One Drive files not syncing

Question

I am running windows 10 and the one drive icon is mission from the systems tray, but I see one drive in file explorer. All my file are in sync pending state. How can I make sure my files are synced before I upgrade to windows 11?

Answer 1

If the OneDrive icon is missing from the system tray, first confirm whether OneDrive is running. If it is not running, start OneDrive from Start by typing OneDrive and opening it. Then wait for the status to change to Up to date.

To get files synced before upgrading to Windows 11, use this path:

1. Check whether OneDrive is running.
   • If no OneDrive icon appears in the taskbar or notification area, the icon may have moved or OneDrive may not be running.
   • Start OneDrive from the Start menu.
2. If files show sync pending in File Explorer, check for files that cannot complete sync.
   • Close any file that is open in another app.
   • For a file with sync issues, right-click it in File Explorer, select Properties > Security, and confirm the account has both Read and Write permission.
   • If needed, move the affected file out of the OneDrive folder, restart OneDrive, wait until OneDrive shows Up to date, then copy the file back into OneDrive.
3. If File Explorer shows syncing but OneDrive itself reports Up to date, check for incorrect status icons.
   • Hidden or temporary files in the OneDrive folder can show as syncing even though they are not actually synced.
   • Show hidden files and remove hidden files or folders that are not associated with files currently being edited.
   • Close open Office files and clear the Office document cache to remove temporary Office files.
   • If temporary files remain, only delete them if they can be safely removed. This can cause data loss if the file is still needed.
4. If only some files and folders still show syncing, test whether Windows Search indexing is causing a cached status.
   • Open Services from Start.
   • Open Windows Search.
   • Set Startup type to Disabled.
   • Select Stop, then OK.
   • Refresh File Explorer.
   • If the syncing status clears, return Windows Search to Automatic (Delayed Start).
   • Open Indexing Options from Start, select Advanced > Rebuild.
   • Rebuilding the index can take time.
5. If all files and folders show syncing, check the Windows policy setting that can break OneDrive Files On-Demand.
   • UseFindFirstFileEnumeration under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer can cause all files to appear as syncing.
   • Remove that registry value or set it to 0, then restart File Explorer.
   • Warning: incorrect registry changes can cause serious problems. Back up the registry first.
6. Before upgrading, verify sync is complete.
   • The OneDrive taskbar icon should show Up to date.
   • In File Explorer, the pending sync icon means sync between the device and cloud storage is still pending.

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• Fix OneDrive sync problems
• Troubleshoot OneDrive error: "This file can’t be synced"
• The OneDrive sync status icon incorrectly shows "syncing" in File Explorer
• Work with synced files in File Explorer