OneDrive for Mac: new-file uploads loop forever after a quiet period; editing any existing synced file clears it

Question

OneDrive for Mac: new-file uploads loop forever after a quiet period; editing any existing synced file clears it

Ulvi Yurtsever 15

Environment: OneDrive for Mac (App Store version), macOS 26.6.2, Apple Silicon MacBook Pro, personal account.

Symptom: After OneDrive has had no edits to existing files for a while (observed at about 14 and 21 minutes), the next new file added to OneDrive never finishes uploading. Sync Activity shows it retrying endlessly, and files added afterward queue behind it.

What clears it:

Appending one line to any already-synced file (echo x >> existing.txt). The stuck file uploads within a minute or two.
1. Quitting and restarting OneDrive, but the next new file gets stuck again.
Reproduction (2026-09-10):
1. Append a line to an already-synced file, then within 10 seconds create a new 5 KB file. It uploads normally.
2. 1. Leave OneDrive idle for 21 minutes (no activity in Sync Activity), then create a new 5 KB file. It gets stuck, retrying.
  2. 1. Append a line to an already-synced file. The stuck file uploads immediately.
  3. Ruled out: file type, content, and size (a PDF, an edited Excel file, and random 5 KB and 90 KB files were all affected); extended attributes (an attribute-free copy also got stuck); a single folder; invalid file names. The problem persisted through an OneDrive App Store update and a full OneDrive reset, over several days.

Ulvi Yurtsever 15 Reputation points

2026-09-28T19:07:45.7033333+00:00

Update — September 28, 2026

The problem persists with the current Mac App Store release, OneDrive 26.163.0823. I can now characterize the problem more precisely.

The failure is specific to newly created files. New files are detected by OneDrive, but their uploads repeatedly fail/stall in a loop. This is not related to OneDrive having been idle; it can happen immediately after OneDrive has been restarted.

By contrast, existing synchronized files that are modified continue to upload normally. Thus, OneDrive remains connected and capable of uploading changes to existing files while simultaneously failing to upload newly created files.

Quitting and restarting OneDrive clears the new files that are currently stalled, and they upload successfully. However, newly created files can then immediately encounter the same problem again.

Previously, modifying an existing synchronized file (odkick) would cause stalled new files to upload. That workaround no longer works. The modified existing file itself uploads normally, but the stalled new files remain stalled.

Thus, the problem appears specifically associated with OneDrive's handling/upload of newly created sync items, rather than with general synchronization, connectivity, or an idle-state transition. Updating from 26.158.0816.0002 to 26.163.0823 has not fixed it.
Ulvi Yurtsever 15 Reputation points

2026-09-28T19:54:50.2333333+00:00

Update — September 28, 2026

I have now updated to the newly released Mac App Store version OneDrive 26.168.0830.

There is no change in behavior. Newly created files are still detected but remain stuck in the upload loop, while modifications to existing synchronized files continue to upload normally.

Quitting and restarting OneDrive clears the currently stalled new files, but newly created files can immediately encounter the same problem again.

So this issue is now confirmed to persist across 26.158.0816.0002, 26.163.0823, and 26.168.0830.
Dieter König 0 Reputation points

2026-09-28T20:36:41.36+00:00

I can confirm this. I am on 26.163.0823.0004 and the problem still exists.

It is astonishing how Microsoft does nothing to solve it.

This is extremely annoying and unprofessional.

The recommendation by Microsoft support to change from the Appstore version to the Microsoft Standalone version is a joke.

5 answers

Your answer

Ulvi Yurtsever 15 Reputation points

2026-09-28T19:07:45.7033333+00:00

Update — September 28, 2026

The problem persists with the current Mac App Store release, OneDrive 26.163.0823. I can now characterize the problem more precisely.

The failure is specific to newly created files. New files are detected by OneDrive, but their uploads repeatedly fail/stall in a loop. This is not related to OneDrive having been idle; it can happen immediately after OneDrive has been restarted.

By contrast, existing synchronized files that are modified continue to upload normally. Thus, OneDrive remains connected and capable of uploading changes to existing files while simultaneously failing to upload newly created files.

Quitting and restarting OneDrive clears the new files that are currently stalled, and they upload successfully. However, newly created files can then immediately encounter the same problem again.

Previously, modifying an existing synchronized file (odkick) would cause stalled new files to upload. That workaround no longer works. The modified existing file itself uploads normally, but the stalled new files remain stalled.

