One drive not syncing

Stop deleting or reinstalling OneDrive, preserve every remaining local folder, and first check the correct school OneDrive account online to determine whether the university work is safely stored or needs recovery.

1. Check and recover the online files first

1. Sign in at onedrive.com using her university Microsoft account, not a personal Microsoft account.
2. Look through My files for the university work.
3. If anything is missing, select Recycle bin in the left navigation.
4. Select the missing files or folders, then choose Restore. Work or school accounts normally retain deleted items for up to 93 days unless the university changed that setting.^1^
5. Also check the Mac’s Trash. If files are present, right-click them and select Put Back.

Do not empty the Mac Trash or delete any old, misplaced, or duplicate OneDrive folders yet. A folder that is no longer syncing may still contain files that never reached the cloud.

If many online files were removed, and Settings → Restore OneDrive is available, restore OneDrive to a time before Thursday. This Microsoft 365 feature can undo file and folder changes from the previous 30 days.^2^

Caution: A full OneDrive restore also reverses later changes; files created after the selected restore point are moved to the OneDrive Recycle Bin.

2. Protect files found only on the Mac

Before repairing synchronization:

1. Open Finder and locate every folder named OneDrive or associated with her university.
2. Compare its contents with OneDrive online.
3. Copy any files not visible online into a new ordinary folder outside OneDrive—for example, a folder under Documents named OneDrive Recovery.
4. Do not move or delete the original folders until synchronization is working and every file is accounted for.

3. Reconnect the Mac without reinstalling

Since attempting to remove/re-add OneDrive did not work, clear the saved sign-in connection and relink it:

1. Open Keychain Access using Spotlight.
2. Search for OneDrive.
3. Delete OneDrive Cached Credential. This removes the saved login credential, not the university files.
4. Open OneDrive from Applications and sign in with the university account.
5. If prompted that a OneDrive folder already exists:
   • Choose Use this folder only after confirming it is the intended folder.
   • Otherwise choose Choose new folder, then allow OneDrive to rebuild the cloud view in a clean location.
6. Leave the Mac connected to power and the internet while synchronization completes. OneDrive may initially display placeholders rather than downloading every file.^3^

4. If OneDrive still cannot be added

Reset the Mac client rather than uninstalling it:

1. Quit OneDrive.
2. In Finder → Applications, Control-click OneDrive and select Show Package Contents.
3. Open Contents → Resources.
4. Double-click:
   • ResetOneDriveApp.command, or
   • ResetOneDriveAppStandalone.command for the standalone version.
5. Start OneDrive and complete setup, selecting the previous sync location only if it has already been checked for unique local files.

Resetting disconnects and rebuilds the sync connections but does not delete OneDrive data.^4^

If the files are absent online, absent from both recycle bins, or the school account will not sign in, contact the university IT service desk immediately. Work/school recovery and retention settings are controlled by the organization; provide the approximate deletion time—Thursday night—and avoid further changes meanwhile.

References

1. Restore files deleted from your OneDrive | Microsoft Support
2. Restore your OneDrive | Microsoft Support
3. Mac
4. Reset OneDrive