Fix OneDrive Sync Problems

WINDOWS & ONEDRIVE OneDrive offers 5GB of free storage, but there’s a number of paid-for plans available if you need more.

WHEN IT WORKS, Microsoft’s OneDrive service is fantastic. It’s built into Windows 10, and enables you to easily synchronize files and folders with other Internet-connected computers, tablets, and smartphones. It means your files are easily accessible from a range of devices— provided they can get online. However, OneDrive can occasionally encounter problems synching your files. This can be frustrating, especially if you’re away from the PC the files originated from, because your files won’t be properly synchronized with your other devices, and that can make them impossible to download, edit, or share.

The good news is that these issues are relatively rare, and if you do encounter them, they’re quite straightforward to fix. So, before you start panicking that your files aren’t synching, follow the steps below, and we’ll have your cloud-computing issues fixed in a jiffy.

1 CHECK ONEDRIVE IS RUNNING

Make sure the OneDrive app is running in Windows, and you’ve signed in correctly. When you sign up for a Microsoft account—which is advised if you want to log in to Windows 10, personalize it, and download apps from the Microsoft Store—you also get OneDrive, which should load when Windows starts. If not, search for “OneDrive” from the Taskbar [ Image A].

2 CHECK THE ICON

Keep an eye on the OneDrive icon (which looks like two clouds) in the Taskbar’s notification area. This gives you a quick overview of how OneDrive is synching, or if there’s an error. If the icon appears normal, it means your files are synched. If it has a small icon of two arrows in a circle [ Image B], it’s synching. If there’s a red cross, there’s a problem.

3 FIND OUT MORE

If you see the red cross icon, click it, then select “View sync problems.” This opens up a dialog box, which gives you more information about the error. In this window, you’ll see the name of the file that’s causing the issue. You’ll also see an “Error” column. Here, you’ll get details about the problem, which should hopefully give you an idea of what’s going wrong.

4 CHECK YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION

The previous steps solve most issues, but what if you don’t get the red cross icon, yet there’s still a problem? First, check you’re connected to the Internet—OneDrive needs access for it to work, so if your PC isn’t connected via a network cable or Wi-Fi, OneDrive fails. In the notification area of the Taskbar, you’ll see an icon that shows if you’re connected to the Internet.

5 DOWNLOAD THE LATEST VERSION

If you’ve connected to the Internet without issue, make sure you have the latest version of OneDrive installed. In Windows 10, as long as you’ve kept the OS up to date, you should have the latest version of OneDrive, too. Type “Windows Update” in the search bar, and make sure you’re updated [ Image C]. You can download the latest version from http://bit.ly/LatestOneDrive.

6 UNLINK AND RELINK ONEDRIVE

Unlinking OneDrive, then relinking to it can prompt it to sync properly again—don’t worry, you won’t lose any files or folders you’ve already synched. To do this, click the OneDrive icon in the notification area, select “More” in the window that appears, then click “Settings” [ Image D]. In the next window, select “Unlink this PC,” and follow the instructions to relink the PC to OneDrive.

7 CHECK YOUR STORAGE SPACE

While you have the “Settings” window open, it’s a good idea to check how much space you have left on OneDrive. You are given a set amount of storage space, and if you run out, you won’t be able to sync any more files. You can either buy more space, or click “Manage Storage” [ Image E] to find the files that are taking up the most space, and remove them from your OneDrive storage.

8 REMOVE PROBLEM FILES THEN TRY AGAIN

You can also try moving the files that are attempting to sync out of the OneDrive folder, and trying again. To do this, click “More” in the OneDrive app, select “Pause synching,” and choose any length of time

[ Image F]. Select the file OneDrive is struggling with, and move it to a folder that isn’t synched with OneDrive. In the OneDrive app, select “Resume synching.” Once complete, move the file back.

9 MAKE SURE FILES CAN BE UPLOADED

If OneDrive is struggling with a file, make sure it’s supported. For example, OneDrive is unable to upload files that are larger than 20GB. If it’s larger than that, consider putting it in a ZIP file to make it smaller

[ Image G]. Also, make sure the file name isn’t too long, because that can confuse OneDrive, too. If the entire file path, including the file name, exceeds 400 characters, it won’t upload.

10 RESET ONEDRIVE

Hopefully, one of the previous steps will have sorted out your OneDrive issue. If it hasn’t, you may need to reset OneDrive. Again, this doesn’t delete any of your files. Press Win-R to open the Run dialog. Now type “%localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\ onedrive.exe /reset” [ Image H]. Press “OK.” After a few seconds, the process will complete. You can now relaunch the OneDrive app.