Thus, the problem appears specifically associated with OneDrive's handling/upload of newly created sync items, rather than with general synchronization, connectivity, or an idle-state transition. Updating from 26.158.0816.0002 to 26.163.0823 has not fixed it.
Ulvi Yurtsever 15 Reputation points

2026-09-28T19:54:50.2333333+00:00

Update — September 28, 2026

I have now updated to the newly released Mac App Store version OneDrive 26.168.0830.

There is no change in behavior. Newly created files are still detected but remain stuck in the upload loop, while modifications to existing synchronized files continue to upload normally.

Quitting and restarting OneDrive clears the currently stalled new files, but newly created files can immediately encounter the same problem again.

So this issue is now confirmed to persist across 26.158.0816.0002, 26.163.0823, and 26.168.0830.
Dieter König 0 Reputation points

2026-09-28T20:36:41.36+00:00

I can confirm this. I am on 26.163.0823.0004 and the problem still exists.

It is astonishing how Microsoft does nothing to solve it.

This is extremely annoying and unprofessional.

The recommendation by Microsoft support to change from the Appstore version to the Microsoft Standalone version is a joke.

Answer 1

Ulvi Yurtsever 15

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll be staying on the App Store version of OneDrive, since that's the version Microsoft offers through the Mac App Store and it should work reliably, so I'd like this treated as a bug in that build.

Details for reproduction:

OneDrive (App Store): OneDrive Version: 26.158.0816.0002 (26.6.2)
macOS: 26.6.2
Idle interval before a new file gets stuck: observed at about 14 and 21 minutes

The reproduction above is consistent. Appending a line to any already-synced file releases the stuck upload every time, so that's my workaround for now. Hoping someone from the OneDrive team can pick this up.

Zahid Barrera Ramirez 400 Reputation points

2026-09-11T04:27:34.3633333+00:00
Thanks, @Ulvi Yurtsever

.With the additional build information and the consistent reproduction, I agree that this is reasonable to treat as a potential OneDrive for Mac bug rather than continue troubleshooting file-specific causes.

Your reproduction is particularly useful because it is deterministic:

OneDrive remains idle for approximately 14–21 minutes.

The next newly created file enters a retry loop and blocks subsequent uploads.

Modifying any already-synced file immediately wakes the sync pipeline and allows the queued new file to upload.

The behavior survives a OneDrive reset and an App Store update.

That strongly suggests an issue around the sync engine/File Provider wake-up path after an idle period rather than the file itself.

One other useful detail: your App Store build "26.158.0816.0002" is newer than the macOS production build currently listed in Microsoft's public OneDrive release notes. Microsoft notes that OneDrive updates roll out gradually, so devices can receive newer builds before the documentation is updated.

At this point I would recommend reporting this directly through OneDrive's feedback channel and including exactly the reproduction steps you posted here, along with:

OneDrive build: "26.158.0816.0002"

macOS: "26.6.2"

Apple Silicon

personal Microsoft account

observed idle intervals

exact timestamps for a stuck upload and the subsequent edit that releases it

If the OneDrive client offers Send feedback, I would submit it immediately after reproducing the stuck state so Microsoft has the best chance of correlating the report with client diagnostics.

I would also keep your current “edit an existing synced file” workaround for now, since it reliably clears the queue without resetting OneDrive.

I cannot escalate the issue directly to the OneDrive engineering team from Microsoft Q&A, but your reproduction is detailed enough to make a solid bug report.

If Microsoft publishes a fix or the issue disappears after a newer OneDrive build, please update this thread with the version number. That would be useful confirmation for anyone else reproducing the same behavior.

If this answer was helpful, please consider marking it as helpful or accepting it as the answer.
Dieter König 0 Reputation points

2026-09-15T15:25:01.7066667+00:00

I have the exact same problem and I must say, after still having sync problems with Word and Excel which are still not solved, this is the next and very annoying bug in a Microsoft app on the Mac. I only use Word, Excel and OneDrive, and now all three of them have serious sync problems. Microsoft is showing a very very bad performance on Macs lately. I am using those apps for my business and the bugs cost me a lot of time, money and nerves.
Adam 5 Reputation points

2026-09-18T18:36:03.0666667+00:00

Same here.
I'm using onedrive for syncing / backing up photos... so I can't append a line...
The only solution i found is to restart (exit and re-open) Onedrive app.
Tried everything I could think of already. Reinstalling, resetting using Microsoft's included script files, removing all entries from keychains.. removing every cache, everythig thing from Libraries... the problem still persists.

Now updated from mac os 26 to 27 - same story.

