OneDrive on Mac: files visible but won’t open, folder backup/copy fails after years without syncing

Question

OneDrive on Mac: files visible but won’t open, folder backup/copy fails after years without syncing

El Corno 0

I’m trying to understand an issue with my local OneDrive folder on a Mac.

Background: I have not synced my local OneDrive folder with OneDrive for approximately three years. During that time, I continued adding and working with files locally.

What I’m seeing now:

Some files still appear in the local OneDrive folder but cannot be opened. Based on what I can tell, this seems to affect files that had previously been synced and are also available on OneDrive.com.

I cannot copy the entire local OneDrive folder to another folder on the Mac or to an external drive. The copy operation fails because of files that cannot be copied.

Finder preview/Quick Look does not work normally for files in the OneDrive folder. In many cases I can open the file successfully, and after opening it once, Finder preview then starts working for that file.

These issues appear to be limited to the local OneDrive folder. I can copy, open, and preview files normally in other local folders.

System:

MacBook Pro 16-inch, 2019

2.6 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7

macOS Tahoe 26.6.2

Has anyone experienced similar behavior with OneDrive on macOS, particularly after a long period without syncing? I’m especially interested in how you were able to create a complete backup of the local OneDrive folder without risking the files that are currently accessible.I’m trying to understand an issue with my local OneDrive folder on a Mac.

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hi El Corno,

I see the AI answer has given some suggestions, but I must say, you should be careful about unlinking, resetting, or re-enabling sync before making sure the files are protected. The copy on OneDrive may be years behind what is currently on the Mac, especially when some show corruptions.

This might take time, but copy your files one by one (or small bulk) to a local folder on your PC.
When Finder reaches a file it cannot copy, skip that file and continue with the rest.
Once done, quit OneDrive for now so it cannot start syncing again.
Try opening the left-behind files > if it's still stuck, restart your PC.
Try again and note down the files > open onedrive.live.com.
Check whether those files are present > manually download them:
1. To your current PC but at a local Download folder, NOT in OneDrive
2. If you can test on another device (e.g. PC or phone) it would be better.
Open the downloaded files and see if they're working now or also corrupted.

What you described could also be a result of File-on-Demand feature, which keeps the files on cloud instead of physically. Try right-clicking the OneDrive folder and choose Always Keep on This Device. When it's done, check your files again.

Overall, from my experience, the good path in situation like this is to back up anything possible first to minimize loss, check online OneDrive version in case files were saved, and only then, you can try the repair/reconnect OneDrive suggestions below.

Answer 2

Yes. The behavior described is consistent with known OneDrive for Mac issues around Files On-Demand, moved OneDrive paths on macOS, and sync state problems.

Most relevant points for this scenario:

On macOS 12.1 and later, OneDrive uses a new Files On-Demand location: Library > Cloud Storage > OneDrive If files are being opened from old pinned/recent references or the old folder path, they may appear present but fail to open correctly until accessed from the new OneDrive location.
If AutoSave or file access is tied to the old path, Office and Finder behaviors can be inconsistent until files are opened from the new OneDrive folder location.
If OneDrive shows sync problems or stale local state, Microsoft’s supported recovery path is:
- Unlink the Mac from OneDrive: OneDrive menu bar icon > Help & Settings > Preferences > Account > Unlink this Mac
- Clear cached sign-in credentials in Keychain Access by searching for OneDrive and deleting OneDrive Cached Credential
- Open OneDrive again from Spotlight and sign in
- When prompted that the folder already exists, select Use this folder
If sync is stuck or inconsistent, update to the latest OneDrive version first. Microsoft also notes that resetting OneDrive can resolve sync issues, but it disconnects all existing sync connections and then performs a full sync afterward. No files or data are lost by resetting, but it is still a disruptive step because all sync relationships are re-established.
For Desktop and Documents backup on macOS, OneDrive requires:
- the standalone sync app, not the Mac App Store version
- Full Disk Access for OneDrive in System Preferences > Security & Privacy Preferences > Privacy
If apps hang when opening or saving files stored in OneDrive on macOS 15, Microsoft lists a workaround using Activity Monitor to force quit OpenAndSavePanelService, then restarting OneDrive and saving or moving the file to another folder location.

For the safest supported path to get to a complete backup-capable state:

Update OneDrive to the latest version.
Open Finder and verify the actual OneDrive location under Library > Cloud Storage > OneDrive.
Try opening files from that location rather than old aliases, pinned items, or Recents.
If the folder still behaves inconsistently, unlink and re-link the OneDrive account, and when prompted choose Use this folder.
If Desktop/Documents backup or copy-related access is involved, confirm the standalone sync app is installed and Full Disk Access is enabled.
If sync remains stuck, use the documented OneDrive reset process.

Risk note: deleting .DS_Store files with Terminal is documented as a possible fix for sync problems caused by corrupted .DS_Store files, but it requires administrator access and use of sudo and rm -f. That should be used carefully and only for the affected folder, because deleting the wrong item in Terminal can cause unintended loss.