How to sync and manage folders with OneDrive for Business

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to sync and manage folders with OneDrive for Business. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

OneDrive for Business allows you to store your files in the Microsoft cloud, ensuring your data is synchronised across all your devices and protected from local hardware failure. By configuring "Folder Backup", you can ensure your most critical local folders are automatically mirrored to the cloud in real-time.

Setting Up OneDrive Sync

Before managing specific folders, you must ensure the OneDrive application is signed in and active on your Windows device.

1. Click the OneDrive (cloud) icon in the system tray (bottom right corner of your taskbar).
2. Select the Settings (gear icon) and click Settings from the menu.
3. Under the Account tab, ensure your business email address is listed. If not, click Add an account and sign in with your Microsoft 365 credentials.

How to Back Up Desktop, Documents, and Pictures

By default, OneDrive creates a separate folder in your user profile. To ensure your existing Windows folders are backed up automatically, follow these steps to enable Folder Backup:

1. Open the OneDrive settings menu by clicking the cloud icon in the taskbar > Settings (gear icon) > Settings.
2. Navigate to the Sync and backup tab in the left-hand sidebar.
3. Click the Manage backup button.
4. A window will appear showing your primary folders: Documents, Pictures, and Desktop.
5. Toggle the switch to On for each folder you wish to synchronise.
6. Click Save changes or Start backup.

Managing Storage with Files On-Demand

To prevent OneDrive from consuming all your local hard drive space, use the "Files On-Demand" feature. This allows you to see all your files in File Explorer without them taking up space on your disk until you open them.

Understanding Status Icons

• Blue Cloud: The file exists only in the cloud and takes up no space on your computer.
• Green Tick (White background): The file is stored locally but can be offloaded to the cloud if space is needed.
• Solid Green Tick: The file is marked as "Always keep on this device" and is available offline.

Changing File Availability

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to your OneDrive - [Organisation Name] folder.
2. Right-click a file or folder.
3. To save space: Select Free up space. This changes the file to "Online-only".
4. To ensure offline access: Select Always keep on this device.

Troubleshooting Sync Issues

OneDrive is not syncing files

If you notice the sync icon has a red "X" or is stuck on "Processing changes", try the following:

• Check File Names: Ensure files do not contain prohibited characters such as " * : < > ? / \ |.
• Check File Size: Ensure individual files do not exceed the maximum size limit for your Microsoft 365 plan.
• Restart the App: Right-click the OneDrive icon, select Quit OneDrive, and then relaunch it from the Start menu.

Sync Conflicts

If two people edit the same file simultaneously, OneDrive may create a duplicate file with the computer name added to the filename. To resolve this, manually merge the changes into one master document and delete the conflict copy.

Getting Further Assistance

If your OneDrive is unable to sign in or you are receiving "Disk Full" errors despite using Files On-Demand, please Open a Ticket and our technical team will analyse your account configuration.

Still Having Issues?