Any solution would be greatly appreciated as it really is a pain...
Dieter König 0 Reputation points

2026-09-24T09:11:38.86+00:00

Nothing new here I assume, as I am still struggling with this issue and still losing a lot of time due to a bug in OneDrive ...?
Sergio Donato 5 Reputation points

2026-09-27T07:40:11.3933333+00:00
Subject: macOS: newly added files missing from SyncEngineDatabase → endless upload retry loop or stuck "syncing" (26.163 / 26.168)

Environment

MacBook Air, Apple Silicon (arm64), macOS 27.0

OneDrive standalone (not the App Store version), personal account, Files On-Demand (File Provider)

First appeared after the auto-update to 26.163.0823 on Sept 20, 2026. Still present on 26.168.0830.

Summary Some files newly added to the OneDrive folder are never registered by the sync engine. File Provider reports them as isUploaded = 1, but they are absent from SyncEngineDatabase.db (od_ClientFile_Records). Two failure modes follow:

Active retry loop. The logs repeat 2–3 times per second: DoesFileNeedToBeUploaded → StartUpload → LogFullFileUploadComplete: Failure → NotifyUploadRemoved → AddToPeriodicRetryList → PreciseScan. The process uses 15–30% CPU continuously, SyncEngine logs grow by about 1 MB every 12 seconds (roughly 7 GB of writes per day), and almost nothing is sent over the network (about 5 KB in 10 seconds).

Silent stall. The Finder shows a permanent "syncing" badge, with no log activity at all.

The idle-state bug also affects deletions: after ~20 minutes with no sync activity (SyncEngine log silent, 0% CPU), moving a synced folder to the Trash in Finder hangs indefinitely at "Moving to Trash". Relaunching OneDrive is required.

The failure is entirely local. od_ServiceOperationHistory shows only 200/201 responses, and the loop generates no service calls.

Affected files (examples)

a 502 MB .pptx (valid; ZIP integrity check passed)

two 78 MB .mp4 exported by a video editor

four small .wav files (24–86 KB)

random-data .bin test files

a 4.7 MB .mp4 downloaded from the web (loop)

a 3.2 MB .jpg restored from the macOS Trash (silent stall)

Tests performed

Metadata: we uploaded a copy of the same video with com.apple.quarantine removed and one untouched. Both looped, so quarantine / Mark of the Web is not the cause.

Size and content: of four random-data files (1, 10, 40 and 100 MB, created with dd if=/dev/urandom), two looped, including one of 10 MB or less. A 24 KB .wav also looped. Another .mp4 added two minutes before a failing one synced correctly. Size and file type are not the trigger.

Folder: the issue reproduces in the root folder, in an existing folder and in a newly created folder.

Moving the file out of the OneDrive folder stops the loop. Moving it back in reproduces the issue.

Full reset (ResetOneDriveAppStandalone.command) and re-login: sync works for a while, then the issue returns with new files. The reset script cannot delete ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.OneDriveStandaloneSuite ("Operation not permitted") unless Terminal has Full Disk Access.

Downgrade to 26.153.0809 (Production): the app refuses to start with "OneDrive update required – files were managed by a newer version", even after a reset, because state persists in the protected Group Container. After a reset with Full Disk Access, the auto-updater immediately installed 26.168.0830, and the issue came back.

Disk space (162 GB free), network and permissions are fine. No antivirus is involved.

Workaround found Quitting and relaunching OneDrive fixes stuck items. On restart, the stuck .mp4 and .jpg were added to od_ClientFile_Records and uploaded within about one minute (InlineUploadBatch 200, OpenUploadSession 201, UploadBlock 200). Uploading via onedrive.com also works.

Likely cause While the client is running, the sync engine seems to miss the File Provider notification for some newly created files, including files restored from the Trash. The full scan at startup picks them up correctly. The retry loop does not add the missing item to the database, so it never recovers on its own.

Expected behaviour / requests

New files are registered and uploaded without having to restart the client.

Upload failures are shown in the Activity Center, with backoff instead of retrying several times per second.

A supported way to roll back to a previous version when a release regresses.
Eddy 30 Reputation points

2026-10-01T04:26:09.0866667+00:00

Same issue with the standalone app. Even completely removing OneDrive and installing all over again did not fix it.

Answer 2

Additional data point: we are seeing the same issue, and it is NOT limited to the App Store version.

Setup: OneDrive standalone 26.168.0830.0006, macOS 27.0.1, Apple Silicon. Several Macs, several business accounts, several SharePoint libraries, and also a personal OneDrive account.

