Using OneDrive Sync
- Tracy King
- Marco Biermann
- 1 What is OneDrive Sync?
- 2 How can I use OneDrive Sync?
- 3 What do the OneDrive icons mean?
- 3.1 Three little blue lines
- 3.2 Red circle with white cross
- 3.3 Black circle with white cross
- 3.4 Gray OneDrive cloud icon
- 3.5 OneDrive paused icon
- 3.6 OneDrive icon with sync pending arrows
- 3.7 Red with white bar OneDrive icon
- 3.8 Yellow exclamation mark OneDrive icon
- 3.9 People icon next to a file or folder
- 3.10 Blue cloud icon
- 3.11 Green tick icons
- 3.12 Solid green circle with the white check mark
- 3.13 Padlock icon
- 3.14 3 squares icon next to "Owner" or "Can edit"
- 3.15 Diamond icon
- 3.16 Flashing OneDrive icon in Android
- 3.17 Why do I have two OneDrive icons?
- 3.18 Gray X on desktop icons
What is OneDrive Sync?
OneDrive sync allows you to synchronize your personal work files and folders from your OneDrive to your computer automatically and vice versa.
Note - OneDrive Sync functionality can only be used on Selkirk College computers.
Note - Selkirk College computers are configured with OneDrive Files On-demand.
How can I use OneDrive Sync?
Select Start, type OneDrive, and then select OneDrive.
Sign in to OneDrive with the account you want to sync and finish setting up.
Your OneDrive files will start syncing to your computer.
Work with your files in your file system
Once you're synced, you’ll see your files in File Explorer.
On a Mac, your files will appear under OneDrive in the Mac Finder.
If you use more than one account, your personal files appear under OneDrive – Personal and your work or school files appear under OneDrive - Selkirk College.
You can copy or move files from your computer to OneDrive right from your file system.
You can also click the OneDrive cloud icon in the Windows notification area to check status on your files.
Click Settings to add an account or manage other sync settings.
Work with files in Files On-Demand
When Files On-Demand is on, you’ll see new status icons next to each of your SharePoint files. You can now copy or move files from your computer to SharePoint Online right from your file system.
Save space on your device by making files online-only. These files are only available when you're connected to the Internet, but don't take up space on your computer. | |
When you open an online-only file, it downloads to your device and becomes locally available. You can open a locally available file at anytime even without Internet access. | |
To make a file always available, even when you're offline:
To change a file back to an online-only file:
|
What do the OneDrive icons mean?
Three little blue lines
The glimmer marks (three little blue lines) seen next to a file or folder indicate that the file is new. You'll see this only when using OneDrive.com online. |
Red circle with white cross
A red circle with a white cross means that a file or folder cannot be synced. You'll see this in File Explorer or on the OneDrive notification area icons. Click the blue or white OneDrive icon in the notification area to learn more about the problem. For more help, read how to Fix OneDrive sync problems. |
Black circle with white cross
A black circle with a white cross means that a file or folder cannot be synced. Mac users will see this in Finder or on the OneDrive menu bar icons. Click the OneDrive icon in the menu bar area to learn more about the problem. For more help, read how to Fix OneDrive sync problems on a Mac. |
Gray OneDrive cloud icon
A grayed-out OneDrive icon in the taskbar means you're not signed in, or OneDrive setup hasn't completed. On a PC, press , search for OneDrive and then open the OneDrive desktop app. On a Mac, use Finder or Spotlight to start OneDrive. Note: If you see the error message "You're already syncing a personal OneDrive on this computer. Unlink that account to add a new one", follow these steps to unlink and re-link your personal OneDrive account. You won't lose files or data by disabling, uninstalling or unlinking OneDrive on your computer. You can always access your files by signing in to your OneDrive account online. |
OneDrive paused icon
| The paused symbol over the OneDrive or OneDrive for work or school icon means your files are not currently syncing. To resume syncing, select the relevant OneDrive icon in the notification or menu bar area, select More and then Resume syncing. Learn more about How to Pause and Resume sync in OneDrive. |
OneDrive icon with sync pending arrows
The circular arrows over the OneDrive or OneDrive for work or school notification icons signify that sync is in progress. This includes when you are uploading files, or OneDrive is syncing new files from the cloud to your PC. Sync icons may also be seen online in OneDrive.com. OneDrive will also check for other file or folder changes and may show "Processing changes". If OneDrive shows “Processing changes" for a long time, it could be because you have an online file open, a very large file syncing, a lot of files stuck in a queue. To help resolve these problems, read OneDrive is stuck on “Processing changes". If you're seeing the sync pending icon in File Explorer, read OneDrive is stuck on "Sync pending". |
Red with white bar OneDrive icon
If you see a red "no entry" style icon over your OneDrive icon, it means your account is blocked. Learn more about what to do when your OneDrive account is frozen. |
Yellow exclamation mark OneDrive icon
If you see a yellow warning triangle over your OneDrive or or OneDrive for work or school icon, it means your account needs attention. Select the icon to see the warning message displayed in the activity center. |
People icon next to a file or folder
If you see a "people" icon next to your OneDrive files or folders, this indicates the file or folder has been shared with other people. Learn more about how to change sharing at Share OneDrive files and folders. |
Blue cloud icon
A blue cloud icon next to your OneDrive files or folders indicates that the file is only available online. Online-only files don’t take up space on your computer. You can’t open online-only files when your device isn’t connected to the Internet. Learn more about OneDrive Files On-Demand |
Green tick icons
When you open an online-only file, it downloads to your device and becomes a locally available file. You can open a locally available file anytime, even without Internet access. If you need more space, you can change the file back to online only. Just right-click the file and select “Free up space.” |
Solid green circle with the white check mark
Files that you mark as "Always keep on this device" have the green circle with the white check mark. These always available files download to your device and take up space, but they’re always there for you even when you’re offline. |
Padlock icon
OneDrive will show a padlock icon next to the sync status if the file or folder has settings which prevent it from syncing. Learn more about restrictions and limitations when you sync files and folders. |
3 squares icon next to "Owner" or "Can edit"
The three squares icon next to an album indicates a shared collection of files. You will see this whether you are the owner of the files, or if they have been shared with you. Learn more about adding and syncing shared folders to OneDrive. |
Diamond icon
The blue diamond icon on the OneDrive.com toolbar shows your current subscription with OneDrive or Microsoft 365, and how much storage you have used. If you don't have a subscription, select the icon to see what plans are available. |
Flashing OneDrive icon in Android
The OneDrive cloud icon may briefly appear in your Android notifications as part of the normal upload process. Learn more about how to Use OneDrive on Android. |
Why do I have two OneDrive icons?
If you have signed in to the OneDrive sync app with both work or school and a personal account, you will see two OneDrive sync icons. The blue one is for your work or school account, the white one is for your personal account. |
Gray X on desktop icons
This is not a OneDrive icon, but a corrupted Windows shortcut icon. If you see a gray X over your Windows Desktop shortcuts, try these tips:
|