onedrive

OneDrive Sync Pending Explained

Resolution Checklist

  • 1 What Does 'Sync Pending' Actually Mean?
  • 2 Step 1: Inspect the Status of the Sync Queue
  • 3 Step 2: Force Download or Upload via 'Always Keep on This Device'
  • 4 Step 3: Resolve Windows Storage Sense and Mac Space Conflicts
  • 5 Step 4: Clean the Local Sync Tunnel via Reset Script
  • 6 Summary Checklist

OneDrive Sync Pending Explained

A “Sync pending” status—represented by a circular dotted clock icon or blue syncing arrows next to your files in Windows Explorer or macOS Finder—indicates that a file is queued and waiting to sync to the cloud, but the transfer hasn’t started.

While “Processing changes” is a global app state, “Sync pending” is file-specific. This guide explains why files get stuck in this queue and how to force-resume synchronization on Windows and macOS.

What Does ‘Sync Pending’ Actually Mean?

When you see a “Sync pending” status, the OneDrive sync engine has noticed the file change but is holding it in a queue. Common reasons for this delay include:

  • Pausable Events: OneDrive is paused automatically due to a low battery, battery-saver mode, or a metered internet connection.
  • Large File Queue: A large file (e.g., a video or a database backup) is ahead of the pending file in the queue, blocking subsequent files from uploading.
  • Virtual File (Reparse Point) Glitches: When Files On-Demand is enabled, OneDrive uses Windows Reparse Points or macOS FileProvider placeholders. If these pointers become corrupted, the OS cannot resolve the file’s sync state.
  • Storage Sense/Optimize Storage Interference: Operating system disk managers can offload files to save space, conflicting with OneDrive’s attempts to read and sync them.

Step 1: Inspect the Status of the Sync Queue

Before running command-line utilities, identify which files are blocking the queue:

  1. Click the OneDrive cloud icon in your menu bar (Mac) or system tray (Windows).
  2. Look at the top of the flyout panel to see what file is currently syncing (e.g., Uploading "Project_Backup.zip" (1.2 GB of 5.0 GB)).
  3. If it is uploading a huge file, the remaining files will display Sync pending until that transfer completes. You can pause the sync or skip that file if needed.
  4. If it displays “Sync is paused”, click the banner and select Resume syncing.

Step 2: Force Download or Upload via ‘Always Keep on This Device’

Forcing OneDrive to store a local copy of a pending file can resolve placeholder conflicts and trigger an immediate sync update.

On Windows (via PowerShell)

If you have a batch of files stuck in a pending state, you can use PowerShell to find them and force a status update.

  1. Right-click the Start menu and select PowerShell.
  2. Run the following command to identify files containing offline or reparse point (placeholder) attributes: 
    Get-ChildItem -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\OneDrive" -Recurse | Where-Object { $_.Attributes -match "Archive" -and $_.Attributes -match "ReparsePoint" } | Select-Object Name, Attributes, FullName | Format-Table -AutoSize
  3. To force sync these files, right-click the parent folder in File Explorer and select Always keep on this device.

On macOS (via Terminal)

  1. Open Terminal.
  2. Run this command to check if files have extended attributes (xattr) or lock flags applied by the Finder FileProvider: 
    xattr -lr ~/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive-Personal
  3. In Finder, right-click the stuck file or folder and select Always keep on this device. This forces macOS to download the full payload and update the sync state.

Step 3: Resolve Windows Storage Sense and Mac Space Conflicts

Operating system disk-cleanup tools can interfere with OneDrive’s virtual file structures.

  • Disable Windows Storage Sense Interference:
    1. Open Settings → System → Storage.
    2. Click on Storage Sense.
    3. Under Locally available cloud content, change the dropdown for OneDrive to Never (preventing Windows from automatically offloading files that are pending sync).
  • Disable macOS Optimize Storage Conflicts:
    1. Open System Settings → Click your Apple ID → iCloud.
    2. Turn OFF the toggle for Optimize Mac Storage. This ensures Apple’s native storage daemon does not conflict with OneDrive’s FileProvider.

Step 4: Clean the Local Sync Tunnel via Reset Script

If individual files are still stuck, reset the sync app to clear the pending queue and start fresh.

Windows Command

  1. Open the Run dialog (Win + R), type the command below, and press Enter: 
    %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset
  2. If OneDrive does not launch after 2 minutes, run: 
    %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe

macOS Command

  1. Open Terminal and enter: 
    /Applications/OneDrive.app/Contents/Resources/ResetOneDriveAppStandalone.command
  2. Open Finder to verify that the clock icons have updated to green checkmarks or cloud icons.

Summary Checklist

Action ItemTarget PlatformExpected Outcome
Resume SyncingWindows / macOSResumes transfers if OneDrive was paused by battery saver.
Always Keep on This DeviceWindows / macOSForce-downloads the file payload, bypassing placeholder issues.
Disable Storage SenseWindowsPrevents Windows from removing local files that are pending sync.
Run Reset UtilityWindows / macOSClears stuck queues and rebuilds the sync index.