Observations:

Newly added files are never uploaded; the menu bar icon keeps cycling.
Renaming an existing file has the same problem: the new name is never synced.
Content changes to already-synced files DO upload normally.
Modifying an already-synced file did NOT release the stuck new file in our case (tested with the "wake" file in another folder of the same library).
Pause/resume sync always releases the stuck files, but the problem comes back.

A complete removal and clean reinstall of the standalone build (reset script, removal of all OneDrive data in ~/Library, keychain entries, restart, fresh install from Microsoft's site) did NOT fix it: the issue came back right after.

We have opened a service request with Microsoft support and will post any update here.

Answer 3

Christophe Blondel 0

Hello,

I investigated a lot on this, and I currently have a ticket open with Microsoft. The agent did observe the issue too. It's currently investigated with his team.

To clarify, the issue happens with files over 4MB.

If you add a file over this size, from the finder, the sync will get stuck.
You need to restart OneDrive to get the file synced but then the issue will happen again if you add a file over this size.

All the files added below 4MB don't have this issue.
Several users on MacOS are now affected by this problem. The solution may be to download an older OneDrive App version from August or before to see if the problem persists. The problem is that if you install an older version, the version is getting updated automatically. We need to disable the autoupdate service but I didn't have the time to try that.
Older versions can be found here : https://hansbrender.com/all-onedrive-versions-mac/

Eddy 30 Reputation points

2026-10-01T13:49:23.2033333+00:00

Hello,

The issue is happening to any type of file and any file size.
Ulvi Yurtsever 15 Reputation points

2026-10-01T17:31:02.4333333+00:00

Yes, the issue on my installation is also independent of file size.

Answer 4

EmilyS726 270.5K Independent Advisor

I've seen a lot of issues related to the OneDrive dwonloaded from the MacOS App Store. I strongly suggest that you uninstall it, and install it directly from MIcrosoft. Many other users I chatted here had their OneDrive issues resolved once switching to the direct download version. I think it is worth a try. You can download it from here: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/onedrive/download

Dieter König 0 Reputation points

2026-09-30T06:38:01.7466667+00:00

Initially I installed OneDrive and the Office apps directly from Microsoft when I got my Mac. From the beginning I had update issues with the Microsoft apps so I switched to the Appstore versions. Those worked smoothly for some time. Now I am having problems again. If Microsoft is not capable of providing reasonable apps in the App Store, they should remove them. As long as they offer them I may assume that they are working properly.
Eddy 30 Reputation points

2026-10-01T04:24:21.6366667+00:00

This issue is reproduced on my side on 4 different Macs. See my other comment above.

Answer 5

Hi @Ulvi Yurtsever

This is a very useful reproduction, especially because editing an already-synced file immediately releases the queued new-file upload.

Based on the behavior you described, I would not focus on file type, filename, extended attributes, or the individual OneDrive folder anymore. You have already isolated most of those variables.

The pattern looks more like the OneDrive/File Provider sync pipeline is entering an idle state and failing to wake correctly when the next event is a newly created file. Modifying an existing synced file appears to generate a different change notification that wakes the sync engine and causes the pending upload queue to resume.

Since you are specifically using the Mac App Store version, I would run one additional A/B test:

Confirm your current OneDrive version.

Quit OneDrive.

Run the appropriate OneDrive reset command from the current app bundle.

Remove the App Store build.

Install the latest standalone OneDrive for Mac build directly from Microsoft.

Configure the same personal account.

Repeat your exact test:

modify an existing file

  create a small new file and confirm it uploads
  
     leave OneDrive idle for 20–25 minutes
     
        create another new file

Microsoft maintains separate App Store and standalone versions of OneDrive on macOS, and they should not be installed/configured for the same account at the same time.

If the standalone build does not reproduce the issue, that would strongly suggest something specific to the App Store build or its interaction with macOS File Provider.

If the same behavior occurs with both builds, I would consider this a strong candidate for a OneDrive/macOS File Provider bug rather than a local file problem.

I would also capture these details before opening a support case:

OneDrive version/build number

macOS version

exact idle interval before reproduction

timestamps for the new-file creation and existing-file modification

whether fileproviderd shows increased activity when the existing file is modified

whether the pending file appears immediately in OneDrive Sync Activity

Your reproduction is consistent enough that I would report it to Microsoft rather than continue resetting the client. Microsoft’s current macOS release notes include ongoing reliability fixes, but I could not find a documented known issue matching this exact idle/new-file pattern.

If this answer was helpful, please consider marking it as helpful or accepting it as the answer. It may also help other Mac users reproduce the same sync issue.Hi Ulvi,