When you install the OneDrive app for Mac, a copy of your OneDrive is downloaded to your Mac and put in the OneDrive folder. This folder is kept in sync with OneDrive. If you add, change, or delete a file or folder on the OneDrive website, the file or folder is added, changed, or deleted in your OneDrive folder and vice versa.

How to Fix OneDrive Not Syncing - 10 Tips to Fix OneDrive Sync Problems OneDrive by Microsoft provides a secure and hassle-free way to keep your data safe on its dedicated cloud. Initially, it offers 5 GB of free data to its users and allows them to sync their phones and other devices with the drive.

To upload files to OneDrive automatically, just copy or move the files to your OneDrive folder using the Finder, or save them in your OneDrive folder from an app. Files you upload this way can be up to 15GB in size if you're signed in to a Microsoft account, or 15GB if you're signed in to a work or school account. If you installed the OneDrive app on other computers, the files will automatically be added to the OneDrive folders on them, too.

You can also use the Finder to rename and delete files, create new folders, and move files around in your OneDrive folder. The changes will automatically be made in OneDrive and your other computers that have the OneDrive app installed.

The OneDrive sync client lets you sync files from your OneDrive for Business and even from SharePoint sites if your admin enabled it. (If you're the IT admin for your organization, see Enable users to sync SharePoint files with the new OneDrive sync client.)

Note: To use the OneDrive desktop app to sync your work files, you need an Office 365 business account.
Note: As of 1 February 2019, OneDrive only supports new installations on Mac OS 10.12 or newer. For more information, see OneDrive End Of Support Notice

Install and set up

If you have signed in to the OneDrive sync client with a Microsoft account (for example, [email protected]), you should already have the OneDrive desktop app and you can skip to step 2 below.

  1. Install OneDrive for Mac.
    Important: If you are currently using the OneDrive Mac Store app, you must first uninstall it before installing the latest build of the OneDrive desktop app.
  2. Start OneDrive Setup.

Method 1: If you have no accounts signed in to OneDrive

If you're not signed in to OneDrive with any account, start OneDrive to connect a work or school account.

  1. Start OneDrive by pressing cmd+Space to launch a Spotlight query and type OneDrive. This starts OneDrive Setup.
  2. Enter your work or school account and then select Sign in to set up your account.

Method 2: If you already have a personal account signed in to OneDrive

If you already have a personal account signed in to OneDrive, you’ll want to add a work or school account in OneDrive Preferences.

  1. Click the OneDrive cloud icon up in your Menu bar, click the three dots to open the menu, and select Preferences.
  2. Click the Account tab, and then select Add an Account to start OneDrive Setup.
  3. Enter your work or school account and click Sign in.

Key parts of OneDrive Setup

There are a few points of OneDrive Setup that are helpful to watch for:

You can find OneDrive up in your Menu bar. You’ll have a cloud icon for every account you’ve connected to OneDrive. So you’ll have one cloud if you’re only syncing a work or school account, one cloud if you’re syncing only a personal account, or two clouds if you’re syncing both.

You’ll also see a folder in Finder called OneDrive – YourTenantName.

Note: Contoso is an example name. You will see the name of your organization.

Turn on Finder integration

If you’re on OSX 10.10 or higher, get sync status directly from Finder by enabling Finder overlays in Settings.

First, click the Apple logo in the top left corner of your Mac Desktop and select System Preferences, then select Extensions in the top-level menu (shown in the 3rd row from the top).

Toggle on the OneDrive Finder Integration to enable Finder overlays.

You’re all set. Open up your OneDrive folder in Finder to see overlays on your files and folders.

If you're an admin and want to enable sync icon overlays on multiple computers, you can use this Terminal command:

/usr/bin/pluginkit -e use -i com.microsoft.OneDrive-mac.FinderSync

Sync SharePoint sites

To sync libraries and folders

  1. Click the Office 365 app launcher , and then click SharePoint.
  2. Click the site that you want to sync.
  3. Click Documents or navigate to the subfolder that you want to sync.
  4. Click Sync.
  5. If your browser requests permission to use 'Microsoft OneDrive,' confirm that this is okay.
    Note: Your organization needs to enable SharePoint site syncing with the OneDrive desktop app for you to sync sites on your Mac. If you're the IT admin for your organization, see Enable users to sync SharePoint files with the new OneDrive sync client. If you're not the IT admin, contact your IT department.
  6. Choose the folders that you want to sync, and then click Start sync.

SharePoint team sites sync under a folder with your tenant name. This folder is automatically added to the left navigation pane in Finder.

Manage your syncing sites

You can manage your syncing sites in the sync client settings.

  1. Click the OneDrive icon in the menu bar.
  2. Click Preferences, and then click the Account tab.
  3. To change the folders that you're syncing, click Choose Folders for that location, and then choose the folders that you want to sync. To stop syncing a site, click Stop Sync next to the site. (Copies of the files remain on your computer. You can delete them if you want.)

Additional resources

For additional resources about the OneDrive desktop app:

Title
Description
Learn how administrators can deploy the OneDrive desktop app on OS X to users in their enterprise environment.
Release notes about the OneDrive desktop app.
Knowledge base article covering limits and restrictions (such as invalid characters in file names).

Need more help?

Get online help
See more support pages for OneDrive and OneDrive for Business.
For the OneDrive mobile app, see Troubleshoot OneDrive mobile app problems.
Email support
If you still need help, shake your mobile device while you're in the OneDrive app or email the OneDrive support team. To contact OneDrive for Business support from your PC or Mac, select the OneDrive icon in the notification area or menu bar, then select More > Send feedback > I don't like something.
OneDrive for Business Admins can also view the OneDrive for Business Tech Community, Help for OneDrive for Business Admins, or contact Office 365 for business support.
Tips
Letting us know your location may help us resolve your issue more quickly.
All fixed? If you contacted us and OneDrive starts working again, please let us know by replying to the email we sent you.
Services like Dropbox and OneDrive are a great way to get access to all your documents across multiple PCs, tablets, and your phone. The problem is you have to remember to place files in the specified Dropbox or OneDrive folder for it to be of any use.

