How to fix OneDrive sync issues on Windows 11/10
Let us see how to troubleshoot and fix sync issues with the new OneDrive personal client on Windows 11/10: Let us see them in detail.
1] Ensure that the size of the file is less than 10GB
Files larger than 10GB in size cannot be synced with OneDrive. If the size is more than 10GB and syncing the file is necessary, a ZIP folder could be created for the same. To create a ZIP folder, right-click the file or group of files (after selecting them together) and select send to > compressed (zipped) folder.
2] Check for Windows Updates
Check if the Windows is up to date. If not, update it. To do so, search for “check for updates” on the Windows search bar and open Windows Update. It will show the status whether updated or not. If not, do the needful. Fix: OneDrive Sync Pending error
3] Restart the sync process if it paused
Right-click on the white icon for OneDrive cloud in the notification area at the right bottom corner of the screen. If the icon doesn’t appear there, you might need to click the upward-pointing arrow after which the icon could appear. If it still doesn’t appear, then the OneDrive client might not be running. Click on ‘Exit’ Search for OneDrive using Windows search and open it. Enter your cloud credentials and connect to OneDrive for Cloud. It will re-sync all the files.
4] Connect the OneDrive account to Windows
5] Complete setting up of OneDrive
In case you have more than 500MB of data in your OneDrive folder, and the setup has not finished yet, it might not show all your files despite the status being ‘signed in’. To resolve this, open File Explorer. Click the OneDrive folder and initiate the setup again. Make sure all folders you wish to sync are checked.
6] Verify that all folders you wanted to sync are selected
To do this, right-click on the white OneDrive for cloud icon and click Settings. Select the accounts tab and click ‘Chose Folders’. In case you wish to sync selected folders, choose them accordingly. Click OK.
7] An Office file needs your attention error message
Sometimes, the Office Upload cache system might be interfering with the OneDrive desktop client. Turn OFF the Office upload! It could be turned OFF to isolate the issue.
To do this, right-click on the white OneDrive for cloud icon in the notifications area as in previous steps. Click Settings and select the Office tab. Uncheck the ‘Use Office 2016 to sync Office files that I open’ checkbox.
8] Check if the file path is too long
The maximum allowed character limit for the file path is 400 characters. If it exceeds, it might create issues with syncing. In such a case, try to omit unnecessary sub-folders and try to bring the target locations as close as possible to the root directory.
9] Check if a duplicate file or folder with the same name is present there
If you use multiple PC’s to sync with the same cloud drive, and more than one is trying to share a path with the same address as the location, it will create a conflict. The path name could be changed on any one device to counter the problem.
10] Check available disk space on the system
Check the available disk space on your system and compare it with the utilized disk space on the OneDrive online site. If the system is short of space, the files won’t sync. If you are short of space, try the following steps: After easing the space on the system, the OneDrive client could be re-initiated. But in case deleting and mitigating files does not make enough space on the system, you could sync files with OneDrive selectively.
11] Unlink the PC from OneDrive and sync again
Right-click on the white OneDrive icon in the notifications area and click on settings. Click on ‘Unlink this PC’ in the Accounts tab. Read: How to Stop, Resume or Pause OneDrive Syncing in Windows 11/10
12] Reset OneDrive manually
If everything else fails, the OneDrive client could be reset manually. However, it is a time-consuming process. The system needs to be connected to a high-speed internet connection.
To reset OneDrive type the following command in a Run window and hit Enter: Ideally, it should sync all the files again. However, if the OneDrive setup fails to start again, proceed to the next step. In the Run box, copy-paste the following command and hit Enter: This should start the client manually.
13] Use the OneDrive Troubleshooter
Run the OneDrive troubleshooter and see if it helps you.
14] OneDrive needs your attention error message
Probably your OneDrive space is full. Either delete some files, buy space or use an alternative cloud storage service.
15] OneDrive Items Can’t Be Synced or Cant Sync Now
Restart the OneDrive app and see. If it doesn’t help, you need to reset OneDrive and see if that helps. Else shorten the File Path and see; that is don’t locate your files within a deep folder structure – place them closer to the root OneDrive folder.
16] File experiencing delays while syncing
Pause and then restart the syncing and see. Else, open OneDrive > Settings > Network tab > and select Don’t limit Upload and download rates. The steps mentioned above are exhaustive and should resolve any issues with syncing OneDrive. These posts will help you if:
