Sharepoint files from file explorer not syncing

Question

One of our users has suddenly encountered an issue with any Sharepoint files that are opened from within the shortcut in file explorer. When opened, autosave is turned off (even tho it is enabled by default) and the save to location (online Sharepoint folder) is greyed out. When we attempt to turn autosave on, it forces us to upload to OneDrive, but that file is then only saved in the user's OneDrive shortcut to the Sharepoint folder, and these changes do not sync with Sharepoint online. It shows saved to my PC and does not allow selecting the online folder location. I have tried deleting the shortcut and re-adding, manually syncing from Sharepoint online, pausing sync and restarting, as well as signing out of OneDrive entirely and back in. OneDrive app claims all files are synced. The setup in both OneDrive and file explorer looks identical to our other properly functioning users.

Answer 1

Hi Margaret,  

Thanks for reaching out our Community, I'm happy to be here to support you 

I'm sorry to hear that you're facing issue with SharePoint files from file explorer not syncing . Based on the troubleshooting steps you've already taken, it sounds like the issue may be related SharePoint not syncing properly with File Explorer, Here are a few additional steps you can try: 

1. Remove OneDrive cookies:

• Press Windows + S and type Credential Manager, then select Windows Credentials

• Choose OneDrive cookies then remove 

2. Remove the Identity registry entry

• Start Registry Editor.
• Locate the following registry entry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Identity 

• Right-click Identity, and then select Delete.

1. Reset OneDrive

• Press Windows + R, then type:

%localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset 

1. Try to Sync from OneDrive Account

• Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the system tray.
• Go to Settings > Account and select Choose folders.
• Pick the folders you want to sync to your device.

If the issue persists, feel free to share screenshots so I can provide more targeted troubleshooting! 

If user need to solve the issue ASAP, I recommend you raise a support ticket to contact Microsoft team who has higher permission to remotely assist you. They may collect background logs and provide additional troubleshooting steps or escalate the issue to the OneDrive team if necessary. They can help you find out the cause of the problem. This would be the most efficient way in handling this case for you. 

Reference: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn 

(Kindly be noted that only Admin can raise ticket, so if you're not an admin in your organization, you should ask your Admin or IT to do it) 

Appreciate your patience and understanding. Have a great day!!  

Sincerely, 

Kai Vo - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Appreciate the help! Those first 2 steps (deleting Windows credentials and registry entry) seemed to fix the issue.

Answer 3

Dear Margaret, 

I hope you're doing well. I just wanted to check in and see if the issue has been resolved. 

If you're still facing any problems, please feel free to share more details about the current error or steps you're stuck on—I’ll be happy to assist further. 

Looking forward to your update. 

Best regards,

Lily-N - Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 4

Hi Margaret,

If my answer helps, please mark it as an answer, it will definitely help others in the community with similar queries to find a solution to their problem faster. On top of that, it helps me have a good survey and makes me do my best.