Onedrive keeps sync pausing.

Ethan Kim 25 Reputation points
2026-11-07T06:42:05.2233333+00:00

i unpause sync, only for it to pause again automatically.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | Other | Windows
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AI answer

2026-11-07T06:42:49.67+00:00

OneDrive automatically pauses on Windows when Battery Saver is active or the current connection is marked as metered, so disable the applicable pause preference rather than repeatedly selecting Resume.

Disable automatic pausing

  1. Select the OneDrive cloud icon in the taskbar notification area.
  2. Select Help & Settings (gear) → Settings.
  3. Open Sync and back up and review Preferences.
  4. Turn off the options that pause syncing:
    • When the device is in battery saver mode.
    • When connected to a metered network.
  5. Return to the OneDrive activity window and select Resume syncing once.

These are the two documented conditions under which OneDrive automatically pauses.^1^ OneDrive exposes their controls under Settings → Sync and back up → Preferences.^2^

If you want to keep Windows’ metered-network or Battery Saver setting enabled, select the OneDrive pause alert and choose Sync Anyway instead.

For a work or school account, unavailable or locked settings may be controlled by your organization. The IT administrator can enable these OneDrive policies through Group Policy or Intune:

  • Continue syncing on metered networks
  • Continue syncing when devices have battery saver mode turned on^3^

If neither condition applies, reset OneDrive

Resetting does not delete your files, but it resets OneDrive settings, disconnects sync connections, and causes a full synchronization.^4^

  1. Press Windows+R, enter:
       wsreset.exe
    
    Select OK. Ignore the Microsoft Store window if it opens.
  2. Press Windows+R again and run:
       %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset
    
  3. If Windows cannot find it, try:
       C:\Program Files\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset
    
  4. If that path is also unavailable, try:
       C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset
    
  5. Open Start, search for OneDrive, and launch the OneDrive desktop app.
  6. Allow the full synchronization to complete. If you previously synchronized only selected folders, review those folder selections afterward.

References

  1. How to Pause and Resume OneDrive Sync | Microsoft Support
  2. How to access OneDrive settings | Microsoft Support
  3. IT Admins - Use OneDrive policies to control sync settings
  4. Reset OneDrive | Microsoft Support
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