How do you turn off the sync function but allow people to add a shortcut to OneDrive from a SharePoint document library?

Question

Good afternoon,

I’m reaching out for some guidance regarding an issue we’re experiencing with SharePoint and OneDrive.

Following advice to disable the sync functionality for our SharePoint document library (as it hasn’t been working reliably), I followed these steps:

1. From the SharePoint site homepage, I went to the Settings wheel > Site Information > View all site settings.
2. Under the Search section, I selected Search and Offline Availability.
3. I then turned off Offline Client Availability.

After doing this, I was prompted to un-sync my libraries, which I did. I then attempted to use the “Add shortcut to OneDrive” feature. While I received a confirmation message saying the shortcut was added successfully, when I go into OneDrive, I see the following error:

“OneDrive can’t reach your shortcut because your IT admin no longer allows you to sync.”

I also tested disabling sync at the document library level via Library Settings > More Library Settings > Advanced Settings, and selecting “No” for Offline and Sync, but the same issue occurs.

I attempted to attach a screenshot of the error, but I’m not sure if it uploaded correctly.

Could someone please advise (in simple terms, as I’m still getting up to speed with SharePoint admin tasks) how we can:

• Allow users to use the “Add shortcut to OneDrive” feature successfully,
• While also removing or disabling the Sync button to prevent confusion.

Many thanks in advance for your help!

Best regards,
Claire

Answer 1

Thanks so much Jose for your help. I am currently running through this exercise of stopping the sync with each of my team members. I have also asked my IT department to remove the Sync button from the SharePoint sites I own. Comms have also gone out to all this will affect.

Thank you

Answer 2

Please let me know how it goes.

Jose R.

Microsoft Community Support.

Answer 3

I'm back with you.

You're asking a very important and nuanced question, especially when trying to shift your organization from syncing SharePoint libraries to using the “Add shortcut to OneDrive” feature. Here's a breakdown of how this works and what you can do to manage the transition cleanly and safely.

Here’s a concise summary of your situation and the recommended approach:

Problem:

• Users are still syncing SharePoint libraries via OneDrive, causing issues.
• You want to disable sync and move everyone to using “Add shortcut to OneDrive” instead.
• Concerned that users might delete synced folders, which could delete SharePoint files.

Key Points:

• Disabling sync at the admin level stops new syncs but does not remove existing ones.
• Manually deleting synced folders without stopping sync first can delete SharePoint content.
• “Add shortcut to OneDrive” is safer but requires proper setup.

Recommended Steps:

• Communicate the change and risks clearly to users.
• Instruct users to stop sync properly via OneDrive settings before deleting folders.
• Disable the sync button in SharePoint admin settings.
• Promote and guide users to use “Add shortcut to OneDrive” instead.
• Monitor usage and provide support during the transition.

Jose R.

Microsoft Community Support.

Answer 4

Hi Jose,

Thank you for your response.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve encouraged users to add shortcuts to their libraries. However, when we initially launched the site around two years ago, I was still new to SharePoint and had advised users to sync folders instead. Unfortunately, this approach has stuck, and it's now being passed on to new team members, which is causing ongoing issues.

If I disable the sync button at the admin level, will it automatically remove the already-synced folders from users’ OneDrives, or will those folders remain visible? My goal is to fully transition users to using the “Add shortcut to OneDrive” feature to help establish better practices moving forward.

I’m also concerned that users might try to manually delete the synced folders from their OneDrive, which I’ve heard can potentially lead to files being deleted from the SharePoint library itself—something I definitely want to avoid.

We’ve tried stopping the sync manually, but the folders still appear in OneDrive, and users continue saving files there, which means they’re not being uploaded to the SharePoint site as intended.

Any advice or best practices on how to cleanly remove these synced folders and guide users toward using shortcuts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 5

Hello,

Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

The issue you're running into is actually pretty common. Even though the “Add shortcut to OneDrive” feature is supposed to work independently of the sync function, it still relies on certain permissions that are tied to syncing. When you disable offline client availability, it also blocks OneDrive from being able to access those shortcuts—even if the shortcut appears to be created successfully.

To fix this and get the behavior you want—where users can add shortcuts to OneDrive but not use the Sync button—here’s what you can do:

1. Don’t disable offline client availability.
That setting is required for OneDrive to access the shortcut. If it’s turned off, the shortcut won’t work properly, even if it looks like it was added.

2. Hide the Sync button using the SharePoint Admin Center.
Instead of disabling sync at the site or library level, go to the SharePoint Admin Center. Under the settings for OneDrive, there’s an option to hide the Sync button. This removes the button from the interface without affecting the shortcut functionality.

3. Let your users know what to expect.
Since the Sync button will be hidden, it’s a good idea to let your team know that they should use the “Add shortcut to OneDrive” option instead. You could even add a note or banner in the library to guide them.

Jose R.

Microsoft Community Support.