How to Turn OneDrive Audio Files into a Podcast Feed

What the OneDrive to RSS Workflow Looks Like

OneDrive is a natural home for audio — it's built into Windows, preinstalled on most PCs, and available anywhere via the web and mobile apps. But OneDrive's own player has no position memory across devices, no offline queue, and none of the playback features podcast listeners expect, like sleep timers or speed control. Podcast apps have all of that — they just need an RSS feed. PushPod bridges the gap with the Cloud-to-Podcast Sync Pipeline: it watches your OneDrive folder, maps file metadata into episodes, and regenerates a standard RSS feed (per the RSS 2.0 specification) whenever the folder changes.

The whole flow takes about 15 minutes the first time and zero minutes after that.

Prerequisites

• Audio files (MP3, M4A/M4B) stored in — or ready to move to — OneDrive
• A PushPod account (start with the free trial)
• A podcast app that accepts custom RSS URLs: Pocket Casts, Overcast, Apple Podcasts, AntennaPod, and similar

Step 1: Organize Your Audio Files in OneDrive

• Connect your OneDrive account first — PushPod creates a PushPod directory in your OneDrive (Files → PushPod). One folder inside it = one podcast feed, e.g. PushPod/Commute Lectures.
• Use consistent filenames — files without ID3 tags fall back to the filename, so 01 - Introduction.mp3, 02 - Methods.mp3 keeps order clear.
• Prefer date prefixes for chronological series — 2026-08-15 - Standup.mp3 sorts naturally and reads well in the player.
• Keep subfolders flat — treat the folder as the episode list for that feed.

Step 2: Grant PushPod Read-Only Access to Your OneDrive

• In PushPod, connect your Microsoft account from the storage settings — you can connect multiple OneDrive accounts if you split audio across them.
• Approve the read-only scope — PushPod can list and stream files but never modifies, renames or deletes anything in your OneDrive.
• Your files stay in your OneDrive the entire time; PushPod only generates the feed that points at them.

Step 3: Generate Your Custom RSS Link

• Create the podcast for your OneDrive folder — PushPod builds the feed and shows its private RSS URL.
• The URL is unlisted and tokenized — anyone without the exact URL cannot find your feed (see Creating a Private Podcast Feed for Personal or Team Use).
• Copy the URL — you'll paste it into your player next.

Step 4: Subscribe in Your Preferred Podcast Player

• Pocket Casts: Profile → Add Podcast → Add by URL
• Overcast: Add (+) → Add URL
• Apple Podcasts: Library → Edit → Add a Podcast by URL
• AntennaPod: Add Podcast → Add Podcast by RSS address

Episodes load immediately; the app then refreshes the feed on its own schedule.

How Automatic File Monitoring Keeps the Feed Current

PushPod monitors the connected OneDrive folder for changes through Microsoft Graph. When it sees a new audio file it re-indexes the folder, maps metadata (ID3 tags first, filename fallback per the ID3 standard), and regenerates the feed. Your player's next refresh picks up the new episode — you never touch PushPod again after setup.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• File not appearing: confirm it is inside the exact folder connected to the podcast, and that it's an audio format (MP3/M4A/M4B) — not a OneNote notebook or a video-only export
• Wrong episode title: fix the ID3 title tag or rename the file — the feed reflects metadata on the next sync
• Player won't accept the URL: make sure you copied the complete URL including its access token; Spotify will never work — it doesn't accept custom feeds
• Episodes in the wrong order: use numeric or date prefixes in filenames, as described in Step 1