Do OneDrive Shortcuts Count Toward the 300,000-Item Limit?
Question details
The user needs clarification on whether adding a SharePoint folder as a OneDrive shortcut circumvents the 300,000-item synchronization limit.
- Product
- Microsoft OneDrive
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Synchronizing large libraries from SharePoint and OneDrive to a local device.
- Observed behavior
- Shortcuts added to OneDrive are still counting toward the total item synchronization limit, causing potential performance degradation if the limit is exceeded.
Before making structural changes to your SharePoint libraries, ensure all current synchronization processes in the OneDrive app have finished to prevent file conflicts.
Manage Synced Libraries to Stay Under the 300,000-Item Limit
Implement content management strategies to reduce the number of synced items, as OneDrive shortcuts do not bypass the synchronization limit.
The 300,000-item limit applies across all synchronized SharePoint and OneDrive libraries. Adding a SharePoint folder as a OneDrive shortcut still counts toward this limit and will not improve sync capabilities. To optimize performance, you must reduce the total number of items synced to your local device by managing your libraries effectively.
Identify older or rarely used files within your SharePoint sites and move them to a separate, unsynced archive library on SharePoint.
Use your organization's Microsoft 365 compliance settings to establish retention policies that automatically delete or move files once they reach a certain age.
Break down massive SharePoint document libraries into multiple smaller, categorized libraries. Use the OneDrive client to sync only the specific smaller libraries that you need for your current projects.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 300,000-item limit apply to Files On-Demand?
Yes, even if you use OneDrive Files On-Demand and the files are not fully downloaded to your local hard drive, they still count toward the 300,000-item limit because the sync client must continuously track their metadata.
How can I check how many items I am currently syncing?
You can right-click the top-level folders you are syncing in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) and check their properties to see the total file and folder count. There is currently no direct overall counter inside the OneDrive application interface.
Can I choose specific folders to sync to stay under the limit?
Yes. In the OneDrive app settings, go to the 'Account' tab and click 'Choose folders'. Uncheck the folders you do not need offline to reduce the total number of synchronized items on your device.
