A Microsoft file hosting and synchronization service.
Reset the OneDrive client from inside its application bundle, because reinstalling alone may leave the existing sync configuration and cached credentials unchanged.
1. Reset OneDrive
Resetting disconnects the current sync connections and rebuilds OneDrive’s settings; it does not delete files stored in OneDrive. ^1^
- Open Finder → Applications.
- Control-click OneDrive and select Show Package Contents.
- Open Contents → Resources.
- Double-click one of these files:
-
ResetOneDriveApp.command, or -
ResetOneDriveAppStandalone.commandfor the standalone edition.
-
- Wait for the Terminal window to finish, then open OneDrive from Applications.
- Sign in and, when asked for a folder location, select the previous OneDrive folder. This avoids downloading unchanged files again.
- If you previously synchronized only selected folders, configure those selections again after synchronization completes.
2. Clear the saved credential if OneDrive still will not start
- Open Spotlight, search for Keychain Access, and open it.
- Search for
OneDrive. - Delete OneDrive Cached Credential.
- Restart the Mac.
- Open OneDrive and sign in again.
- If prompted that the OneDrive folder already exists, select Use this folder.
Microsoft documents unlinking/relinking and removing the cached credential as the standard account repair process. Because the application currently will not open, perform the bundle reset first rather than trying to unlink it through Preferences. ^2^
3. Check the macOS version if it still closes immediately
Select Apple menu → About This Mac.
- If it shows macOS Ventura 13.x, recent matching reports describe newer App Store builds failing to install or launch on Ventura, with those builds requiring macOS 14.4 or later. ^3^
- In that case, the safest path is to upgrade macOS to a currently supported release, if the Mac supports it, and then install the current OneDrive build.
- Avoid disabling OneDrive updater services or installing an older package unless Microsoft Support specifically directs you to do so. Community workarounds use administrative Terminal commands, remove updater components, and leave the client on an older build.
If the Mac already runs macOS 14.4 or later, provide the precise macOS and OneDrive versions when escalating. The current public OneDrive issues page does not list a general Mac-wide “will not open or sync” incident matching this symptom. ^4^
Protect access to the files
Until the desktop client is working, verify that the files are present in OneDrive on the web before moving or deleting the local OneDrive folder. If the web account also cannot be opened, check Microsoft’s Service Health portal from the recent-issues page. For a work or school account, contact the organization’s IT administrator; for a personal account, use Microsoft Support.
References