OneDrive from Microsoft is one of the most trusted and most-used cloud storage services in the world& alongside Google Drive. While the free storage of 5 GB doesn’t look as good compared to Google Drive’s offer of 15 GB& the good thing with OneDrive is that& like Google& OneDrive comes with a spectrum of other services built around cloud storage as well& not to mention access to free Microsoft Office suite& albeit the online version only. OneDrive continues to enjoy a loyal following in both consumer and enterprise domains due to several tricks that Microsoft offers along with cloud storage& such as Power Automate. Now& just as with any other online service provider& Microsoft OneDrive can and has suffered service outage or sync issues. If you are looking for ways to fix OneDrive not syncing issues& this comprehensive information guide will help you.

Table of Contents

• Part 1. Why Is OneDrive Not Syncing?
• Part 2. Ways To Fix OneDrive Not Syncing Issues For Windows 10/ 7 and macOS
• Part 3. Ways To Fix OneDrive Not Syncing Issues On Android and iOS

Part 1. Why Is OneDrive Not Syncing?

OneDrive is built by Microsoft& and consequently boasts of one of the most reliable and cutting-edge technologies that are designed to provide always-available experiences and near-zero failure rates. Despite the reliability& you can encounter the odd syncing issues that prevent OneDrive from syncing your data across all your connected devices.

Reasons For OneDrive Not Syncing At Your End

There are several reasons why is OneDrive not syncing& and this could have to do with your computer& your internet provider or Microsoft itself. Here are common user-related reasons why OneDrive could stop syncing.

Reason 1: Is OneDrive Sync Paused?

It goes without saying that if a user is not signed in& OneDrive will not sync on that device. If app is installed and a user is signed in but sync is paused for any reason& the app will not sync.

Reason 2: Is OneDrive Updated?

If OneDrive is not paused for use& or if the user is signed in but finds some or all OneDrive content does not sync& it might be that OneDrive needs to be updated on the device in question.

Reason 3: Is There Any Firewall& Antivirus Or VPN App Installed On Your Computer?

If a firewall& antivirus or VPN app (or a combination thereof) was installed on your computer recently and it was then you realized that OneDrive has stopped syncing& it most likely is because of either of these apps. You would have to configure settings in these apps to allow free reign to OneDrive.

This is particularly true when you used a VPN software to spoof your location as that could make OneDrive think your account is under threat as you are not signing in into OneDrive from your usual location OneDrive knows& and might block sync and access.

Reason 4: Are You Using A Proxy Network Connection?

If you connect to the internet using a proxy& you might need to configure that in OneDrive settings to allow it to work without errors.

Reason 5: Are You Using Specialized DNS?

If you are using a special DNS in your router for any reason& it is possible that this might be interfering with normal OneDrive functioning in a way& and why OneDrive stopped syncing.

Reason 6: Is There Enough Free Space In OneDrive?

The free tier of OneDrive now comes with a 5 GB cap& that is a way off from the 15 GB that Google Drive provides for free. It is possible you filled up your OneDrive sooner than you realize and why OneDrive stopped syncing. If you sync a file that exceeds the space available in OneDrive& OneDrive will not sync.

Reason 7: Does Your Computer Have Enough Free Space?

If your computer does not have enough storage space left for OneDrive to sync files to your computer& it will result in OneDrive not syncing to your computer.

Reasons At Your Network Provider’s End

Generally& an issue at your network provider’s end is easy to diagnose& since that manifests itself as your internet connection not working at all. If you are unable to access the internet& your internet connection provider might be facing an outage and that is why OneDrive is not syncing.

However& if the issue exists only with OneDrive& this might be something about the ISP’s DNS servers. You can change to some other DNS and see if that fixes the OneDrive sync issue.

Possible Reasons At Microsoft’s End

Large corporations such as Apple and Google that provide large-scale services that people rely on every day in both consumer and enterprise sectors such as iCloud and Gmail provide a status page where you can see if they are facing service outages. Microsoft is no different. Microsoft is arguably the largest software corporation in the world with its software used by billions. You can check OneDrive’s service status using this link: https://portal.office.com/ServiceStatus.

Part 2. Ways To Fix OneDrive Not Syncing Issues For Windows 10/ 7 and macOS

Here are few ways you can fix OneDrive not syncing issues for Windows 10/ 7 and macOS.

Method 1: Sign In Into OneDrive App& Again If Needed

While OneDrive is deeply integrated into the Windows ecosystem& and you should normally be signed in into your OneDrive account by default owing to your Microsoft Account credentials that you use& it is still possible that the user was signed out of OneDrive at some point and sync stopped working.

