Unable to manage user OneDrive as admin

Question

When attempting to view a former user's OneDrive properties as an admin, we are unable to manage their OneDrive. The user account still exists and has an E5 license applied.

When we are checking the OneDrive details from Office 365 Admin end, we are getting the following error:

'We can’t show the OneDrive settings. If this is a new user, their OneDrive might not be set up yet. Try again in a few minutes.'

When we check the user's profile from Manage User Profile Section from the Admin site, we are getting the error below:

Users with access to the former user's OneDrive can still open the shared OneDrive from the URL and shared resources such as lists are still available.

The user's site went into read-only mode a couple of days ago, but I was able to unlock it using the following command:

Set-SPOSite -Identity "<OneDriveSiteURL>" -LockState Unlock

I was also able to add an account as a site collection owner via Powershell:

$OneDriveSiteUrl = "https://MYORG.sharepoint.com/personal/USER_DOMAIN_com"
$UserAccount = "USER_TO_ADD_EMAIL"
Set-SPOUser -Site $OneDriveSiteUrl -LoginName $UserAccount -IsSiteCollectionAdmin $True

I am concerned that this user's OneDrive will either get locked again or be deleted.

Answer 1

Dear @JC, 

Welcome to the Q&A Community.   

Thank you for the detailed explanation and for sharing the PowerShell steps you already attempted. 

I understand how concerning it is when a former user’s OneDrive briefly switches to read‑only and the OneDrive settings in the Microsoft 365 admin center do not load as expected. I appreciate your patience while working through this. 

1. The OneDrive settings page will not load because the user’s personal site was not fully provisioned or the admin center cannot read the profile link, even though the site opens normally by URL. 
2. The classic profile page shows “personal site not created” because the personal‑site flag was never set, usually when provisioning did not finish. This does not affect access to the OneDrive URL but prevents the admin UI from showing settings. 
3. The previous read‑only state happened due to a site lock or closure policy. The unlock command you used is correct, but the lock can return if a policy applies it again. 
4. The OneDrive is not at risk of deletion as long as the user account remains active and licensed. It only enters the deletion lifecycle when the account is removed and retention settings can be adjusted if needed. 

Here are some options you can consider: 

Option 1: Stabilize access using supported admin paths 

Step 1: Open Microsoft 365 admin center > Users > Active users > Select the user > OneDrive > Choose “Create link to files”. This provides a supported access path and confirms the URL. 

Step 2: Go to SharePoint admin center > More features > User profiles > Manage User Profiles > Locate the user > Manage site collection owners > Add the appropriate admin or designated owner. 

Option 2: Ensure the OneDrive is fully provisioned 

If the admin center still cannot load the OneDrive settings, it can help to trigger provisioning again. This is safe and ignored if the site already exists. 

Note: Ensure both the administrator running the command and the target user have an assigned SharePoint or OneDrive license and that sign‑in is not blocked. 

Run the following command: 

Connect-SPOService -Url https://<tenant>-admin.sharepoint.com Request-SPOPersonalSite -UserEmails 

Option 3: Prevent the site from returning to read‑only 

Step 1: Check and clear the lock state: 

Get-SPOSite -Identity "<OneDriveSiteURL>" | Select Url, LockState Set-SPOSite -Identity "<OneDriveSiteURL>" -LockState Unlock 

Step 2: If the UI still shows inconsistencies, temporarily unassign and reassign the user’s SharePoint or OneDrive license to refresh provisioning metadata. 

Lock and unlock sites - SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn 

Option 4: Protect against accidental deletion 

Step 1: Review the OneDrive retention policy in SharePoint admin center and extend it if required. 

Step 2: Enable automatic access delegation and assign a secondary owner so administrators continue receiving notifications and access if the account is removed in the future. 

Option 5: Contact Microsoft Support 

If the issue still persists, I sincerely recommend that the IT administrator to create a support ticket via Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Support > Help & Support for further investigation.  

