OneDrive Not Syncing or Uploading Files? Try These Fixes

Common causes

• A file that’s open in another app
• OneDrive storage that’s full
• Characters or names that aren’t allowed in the file name
• A file path that’s too long
• A file that’s too big for your browser or account
• Missing permission to the file or to the folder you upload to
• File types blocked by your work or school admin
• A lost connection during the upload, or not being signed in

Step-by-Step Solutions

Start with the step that matches the message OneDrive shows, then work through the rest in order.

1. 1

   Step 1: Close the file in the other app

   A file stored on OneDrive can’t sync while an app has it open.

   If you see “This file can’t be synced” with “This file is in use by another application”, close the file. This includes pictures you’re editing, documents you’re writing and Outlook data files.

   You don’t need to do anything while you’re still working on a file. Once you’ve saved your work and closed its app, OneDrive syncs the file.

   On the OneDrive website, if OneDrive can’t access a file you’re uploading, the file might be open in another program. Save any changes, close the program, then upload the file again.

2. 2

   Step 2: Check whether your OneDrive is full

   If you go over your Microsoft storage, you can’t upload, edit or sync new files to OneDrive.

   When your OneDrive is full, you get an email notification. A file won’t upload if it doesn’t fit in your available storage. To see how much space you have left or to get more, go to the Storage page.

   Over your quota, your existing files remain but are read-only, and you can still download them. Use Manage your OneDrive storage to see what’s taking up space, or view Upgrades to see the plans and offers available to you.

   With a personal Microsoft account, your OneDrive might also be full because:

   • A folder shared with you made your own account go over storage
   • A subscription expired or its renewal failed, which changed your storage quota
   • A promotion, such as the 100GB Samsung bonus, expired. It can’t be renewed.
3. 3

   Step 3: Rename the file or shorten its path

   On the OneDrive website, a file won’t upload if its name uses characters or names that aren’t allowed, or its full path has 442 characters or more.

   A file name can’t begin or end with a space, end with a period, or include any of these characters: forward slash, backslash, less-than sign, greater-than sign, colon, asterisk, double quotation mark, question mark or vertical bar.

   These names aren’t allowed for files or folders: AUX, PRN, NUL, CON, COM0 to COM9 and LPT0 to LPT9. To rename a file or folder, select it and press F2.

   The full path, including the file name, must contain fewer than 442 characters. Shorten the name of the file or of its subfolders in OneDrive, or pick a subfolder closer to the top-level folder, then upload the file again.

4. 4

   Step 4: Check the file size and how you upload it

   The largest file you can upload depends on your browser, the app you use and your account.

   In Microsoft Edge or a recent version of other popular browsers, you can upload files up to 250GB on the OneDrive website. In an older browser, the maximum file size is 300 MB.

   With the OneDrive app you can upload files up to 250GB. If you sign in with a work or school account, the maximum file size is 15GB. For large files or lots of files, Microsoft recommends adding them to the OneDrive desktop app rather than using the Upload button on the website.

5. 5

   Step 5: Check your permissions

   OneDrive needs Read and Write permission to the file, and you need permission to edit the folder you upload to.

   For a file that can’t be synced on your PC, make sure it has Read/Write permission. In File Explorer, right-click the file and select Properties, then the Security tab. Select your name in the Groups or user names list and make sure Read and Write are both checked in the Allow column. If they aren’t, select Edit to add them.

   On the OneDrive website, you can’t upload to a folder you don’t have permission to. Select a folder you have permission to edit, then upload the file again.

   With a work or school account, you might not have permission to access the file itself. If the file is on a server, make sure you can open it. For permission to access the file, contact your network administrator.

6. 6

   Step 6: Look for file types your admin blocks

   With a work or school account, your admin can block the sync of certain file types.

   If you sign in to OneDrive with a work or school account, OneDrive can show an icon on files that won’t sync because your admin has blocked the sync of certain file types. Outlook data files are the most common.

   If you also sign in to OneDrive with a personal account, the same restrictions apply.

7. 7

   Step 7: Sign in and check OneDrive online

   An upload can fail if the connection was lost during the transfer or you weren’t signed in.

   Sign in to OneDrive with your Microsoft account, then upload the file again.

   To check that you can reach OneDrive online, select the white or blue OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area, at the far right of the taskbar, then select View online. You might need to select the Show hidden icons arrow next to the notification area to see the icon.

   If the icon doesn’t appear, OneDrive might not be running. Select Start, type OneDrive in the search box, then select OneDrive in the results.

   Good to know

   If you can’t sign in to OneDrive.com, check the status of Microsoft Office Online Services at the Service Health portal.

8. 8

   Step 8: Find hidden files and restart sync for a stuck file

   If a folder is stuck on Sync pending or a file still won’t sync, look for a hidden file and move the file out of OneDrive and back.

   If a folder shows Sync pending but you can’t see any file causing it, the file could be hidden. In File Explorer, go to View and check Hidden items.

   To restart sync for a file, right-click the OneDrive cloud icon on the taskbar and select Close OneDrive. In File Explorer, move the file to a location outside your OneDrive folder, for example C:\ in This PC.

   Select Start, type OneDrive, then select Open. Wait until OneDrive shows Up to date, then copy the file back into OneDrive.

9. 9

   Step 9: Update OneDrive and Windows

   Keeping OneDrive and Windows up to date can help sync problems.

   Download the latest Windows updates. Then download the latest version of OneDrive and install it. If you already have the latest version, the setup ends automatically.

10. 10

    Step 10: Unlink and re-link your PC

    Microsoft’s steps for sync problems include unlinking your PC from OneDrive, clearing OneDrive sign-in credentials and signing in again.

    No data is lost by unlinking and re-linking OneDrive. Your local folders are just disconnected from the cloud for a short while, and changes you make while unlinked sync once re-linking is complete.

    Select the OneDrive cloud icon, select the OneDrive Help and Settings icon, then Settings. Go to the Account tab, select Unlink this PC, then Unlink account.

    Press the Windows key + R to open Run. Enter %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\settings, select OK, and delete the PreSignInSettingsConfig.json file.

    Press the Windows key, type OneDrive, select the OneDrive app and sign in when prompted. When OneDrive says a folder already exists, select Use this folder.

    Good to know

    OneDrive doesn’t download all your files again, just placeholders to save space, but re-syncing still takes some time.

Frequently Asked Questions