Step 1: Check the OneDrive icon in the Windows taskbar.

If it is greyed out& it means the user is not signed in. Click the OneDrive icon in the Windows taskbar.

Step 2: Enter your OneDrive account email and sign in to start syncing.

If OneDrive icon was not greyed out and you were signed in& you should still sign out and sign back in just in case.

For Apple Mac

OneDrive is not integrated into Apple Mac computers and needs to be downloaded first. Download from here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/onedrive/download.

If you have downloaded OneDrive for Mac from Microsoft& the same process applies to sign in into your OneDrive account on a macOS system if the icon is greyed out like this:

Step 1: Click the OneDrive icon in macOS menu bar

Step 2: Sign in and start syncing.

Method 2: Restart OneDrive App

Step 1: Click the OneDrive icon in Windows taskbar

Step 2: Click Help & Settings

Step 3: Click Close OneDrive.

This will quit OneDrive app on your computer. Now& restart OneDrive and see if this helps clear the sync issue.

For Apple Mac

Step 1: Click the OneDrive icon in macOS menu bar at the top

Step 2: Click Help & Settings and click Quit OneDrive

Step 3: Restart the app using Launchpad or open Finder& click Applications in the sidebar and double-click the OneDrive app and sign in again if necessary.

Method 3: If OneDrive Is Paused

If your OneDrive icon looks like your regular OneDrive icon but with a pause symbol on it& OneDrive sync is paused. This is how it looks on Windows:

Here’s how to resume syncing:

Step 1: Click OneDrive icon in task bar

Step 2: Click Help & Settings

Step 3: Click Resume Syncing to restart syncing.

For Apple Mac

This is how it looks on Apple macOS:

Here is how to resume syncing OneDrive on macOS:

Step 1: Click OneDrive icon

Step 2: Click Help & Settings

Step 3: Click Resume Syncing to restart syncing on macOS.

Method 4: Check If Your Computer and OneDrive Are Set Up To Sync

If what you are expecting to be available in OneDrive on your computer is not available& it is possible your OneDrive is only syncing certain folders to your computer. Here is how to fix this.

Step 1: Click OneDrive icon in the Windows task bar and click Help & Settings

Step 2: Select Settings

Step 3: Click Account tab and click Choose Folders.

Step 4: See if you have selected some folders to sync from OneDrive to your Windows PC.

For Apple Mac

The same process applies for macOS.

Step 1: Click the OneDrive icon in macOS menu bar

Step 2: Click Help & Settings

Step 3: Click Preferences

Step 4: Click Account tab under Preferences

Step 5: Click Choose Folders

Select the folders you want to sync from your OneDrive to your Mac to restart OneDrive sync on Mac.

Method 5: If You Have A Firewall/ Antivirus/ VPN Software Installed

In case you are using an antivirus& firewall or VPN solution& there is a chance you may encounter sync issues& particularly with VPN and antivirus& they are notorious to cause issues. It is recommended to configure these apps to not block OneDrive.

Using a VPN to change your location can trigger OneDrive’s security algorithms and block your access to OneDrive& causing sync errors. To fix OneDrive not syncing issues arising out of using a VPN& disconnect your VPN so that you are back to your usual location for OneDrive& and you should be able to sign back in with no issues.

Method 6: Reset OneDrive On Windows PC

Resetting OneDrive resets all OneDrive settings and will cause OneDrive to perform a full sync again. This can sometimes resolve sync issues you might be facing. No data is lost when you reset OneDrive.

Step 1: Press the Windows key and R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2: Type %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset and press OK.

Step 3: Launch OneDrive again.

This operation resets all OneDrive settings and changes you might have made so far. This means that if you were syncing only select folders from OneDrive to your PC& you will have to configure this once again.

For Apple Mac

You cannot reset OneDrive on a Mac.

Method 7: Unlink Device

Another way to get things working again is to unlink your device and sign in again.

Step 1: Click the OneDrive icon and select Help & Settings

Step 2: Click Settings and select Account

Step 3: Click Unlink This PC

Step 4: Click Unlink Account in confirmation box

When you do this& you will be taken back to the OneDrive Welcome Screen to sign in again.

For Apple Mac

Step 1: Click OneDrive icon in macOS menu bar

Step 2: Click Help & Settings

Step 3: Click Preferences

Step 4: Select Account

Step 5: Click Unlink This Mac and confirm Unlink Account in the popup. You will need to sign in again after this.

Method 8: Changing Your Router’s DNS

Your internet service provider would use a DNS to provide you with a working internet service& and if you have changed it for some reason& that might be why your OneDrive stopped syncing. There are plenty of trusted public DNS that you can use other than your ISP recommendations& if you are so inclined& such as CloudFlare& Google DNS& Level 1 DNS& and OpenDNS& and all these reputed ones should be compatible with OneDrive.