A technical support engineer can perform a remote session to investigate the situation, verify the backend configurations, and run any necessary synchronization tools to resolve the problem. If the issue requires further attention, they can escalate it to a specialized team for deeper analysis.    

As community moderators, we kindly ask for your understanding that our access to internal development details is limited. Our primary role is to guide users toward the appropriate resources and support channels. While we may not have visibility into performing deeper backend analysis, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.  

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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Answer 2

The behavior indicates a OneDrive/SharePoint personal site provisioning or profile issue rather than an immediate deletion, even though the content is still accessible by URL.

To stabilize and properly manage the former user’s OneDrive, follow these steps:

1. Verify the OneDrive/SharePoint service health
   In the Microsoft 365 admin center, check the service health for OneDrive and SharePoint to ensure there are no ongoing incidents that could affect provisioning or management. If health is normal and the issue has persisted for more than 24 hours, open a support case with Microsoft 365 Technical Support after completing the checks below.
2. Reapply the user’s license
   The user has an E5 license, but the assignment may not have completed correctly. Remove and then readd the OneDrive/SharePoint license for this user:
   1. Sign in to portal.office.com with an admin account.
   2. Go to Admin → Users → Active users.
   3. Open the affected user.
   4. Go to Licenses and Apps.
   5. Remove the relevant license/plan that includes OneDrive/SharePoint, save, then reassign it and save again.
   6. Wait several hours and then recheck the OneDrive settings page.
3. Verify the user’s SharePoint profile (provisioning)
   The error “The user has not created a personal site” and the admin-center OneDrive error are consistent with a missing or incomplete SharePoint user profile:
   1. In the Microsoft 365 admin center, open the SharePoint admin center.
   2. Go to More features → User profiles → Manage User Profiles.
   3. Search for the user and confirm that a profile exists.
      • If no profile exists, trigger a sync from Active Directory (if applicable) and/or contact Microsoft 365 Technical Support to complete profile provisioning.
4. Check Personal Site Capabilities
   Ensure the user’s profile allows a personal site (OneDrive) to be provisioned and managed:
   1. In User profiles, select Manage User Profiles.
   2. Search for the user and choose Edit My Profile.
   3. Confirm that Personal Site Capabilities includes at least value 4 (Storage).
      • If the property includes Guest (for example value 36 = 32 Guest + 4 Storage), this will block OneDrive provisioning and management. Adjust this so that Guest is not present and Storage is included.
5. Verify user permissions for creating/managing personal sites
   The ability to have and manage a personal site is controlled by user permissions:
   1. In the SharePoint admin center → More features → User profiles → Manage User Permissions.
   2. Confirm that Everyone except external users (or the specific user) is listed.
   3. Ensure the permission Create Personal Site (required for personal storage, newsfeed, and followed content) is checked.
6. Confirm site ownership and status with PowerShell
   Since the site is accessible and was previously read-only, verify its status and ensure ownership is correctly set so it is less likely to be locked or orphaned:
   1. Use SharePoint Online Management Shell.
   2. Check that the site exists and review its properties:

            Get-SPOSite -Site "<OneDriveSiteURL>"
      

   3. If needed, reassign ownership to a valid admin or manager account:

            Set-SPOSite -Identity "<OneDriveSiteURL>" -Owner "******@yourtenant.onmicrosoft.com"
      

   This helps ensure the site is not treated as orphaned and reduces the risk of unexpected locking.
7. Monitor for re-locking or deletion
   • After correcting profile, capabilities, and permissions, continue to monitor the site via Get-SPOSite (checking LockState) and the OneDrive admin view.
   • If the site continues to lock or cannot be managed from the admin center after the above steps and normal propagation time, open a support ticket with Microsoft, as there may be a backend provisioning inconsistency that requires remediation.

These steps align with Microsoft’s guidance for OneDrive sites that are stuck in “Setting up” or have provisioning/ownership issues and should restore normal admin management of the former user’s OneDrive.

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References:

• OneDrive for Business stopped at "Setting up..." or "We're still setting up a few things" screen
• Restore the OneDrive Sharing settings in Microsoft 365 admin center