OneDrive syncing issues

Question

OneDrive syncing issues

Kareem Culbertson 115

Good morning,

I've tried syncing a SharePoint locally so it appears in my File Explorer. When I open the SharePoint file locally, I see the SharePoint site folders and some files. However, it doesn't completely match the folders/files shown on the web version. It appears as though OneDrive isn't being completely synced locally.

I've tried resetting OneDrive, Uninstalling/Re-installing OneDrive, Pausing OneDrive, and Unlinking/re-linking my account. Is there any other troubleshooting steps I can try so that my files on my file explorer matches what shows on the web version.

Thanks for any insight.

Best,

Kareem

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Dear @Kareem Culbertson,

Good day! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum!

Based on your description, I understand that you're syncing a SharePoint library to File Explorer using OneDrive, but the locally synced folders and files do not fully match what is displayed in SharePoint on the web. You've already tried resetting, reinstalling, pausing, and re-linking OneDrive, and you're looking for additional troubleshooting steps to ensure the local sync reflects the complete SharePoint library.

To help narrow down the cause, could you please confirm the following:

Is the affected content located in a document library, or are there multiple libraries in the SharePoint site?
Are the missing items recently added, or have they existed for some time?
Do you see any OneDrive sync errors, warning icons, or notifications in the system tray?
Are other users syncing the same library successfully?
Are any of the missing files or folders using long file paths, unsupported characters, restricted file types, or unusually large file sizes?
Have you tried removing the affected SharePoint library from OneDrive and re-syncing it directly from the SharePoint site? If so, did the behavior change?
If possible, could you provide screenshots of the SharePoint library in the browser and the corresponding synced folder in File Explorer for comparison?

Your confirmation would be very helpful in ensuring you receive the most suitable support!

If you’re able to share a bit more about your situation, I might be able to suggest some helpful next steps.

Kindly let me know when there are updates or if you need further assistance. Any updates you’re able to share would be really helpful. I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing how things are going!

Thank you for your time and patience.

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Answer 2

Since reset, reinstall, pause/resume, and unlink/re-link were already tried, the next supported checks are:

Stop and re-establish the library sync connection.
- Right-click the OneDrive icon in the Windows notification area.
- Select Stop syncing a folder...
- Choose the affected SharePoint library and confirm Stop syncing.
- Then open the SharePoint library in the browser and select Sync to start it again.
- Expected result: a new local folder is created for that library. If the same name already exists, OneDrive may add a number such as 1 or 2.
Confirm the library is actually allowed to sync.
- If the Sync button is missing in the SharePoint library, or an error says syncing is prohibited, the site or library may be blocked from offline sync.
- A SharePoint administrator can verify this in Site Settings > Search and Offline Availability > Offline Client Availability and make sure it is set to Yes.
Check for unsupported content that can prevent full sync.
- OneDrive sync can stop or behave unexpectedly if the library contains unsupported file names, invalid characters, unsupported file types, or other restrictions/limitations.
- Review the library for items that might violate OneDrive and SharePoint sync restrictions.
Check whether the missing content is a synced library or a shortcut.
- SharePoint content can appear either through Sync or through Add shortcut to OneDrive.
- Using both for the same content can cause conflicts such as: "You're already syncing a shortcut to a folder from this Library."
- Use one method for that content, not both.
If files or folders in File Explorer show incorrect sync state, check for hidden or temporary files.
- In the local OneDrive folder, show hidden files and folders.
- Remove hidden files and folders that are not associated with files currently being edited.
- Search for temporary Office files, close open Office documents, and clear the Office document cache.
- Warning: manually deleting temporary Office files can cause data loss if the files are still needed.
If File Explorer still shows incorrect status, rebuild the Windows Search index.
- Open Services from Start.
- Open Windows Search.
- Set Startup type to Disabled and select Stop.
- Refresh File Explorer and check whether the incorrect syncing display clears.
- Then return Windows Search to Automatic (Delayed Start).
- Open Indexing Options from Start, select Advanced > Rebuild.
- Note: rebuilding the index can take a long time.
If all files and folders show as syncing, check the UseFindFirstFileEnumeration policy.
- This policy is not compatible with OneDrive Files On-Demand when set to True.
- In Registry Editor, check: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
- Remove UseFindFirstFileEnumeration or set it to 0, then restart File Explorer.
- Warning: incorrect registry changes can cause serious problems. Back up the registry before modifying it.
If the goal is simply to work reliably with SharePoint files in File Explorer, syncing the document library is the recommended method for opening and editing files locally.