Method 9: Changing File Names

It is a god practice to not use symbols in your file and folder names& on all operating systems& desktop or mobile. If you recently uploaded a file to OneDrive from an operating system where OneDrive supports a particular symbol that it does not in the system you are accessing OneDrive on now& you will see that OneDrive stopped syncing. Rename your files and folders to remove special characters and symbols and sync will start once again.

Method 10: Making Free Space

If your OneDrive icon shows a yellow& triangular exclamation mark& this means your OneDrive storage and you might be trying to upload something to OneDrive that exceeds your free space& causing OneDrive sync issues.

This is when you clean out your OneDrive storage space and get rid of the stuff you do not need any more& making ample space available for files and folders you need and use. Removing files and folders you do not need& creating enough free space for your files will start your sync again.

Method 11: Check If Computer Is In Battery Saver Mode

There is a feature in OneDrive that stops syncing if the computer is in Battery Saver mode. Your computer might be in Battery Saver mode and that is why OneDrive is not syncing. There are two ways you can fix this& either by taking your computer out of Battery Saver mode or by changing OneDrive’s settings. This is how you configure OneDrive to not stop syncing even when on Battery Saver mode in Windows.

Step 1: Click OneDrive icon in Windows taskbar

Step 2: Click Help & Settings

Step 3: Click Settings

Step 4: Uncheck the option “Automatically pause sync when this device is in battery saver mode”.

Use InClowdz To Upload Files To OneDrive And Manage Cloud Accounts

InClowdz is a cloud-based service from Wondershare that makes it easy to:

1. sync cloud drives
2. transfer or migrate data from one account to another
3. perform everyday operations such as cut& copy& rename& delete on your data.

Step 1: Download Wondershare InClowdz here: https://drfone.wondershare.com/cloud-migration.html

Step 2: Select the Management module and add your OneDrive account.

Step 3: Now you can create& delete& copy& rename& move files and folders and upload to OneDrive using Wondershare InClowdz. You can even sync between your cloud accounts if you connect more than one account to InClowdz.

Part 3. Ways To Fix OneDrive Not Syncing Issues On Android and iOS

If OneDrive is not syncing on Android or iOS& here are a few possible issues that could be why OneDrive stopped syncing on Android and iPhone and how to resolve these issues to fix OneDrive not syncing.

Issue 1: User Not Signed In

This is simple& OneDrive will not sync if you are not signed in.

Resolution On Android

Step 1: Launch OneDrive app

Step 2: Sign In to OneDrive using your OneDrive/ Microsoft Account credentials to fix OneDrive not syncing on Android issues.

Resolution on iOS

Step 1: Launch OneDrive app

Step 2: Sign in using your OneDrive/ Microsoft Account credentials to fix OneDrive not syncing on iPhone issues.

Issue 2: Camera Uploads Not Set Up In OneDrive

Resolution On Android

Step 1: Launch OneDrive app

Step 2: Tap “Me” from the bottom list of tabs

Step 3: Tap Settings

Step 4: Tap Camera Uploads and toggle the feature On.

Resolution On iOS

Step 1: Launch OneDrive app on iPhone

Step 2: If Camera Upload is not On in OneDrive on iPhone& it will prominently ask you to enable it.

Step 3: Tap Turn On Camera Upload and toggle it On.

Issue 3: OneDrive Can’t Upload This File To This Location On Android

If you get this error& shorten the file name since this error means the file name is too long. According to Microsoft documentation& you file names can have a maximum of 442 characters.

Issue 4: OneDrive For iOS Keeps Crashing

If your OneDrive keeps crashing on iOS& delete the app and reinstall it to see if that helps. Also& if you are using a beta version of iOS or if the OneDrive app itself is a test release& there are no guarantees on performance and working and you should submit feedback to the appropriate vendor.

Conclusion

OneDrive has a reputation of being a solid& trustworthy and reliable cloud storage from the stables of Microsoft. However& if sync issues crop up for you& you can fix OneDrive not syncing on your computer& Mac& Android and iPhone in a few steps. Microsoft makes it easy to diagnose errors through thoughtful use of iconography and extensive help documentation. To make the best use of OneDrive and other cloud accounts& you should consider use a third-party app such as Wondershare InClowdz to upload files to OneDrive and manage your cloud storages in one app. InClowdz allows you to sync your cloud drives& migrate content between cloud accounts& and perform everyday operations on your cloud storage easily from within the app. This app is a time-saver and productivity-booster that is a must-have for any person using more than one cloud storage.