OneDrive Files on Desktop don't have Folder Icons

Question

I have shortcuts to 6 OneDrive files on my Mac desktop. The two files that are shared with others don't have folder icons about 75% of the time.

When I click "Get Info" the preview is correct.

Any idea how to fix this?

Answer 1

Hi BFusaro

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based on your description and the screenshots you shared, I understand that the folder icon on the Desktop does not appear correctly most of the time, while the preview shown in the “Get Info” window still displays the correct icon.

I attempted to reproduce the behavior in my test environment but was not able to reproduce the same issue. To better understand the scenario on your side, could you please help provide a bit more information:

• What version of macOS are you currently using?
• Do other folders on your Mac show the same behavior, or does this only happen with the OneDrive folders?
• Have you experienced this behavior for a long time, or did it start happening recently?
• Do all shared folders show this issue, or only some of them?
• You mentioned that the icon is missing about 75% of the time. Could you please clarify whether the icon sometimes appears correctly and then disappears again later?

You may also consider restarting Finder to see if that helps refresh the icon display. You can do this by opening Terminal and running the following command: killall Finder

Once Finder restarts, please check whether the folder icons appear correctly on the Desktop.

Please understand that our initial reply may not always immediately resolve the issue. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution. 

I look forward to your response.

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Answer 2

For shared OneDrive folders on macOS, the “people” icon indicates that the folder is shared with others. If the folder icons or badges intermittently disappear or don’t look correct on the desktop, this is usually a sync/status overlay issue rather than a problem with the folders themselves.

Use these steps to refresh OneDrive’s Finder integration and icon overlays:

1. Confirm OneDrive is running and syncing correctly
   • On the Mac menu bar, locate the OneDrive cloud icon.
   • If it is not visible, follow the reset steps for OneDrive on Mac so the sync client and its Finder extensions reload:
     • Open Applications → OneDrive → right‑click OneDrive → Show Package Contents.
     • Go to Contents → Resources.
     • Double‑click ResetOneDriveApp.command (or ResetOneDriveAppStandalone.command for the standalone app).
     • Start OneDrive again and complete setup if prompted.
2. Let OneDrive finish any pending sync
   • If the OneDrive icon shows circular arrows, sync is in progress. Allow it to complete, as status badges (including the shared “people” icon) are updated by the sync client.
3. Verify the shared status from OneDrive
   • In Finder, open the OneDrive folder and locate the same folders.
   • Confirm they show the “people” icon next to them, which indicates they are shared with others.

If the icons still disappear intermittently but sync and sharing are working, this is a cosmetic Finder/overlay behavior. The folders and sharing remain intact, and the correct icon should reappear after Finder/OneDrive refreshes or after a short time.

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References:

• I can't see any OneDrive icons
• What do the OneDrive icons mean?
• Fix OneDrive sync problems