OneDrive File Issues

How to Fix OneDrive Stuck Syncing After Moving the Folder

Emma Brown Oct 7, 2026 872 views

Question details

The user is unable to sync 39 files, primarily images, after relocating the OneDrive folder to a recovered drive, encountering an error that OneDrive cannot access the files.

How to Fix OneDrive Stuck Syncing After Moving the Folder

Product: OneDrive
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Moving the default OneDrive sync folder to a new or recovered drive to manage storage or recover data.
Observed behavior: OneDrive becomes stuck syncing specific files, displaying an access error, and the user is unsure if it is safe to delete the old folder on the system drive.

Before you start

Before making any changes to your OneDrive configuration or deleting old folders, manually copy the 39 unsynced files to an external drive or a separate local folder to ensure no data is lost during the troubleshooting process.

Solution 1Recommended

Verify File Permissions and File Integrity

Check if the newly moved folder has the correct read and write permissions, which is often the cause of access errors on recovered drives.

When files are moved to a recovered drive, they can sometimes inherit strict security permissions from the previous system state or become corrupted during the recovery process. OneDrive requires full read/write access to sync files properly.

Check Folder Permissions

Right-click the specific files or the new OneDrive folder, select 'Properties', and navigate to the 'Security' tab. Ensure your current Windows user account has 'Full control' enabled.

Test File Accessibility

Double-click the affected image files to see if they open normally in your default photo viewer. If they fail to open, the files might be corrupted from the drive recovery process rather than blocked by OneDrive.

Check Storage Space

Open 'This PC' (or 'My Computer') and verify that the recovered drive has sufficient free storage space to accommodate the syncing process.

Verify File Permissions and File Integrity

File Corruption: If the images do not open locally, OneDrive will not be able to sync them. You may need to replace them with uncorrupted versions from a previous backup.

Solution 2

Reset OneDrive and Re-link Your Account

Clear OneDrive's local cache and force it to rebuild the sync connection with your new folder location.

Solution 3

Safely Manage and Delete the Old Folder

Confirm that the old folder is fully disconnected before safely deleting it to free up space.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does OneDrive say it cannot access my files after moving the folder?

This usually happens because the new drive has restricted security permissions, or the files became corrupted during a drive recovery process. It can also occur if another background application is actively using those files.

Is it safe to delete the old OneDrive folder on my system drive?

Yes, but only after you have confirmed in the OneDrive settings that your account is successfully linked to the new folder path, and all files in the new location show a green 'sync complete' checkmark.

What should I do if the images on the recovered drive are corrupted?

If double-clicking the images locally results in an error, the files are damaged. OneDrive cannot fix or sync corrupted files; you will need to replace them from an external backup or the original source device.

Does resetting OneDrive delete my local files?

No, running the reset command only clears OneDrive's internal sync cache and restarts the application. Your local files and folders remain completely untouched.

Document & File Issues