ONE DRIVER LAGGING

Mỹ Võ Hoàng 0 Reputation points
2026-08-25T02:33:52.86+00:00

Why is my computer lagging after syncing OneDrive? It takes a long time to open folders.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For business | Windows
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Hani-Ng 640 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-25T03:15:14.18+00:00

    Hi Mỹ Võ Hoàng

    You can refer to AI's suggestions first, as they cover the most common causes related to file counts, sync pending items, hidden files, and Windows Search indexing.

    In addition to general sync activity, I would recommend checking whether the issue is isolated to File Explorer or affects the entire PC.

    If folders are slow to open only inside File Explorer, OneDrive may be spending time loading cloud file information, especially if the synced location contains many subfolders or recently completed a large sync operation. This can continue for some time even after the initial download has finished.

    You can also check Task Manager while reproducing the issue. If Microsoft OneDrive, Windows Explorer, or disk usage is consistently high, that can help identify whether the bottleneck is the sync client, File Explorer, or local storage performance.

    Another useful test is to access the same files through OneDrive on the web. If browsing is fast online but slow in File Explorer, the issue is more likely related to the local device rather than the OneDrive service itself.

    If the issue started recently, try signing out of OneDrive and signing back in, or performing a OneDrive reset. This can help refresh the sync connection if OneDrive is taking unusually long to process changes despite showing no sync errors

    To better understanding your situation, could your please share some information:

    • Whether the affected content is from personal OneDrive or a SharePoint/Teams library?
    • Approximately how much data is being synced?
    • Does the delay occur only while OneDrive is syncing, or even when it shows Up to date?

    I hope this helps and look forward to your response.

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

    Was this answer helpful?

  2. AI answer

    2026-08-25T02:34:10.3833333+00:00

    Common causes are:

    1. Too many files are being synced.
      • If OneDrive has more than 300,000 files, sync can take a long time.
      • If a synced SharePoint library has more than 100,000 files, folder operations can also feel slow.
      • Check this in File Explorer by right-clicking the OneDrive folder and selecting Properties.
    2. Hidden or temporary files in the OneDrive folder.
      • Hidden files and temporary Office files can make folders appear to keep syncing or stay in a pending state.
      • In File Explorer, enable Hidden items and look for hidden files.
      • Close open Office files and clear the Office document cache if temporary Office files are involved.
      • Be careful deleting temporary files because that can cause data loss.
    3. Windows Search index cached the wrong sync status.
      • This can make files and folders in File Explorer look like they are still syncing even when OneDrive shows Up to date.
      • Test this by opening Services, stopping Windows Search, and setting its Startup type to Disabled temporarily.
      • Refresh File Explorer. If the syncing status clears, set Windows Search back to Automatic (Delayed Start) and rebuild the index from Indexing Options > Advanced > Rebuild.
      • Rebuilding the index can take time.
    4. OneDrive is still processing changes.
      • This happens if files are open, there are many files to upload, large files are being synced, or hidden files are blocking sync.
      • Close files that are open in Office apps.
      • If sync is stuck, pause and resume OneDrive from the cloud icon in the taskbar.
    5. A folder is stuck on sync pending.
      • If no visible file is causing it, the problem may be a hidden file.
      • If needed, create a new folder, copy the files into it, and delete the old sync-pending folder.

    A practical troubleshooting path is:

    1. Check file count in the OneDrive folder.
    2. Pause and resume sync from the OneDrive taskbar icon.
    3. Show hidden items in File Explorer and remove or move hidden/temp files that are safe to remove.
    4. Close Office files and clear the Office document cache.
    5. If File Explorer still shows folders as syncing while OneDrive says Up to date, rebuild the Windows Search index.
    6. If one specific library is affected, stop syncing that folder and sync it again. This disconnects the folder from the library but keeps the local files. When syncing again, OneDrive may create a new folder name with a number added.
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.