OneDrive will not sync data.

Question

I have multiple Windows computers and I am having a problem with OneDrive on one of them. I get the following:

You'll need intenet for this. You're not connected to the internet.

I do have a connection and everything else on my system seems to be working correctly. Windows 11 is up to date. I've also tried reseting OneDrive and uninstalling and reinstalling it. Keep getting the same error. It will not sync. Please help.

-Charles S

Answer 1

Hi Charles, Welcome in Community

Reset completely the network

Press WIN + X and open terminal as admin, now type

netsh int tcp set heuristics disabled

netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled

netsh int tcp set global rss=enabled

netsh winsock reset

netsh int ip reset

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

ipconfig /flushdns

Restart the system and re-try

Let me know

Elvis

Answer 2

Follow these steps on the affected Windows 11 PC to troubleshoot OneDrive not syncing even though the internet connection works:

1. Confirm OneDrive is allowed to start and sync
   • One common cause is a Group Policy or registry setting that blocks the OneDrive sync app.
   • Open Registry Editor and go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\OneDrive
   • Look for the value DisableFileSyncNGSC.
   • If DisableFileSyncNGSC = DWORD:1, OneDrive is blocked from starting/syncing.
   • Change the value to 0 or delete the DisableFileSyncNGSC entry.
   • If this setting is managed by the organization via Group Policy, ask the administrator to remove or change the applicable GPO; otherwise it will be reapplied after restart or policy refresh and OneDrive will stop again.
2. Restart OneDrive and test
   • Sign out of Windows or restart the PC.
   • Start OneDrive again (from Start menu, search OneDrive and open it).
   • Sign in and check if sync now works without the “You’ll need internet for this” message.
3. If sync still fails, repair or reinstall OneDrive/Office
   • Repair Office/OneDrive first using the Office repair steps in Repair an Office application as described in the sync troubleshooting article.
   • If repair does not help, uninstall and reinstall the OneDrive sync app:
     • If OneDrive came via Office Click-to-Run, uninstall and reinstall Office using the steps in the “Update OneDrive for work or school to the current release” section.
     • If OneDrive was installed via MSI, uninstall it from Control Panel and then reinstall using the OneDrive download link in the same article.
4. If still not resolved
   • If other devices with the same account sync correctly and this PC still cannot, and the registry/GPO setting is not the cause, follow the remaining guidance in the sync troubleshooting article (including, if applicable, resetting Internet Explorer settings) or open a support incident from the Microsoft 365 portal.

---

References:

• OneDrive won't start
• Troubleshooting OneDrive for work or school sync issues