When you have files-on-demand activated on OneDrive, only a placeholder exists for a file until you use it. And when an app tries to access it, OneDrive downloads the file to the disk. This process is called ‘hydration’ – I love this name.
And when this happens, a Windows Notification is triggered. You can cancel the download from there. If you happen to cancel downloads a few times, the prompt asks whether you want to block the app making these requests.
I had a folder full of files I was stacking on Power Query. I was not ready to load the query, but PowerQuery triggered a flurry of these notifications for the preview. I cancelled the download a few times and inadvertently blocked Power Query (Mashup Container) from automatically hydrating files.
Since then, any query that tried to access a “dehydrated” file failed. This was extremely annoying. I had to manually force download the file from File Explorer before running my queries. I wanted to sort this issue quickly, but I could not find a solution. Even Microsoft Copilot sent me in circles. Finally, we gave up and I started drafting an email to the IT team at work.
I needed a screenshot of the notification for that email. Since it stopped showing up, I went to Google to find an image, and I found this one right here. I was curious to find out which page had used it, and that is how I stumbled across the solution.
Go to Windows Settings > Privacy > Automatic file downloads. Click on the ‘Allow’ button. Then select the App to unblock.
Have you ever blocked an application like this before? Sound off on the comments below.
Here is a link to the Article that saved my life: Automatic file download notifications in Windows | Microsoft Support