Have Desktop, Will Travel

One solution to this problem is to put commonly used folders such as your Windows desktop in the cloud. This is a great solution for anyone that uses their desktop as a general dumping ground for downloaded files, or frequently accessed items.
That way you'll always have those files synced across your devices. For maximum desktop madness, you can also set other PCs you use to sync their desktops with OneDrive. That way you'll get all your files from all your desktops no matter where you are — even if you're on the go with a phone or a Chromebook.
If moving your desktop to the cloud doesn't grab you, and you have Windows 10 installed, you can also set your PC to automatically suggest OneDrive each time you want to save a document. Then you won't even have to think about where to put your files as your PC will go to OneDrive automatically.
We'll cover both of these solutions in this article starting with moving your desktop to the cloud.

A Note About Security

Moving your desktop or other folders to the cloud is far more convenient than having files locked down on a PC or needing to remember to save your files to a USB thumb drive before you leave the office.
However, there are some security implications to consider. Whenever you put files online they are potentially accessible to others. Law enforcement can, for example, use a warrant to demand access to your files, and you may not even be made aware of this when it happens.
Now I know most people reading this probably aren't concerned about law enforcement trying to see their files saved in the cloud. A more common predicament is when malicious hackers guess or outright steal your account password. If that happens the bad guys would potentially have access to your OneDrive files. That's not a huge deal if all you've got saved to the cloud is old poetry from high school. Unauthorized access to work documents or files with personal information, however, can be devastating.
To mitigate this risk there are a number of security measures you can take. One is to enable two-factor authentication for your cloud storage account.
An easier measure is to simply not put anything in the cloud that has information you wouldn't want others to see. For home users, that usually means keeping items such as financial spreadsheets, bills, and mortgages on your hard drive and not in the cloud.

Moving Your Desktop to the Cloud with OneDrive

Here's how to move your desktop to OneDrive. This assumes that you have the OneDrive desktop sync client installed on your PC. Anyone running Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 will automatically have this program, but Windows 7 users will have to download and install the sync client to their PC if they haven't already.
The next step is to open File Explorer in Windows 8.1 or 10, or Windows Explorer in Windows 7. All three versions of Windows can open Explorer use the keyboard shortcut: hold down the Windows logo key and then tap E.
Now that Explorer is open right-click Desktop, and then from the context menu that appears select Properties.
Now a new window called Desktop Properties opens with several tabs. Select the Location tab.

Point to the Cloud

Now we get to the meat of the change. It may not seem like it to you, but as far as your computer is concerned the desktop is just another folder on your PC where files are saved. Just like any other folder, it has a specific location.
In this case, it should be C:Users[Your User Account Name]Desktop. If you login to your PC as Fluffy, for example, then your desktop would be located at
All we have to do is add OneDrive to the folder location, and the sync client will take care of the rest. Click the location text entry box and then edit it to look like the following:
Next, click Apply and Windows will ask you to confirm that you want to move the desktop to OneDrive. Click Yes, then your computer will copy the files over to OneDrive. Once that's done click OK in the Desktop Properties window, and you're done.

A Safer, but Longer Approach

Using the steps above it's critical to type the location correctly; however, if you're not comfortable with that there is a more involved, but more foolproof, method.
  1. Again, open Windows Explorer.
  2. Right-click the Desktop folder.
  3. Select Properties from the context menu.
  4. This time in the Desktop Properties window under the Location Tab click Move, which is right underneath the text entry box.
  5. That opens another Explorer window showing a variety of locations on your PC such as your user account folder, OneDrive, and This PC.
  6. Double-click OneDrive from among those options to open the OneDrive folder.
  7. Then on the next screen click New folder at the top left of the window.
  8. When the new folder appears in the main section of the window name it Desktop and press Enter on your keyboard.

Keep Clicking

Now, single click that new Desktop folder with your mouse, and then click Select Folder at the bottom of the window. You'll see that the text entry box in the Location tab now has the same location as it did using the previous method. Namely, C:Users[Your User Account Name]OneDriveDesktop
As with the other method click Apply, confirm the move by clicking Yes, and then hit OK in the Desktop Properties window to close it.

Not Just for Desktops

You don't have to move just the desktop to the cloud. Any folder you want can also be moved over to OneDrive using the same process. That said, I wouldn't recommend doing that if all you need is to move your documents folder to OneDrive.
Mac Onedrive Sync Errors Photos
By default, OneDrive already has a documents folder, and for that reason, it makes more sense to use a different method — at least if you're on Windows 10.

Embracing the cloud by default

The second way is tell Windows to offer OneDrive as the primary location for saving your documents. If you use Office 2016 in Windows 10 this already happens for those programs, but you can set up your PC similarly for other programs as well.
In Windows 10, click the upward facing arrow on the far right of the taskbar. In the pop-up panel that appears, right-click the OneDrive icon (a white cloud), and then choose Settings from the context menu.

Auto Save

In the OneDrive settings window that opens click the Auto Save tab. Click the drop-down menu to the right of Documents and select OneDrive. Do the same for photos if you want to, and then click OK.
If you selected the Pictures option, you'll be asked to choose a folder in OneDrive where your images will automatically go. I'd suggest choosing the Pictures folder, or creating that folder if it doesn't exist.
After that, you're done. The next time you try to save a file Windows should automatically offer OneDrive as the default save location.