- Automatic albums/groups (by people, events, etc.) and improved sharing capabilities.
“They have some nice bits in here like this moments interface which will show you what happened on this day but in different years in the past...”
— Paul Thurrott [01:48]
- Copilot Integration:
- Inline options for generating summaries of documents or creating quick FAQs.
- New Copilot-powered summary goes out when sharing files.
- Visible signs of more AI features arriving soon.
“Eventually we're gonna have a big copilot button down here in the corner. But one thing we do have now is...you can do things with it from here. So, summarize, create a fac and ask a question which is kind of interesting.”
— Paul Thurrott [03:02]
3. Mobile App Updates
- The OneDrive mobile app’s design mirrors the web version — easy navigation between Photos and Files.
- Photo-centric features are emphasized, making it easier to view and manage images.
- Currently, Copilot features are not yet available on mobile but expected soon.
“Because you take photos on your phone, most people do, right? This is a great interface for this particular device...”
— Paul Thurrott [05:07]
4. The New Windows OneDrive App: Where to Find It & What’s New
- Although billed as a 2026 feature, users with the latest Windows 11 builds (24H2, 25H2) may find the new app already tucked away in a hidden folder.
- The new app visually aligns with the web and mobile versions and is much more than just a file viewer — it’s becoming a full-featured gallery and management tool.
How to Access:
- Navigate to:
<User>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneDrive - Look for
OneDriveApp.exe - Alternatively in Program Files (depending on the installation)
“It’s in a kind of a weird location, but if you go into your user account folder and then you have to...AppData...Microsoft...OneDrive...OneDrive app exe.”
— Paul Thurrott [08:55]
AI-Driven Features:
- Enhanced photo editing capabilities, including super resolution and AI upscaling via Microsoft Designer.
- Seamless transition between local (Photos app) and cloud AI tools (Designer).
- Remove objects, blur backgrounds, change colors, and more.
“There are also some interesting capabilities here that are AI based and I’ll say cloud-based in the sense that these are not things that are running on your computer.”
— Paul Thurrott [10:00]
- Designer's “upscale” feature provides clearer, higher-resolution versions of old photos:
“If you look at the small boy on the left — that is my brother Jonathan — his face is really blurry in the original and then really crisp and clear right there. And this is an awesome use for AI, bringing back older photos.”
— Paul Thurrott [13:48]
5. What’s Coming Next: AI Agents and More
- Three new classes of AI agents are coming to OneDrive:
- Photos Agent: Natural language search and album creation.
- Custom Agents: User-created, grounded in specific folders; can summarize events or years based on photos.
- Microsoft 365 Researcher Agent: For complex, multi-step reasoning and summarization (requires Microsoft 365 subscription).
- Features like automatic photo stacking, best shot selection, blurry photo culling, and a ChatGPT-style interface in the OneDrive search bar are on the roadmap.
"They’re really working to turn OneDrive into...a great place not just to store your photos, back them up, but manage, edit, and share them all in one place."
— Paul Thurrott [17:28]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On AI Integration:
"To me, I don't see any quality difference. And that's why this new cloud based way of editing is particularly interesting."
— Paul Thurrott [12:23] -
On Old Photo Restoration:
"This is an awesome use for AI, bringing back older photos. Like, this is really kind of incredible."
— Paul Thurrott [13:48] -
On What's Ahead:
“As is the case with a lot of things these days, more coming soon...We’re going to get three sets of agents, AI agents in OneDrive.”
— Paul Thurrott [15:44] -
On Unifying Experience:
"Even though the app itself is basically a shell around the new OneDrive website, it's a much richer experience than...the gallery view and File Explorer, which never made any sense to me."
— Paul Thurrott [15:03]
Key Timestamps
- 01:16 – Introduction to the new OneDrive and event highlights
- 02:25 – OneDrive web interface walk-through and “Moments”
- 03:02 – Copilot AI integration and summarization
- 05:07 – Mobile app similarities and limitations
- 08:55 – Accessing and demo of the new OneDrive Windows app
- 10:00 – AI photo editing in app vs. local
- 13:48 – AI upscaling and restoration of old photos
- 15:44 – Preview of upcoming AI features and agents
- 17:28 – Vision for OneDrive as a full-service photo hub
Conclusion
Paul Thurrott’s in-depth walkthrough of the new OneDrive app emphasizes Microsoft’s push toward a smarter, AI-driven, and unified cloud experience. While not all features are yet available on every platform, significant improvements—especially in photo management and document intelligence—are rolling out now, with even more powerful AI-driven tools coming soon. The episode provides both practical pointers and a glimpse of a more intuitive, helpful future for OneDrive users.