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Fix SharePoint Online sync problems

The following steps will ensure you can sync with your Microsoft SharePoint libraries, that you are able to access your files online, and that you have enough room for the right files to sync.

Note: This article is for users who have an Office 365 work or school account, and refers to the latest version of SharePoint and OneDrive for work or school. If you don't sign in with an Office 365 account, read how to Fix OneDrive sync problems.
If you see this  OneDrive for business old icon icon in your taskbar, read this article to learn more. 

  1. Sign in to Office 365 with your work or school account.

  2. Browse to your SharePoint in Microsoft 365 location.

  3. Select the Document folder or Library that you are trying to sync.

Screenshot showing Sync button on a SharePoint library.

If you don't see the sync option, or you see a screen that says "Which library do you want to sync?" then the site has not been configured for syncing, and you should contact the site owner.

Note: Page or site owners can edit via Library settings > Advanced settingsOffline Client Availability.

If you cannot access your SharePoint, contact the site owner or your Network Administrator

Unlinking and re-linking your computer to OneDrive can help solve some sync problems. Learn how.

If you are seeing the sync icon stuck for a long period of time, moving some files out of a sync folder can help clear any sync issues.

  1. Select the blue OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area or top tray.

    OneDrive SyncClient with blue cloud and white cloud icons

    Note: You might need to click the Show hidden icons arrow next to the notification area to see the OneDrive icon, or click Press the Windows key and start typing "select which icons" to display the notification area settings option, and then show Microsoft OneDrive. If the icon still doesn't appear in the notification area, OneDrive might not be running. Click  Press the Windows key, type OneDrive in the search box, and then click OneDrive (not "OneDrive for work or school" as that may be an older version) in the search results.

  2. Select OneDrive Help and Settings icon > Pause syncing... > 2 hours

  3. Select a file from one of your sync folders and move it to a folder that's not part of OneDrive, e.g. C:\users\

  4. Select OneDrive Help and Settings icon again and select Resume syncing... 

  5. Once sync is complete, move the file back again.

There are three types of constraint with SharePoint files and filenames:

  1. Make sure that none of the files you want to sync are larger than 15GB. If you see an error message such as "This file is too big to upload" or "Reduce the size of this file to upload to..." try reducing the size of a file by zipping it. You may be able to reduce the file size of a picture.

  2. Make sure the entire file path, including the file name, contains fewer than 400 characters. An example of a file path is: 
    C:\Users\<UserName>\Pictures\Saved\2017\December\Holiday\NewYears\Family… 

    To resolve this, shorten the name of your file or the name of subfolders in SharePoint, or select a sub-folder that's closer to the top-level folder.

  3. Make sure that your file doesn't contain any illegal or characters (such as <, >, :, ", |, ?, *, /, \) or that the folder includes any unsupported file types. Learn more about Restrictions and limitations when you sync files and folders.

Repairing or reinstalling Office can sometimes fix sync conflicts between Office and SharePoint. Read how to Download and install or reinstall Office 365 or Office 2016 on a PC or Mac.

If you continue to have issues syncing, you can reset OneDrive. Learn how.

Hints and tips

Follow these hints and tips to get the most out of your SharePoint and to make sync as trouble-free as possible.

OneDrive Files On-Demand helps you access all your files in OneDrive without having to download all of them and use storage space on your device. Learn more about OneDrive Files On-Demand.

You can also download fewer files by choosing which OneDrive folders to sync to your computer.

Note: You won't lose files or data by disabling or uninstalling OneDrive on your computer.

If SharePoint sync seems to be stuck for a long time or the status shows "Processing 0KB of xMB" it could be because you have a lot of files in your SharePoint or a lot of new files to be uploaded. If you have more than 100,000 files, sync can take a long time.

Note: For transferring large files or lots of files, we recommend adding the files to the OneDrive desktop app rather than the using Upload button on the website.

To see how many files you have in your OneDrive folders:

  1. Open File Explorer.

  2. Right-click the OneDrive folder and select Properties.

    OneDrive properties

  3. If the Contains number is more than 100,000 you should consider which OneDrive folders to sync to your computer.

If the sync is already in process, you can Pause and Resume your sync to get things going again.

  1. Select the blue OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area, at the far right of the taskbar.

    OneDrive SyncClient with blue cloud and white cloud icons

    Note: You might need to click the Show hidden icons arrow next to the notification area to see the OneDrive icon, or click Press the Windows key and start typing "select which icons" to display the notification area settings option, and then show Microsoft OneDrive. If the icon still doesn't appear in the notification area, OneDrive might not be running. Click  Press the Windows key, type OneDrive in the search box, and then click OneDrive (not "OneDrive for work or school" as that may be an older version) in the search results.

  2. Select OneDrive Help and Settings icon > Pause syncing... , and select either 2, 8 or 24 hours.

  3. Select OneDrive Help and Settings icon again and select Resume syncing.

Need more help?

Fix other sync problems when using Microsoft OneDrive

Enable users to sync SharePoint files with the new OneDrive sync client.

Admins should view Help for OneDrive Admins, the OneDrive Tech Community or contact Microsoft 365 for business support.

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