my one drive has made itself unusable today and says it can no longer be used as my MacBook is not up to date

so are you saying that I can no longer use one drive on my MacBook simply because the Mac OS isn't up to date? You're saying I have to buy a new MacBook just to use one drive? can I not download an older version of one drive to use that will keep the only sync in tact?

Hi, Paul Pavlou

Yes, the current OneDrive app now needs a newer macOS, so if your Mac cannot update further, the newest sync client may refuse to run. That does not mean your OneDrive files are deleted, but it does mean you should protect the local folder before trying fixes.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

First, open Finder and copy your entire OneDrive folder to an external drive or another folder outside OneDrive. Do this before uninstalling anything. If some files only show a cloud icon, they may not be fully stored on the Mac, so also check OneDrive on the web and download anything important from there.

If you originally installed OneDrive from the Mac App Store, open the App Store, go to your account/purchased apps, and try downloading OneDrive again. On older macOS versions, it is recommended that the App Store may offer the last compatible version instead of the newest one.

If you have Time Machine, try restoring the older OneDrive app from before it updated. After restoring it, do not immediately run Microsoft AutoUpdate, as it may replace it with the unsupported version again.

If you used the standalone installer, Microsoft does not provide a simple official “old versions” download page, but it is suggested that checking the Deferred ring/older OneDrive release package may be worth trying. Just be aware that older sync clients may stop working later or have security risks.

So no, I would not say “buy a new Mac” is the only answer. The safest practical route is: back up the local OneDrive folder first, then try the App Store legacy version or Time Machine restore, and use OneDrive web as a fallback for uploads/downloads if sync cannot be revived.

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you. 

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment."    

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.