Share via

One Drive Sync Issues

Xrays911 20 Reputation points
2026-01-28T18:20:00.69+00:00

This question was posed by me earlier, but things have evolved so I am going to start a new question...

I have 2TB of data on an external hard drive I need to upload to my Onedrive. I am not trying to do a mass upload, but am taking my time by doing only a few files at a time. I even have this issue when doing 1 file at a time.

My initial problem was that when I upload a folder to one drive, the subfolders that I uploaded change to a green circle "always keep on this device", but my main folder stays in syncing status (two arrows). If I remove the subfolder the main folder goes back to a green circle icon. I have done much troubleshooting on this issue for months. Troubleshooting included: stop and start sync, unlinking and relinking OneDrive, resetting OneDrive, uninstalling and reinstalling OneDrive, restoring my laptop completely and redownloading office 365. I have further dug into this issue, by changing settings on my laptop so I could see hidden files to look for corrupt data, change windows setting to allow long paths. I also looked into my error logs and saw a security SPP error keeps occurring and am not sure if this is related to my issues.

Next I decided to see if I could upload the files on my husbands laptop and followed these steps. 1) I shared my Onedrive subfolder with my husband and he saved a shortcut to his Onedrive. I then uploaded a file from my external hard drive to that shared folder on my husbands laptop. It synced with no issues on his laptop. However, on my laptop when that file synced locally it has a green circle on that subfolder, but when I went out to the main folder it is stuck in sync status. The main folder never updates to a green circle. This tells me there is nothing wrong with these files as Onedrive accepts them in my husbands account, but my account does not. I have a Windows 11 laptop that is new (2 months old). I purchased this laptop because I was having sync issues such as this on my old laptop. I have also upgraded my home wifi to fiber as part of this troubleshooting process in case speed was an issue, but that is not the problem.

I was given on answer on here that addressed the problem with the external folder showing that it was still syncing. In short that answer was to reindex my laptop through Indexing Options. However, since I have resumed uploads I ran into a problem where the system has the same behaviors as before when attempting to reupload some of the files that I had previously uploaded and removed. I have been tinkering around with things for a few days and found that if I rename all of the files I can get some of them to upload, but then it came to a point where I started having the sync icon that shows persistently and never goes to a green dot. So again I am reindexing my laptop to fix this issue which will take days to resolve.

With all of that said I believe some of the issue that is causing all of these problems is that OneDrive is retaining some sort of background information on the files that were once uploaded but have since been removed. Without resetting or reinstalling OneDrive is there a way that I can clear that data from the cache so that I can have a clean start without losing everything I do already have uploaded?

On a side note- I have 90 percent storage space left on my OneDrive so space is not the issue. Here is an example of my path should there be questions on path length C:\Users\xrays\OneDrive\Quilt and Embroidery Designs\Etsy\Mini Beer (SMD)

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows
0 comments

1 answer

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Q&A Assist
    2026-01-28T18:20:25.67+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    To address the OneDrive sync issues you're experiencing, particularly with the main folder remaining in a "syncing" status while subfolders show a green circle, there are several steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the problem:

    1. Clear Cached Files: Sometimes, cached files can interfere with the syncing process. You can clear cached files from the Microsoft Office Upload Center. Here’s how:
      • Locate the Microsoft Office Upload Center icon in your taskbar notification area (it looks like a white up-arrow in an orange circle).
      • Right-click the icon and select Settings.
      • Choose Delete cached files and confirm by selecting Delete cached information.
    2. Check for Hidden or Temporary Files: Hidden or temporary files in your OneDrive folder can cause syncing issues. Make sure to remove any unnecessary hidden files:
      • Enable viewing of hidden files in File Explorer.
      • Remove any hidden files that are not associated with your current work.
    3. Reindex Your Laptop: If you haven't done this already, reindexing can help resolve issues with file recognition:
      • Go to Indexing Options in the Control Panel and rebuild the index.
    4. Stop and Resync Libraries: If the above steps do not resolve the issue, consider stopping the sync for the affected library and then starting it again. This can refresh the sync relationship:
      • Follow the steps to stop syncing a library and then re-sync it to get fresh data.
    5. Check for Conflicts: If there are conflicts with files (especially if they were edited on different devices), resolving these conflicts can help. Right-click the OneDrive icon in the taskbar and select Resolve to see your options.
    6. Ensure OneDrive is Updated: Make sure you are using the latest version of OneDrive for work or school, as updates can fix bugs and improve performance.

    If these steps do not resolve your issue, it may be necessary to consider a more thorough reset of OneDrive, although you mentioned wanting to avoid this. However, if the sync issues persist, a reset might ultimately be the most effective solution.

    References:

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.