OneDrive File Issues

How to Fix OneDrive Sync Limits for SharePoint Libraries

Bushra Parveen Oct 9, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users are experiencing slow synchronization and errors when attempting to sync large SharePoint libraries that contain extensive unique permissions.

How to Resolve OneDrive Sync Limits for SharePoint Libraries with Unique Permissions

Product: OneDrive and SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Synchronizing SharePoint libraries containing hundreds of thousands of items and complex unique permissions to a local device.
Observed behavior: Synchronization becomes excessively slow or fails with errors, prompting concerns about the 300,000-item sync limit and whether inaccessible files are counted towards it.

Before you start

Check the total number of files across all libraries you are attempting to sync to your local device, and ensure you have administrative or owner access to adjust SharePoint library settings and permissions.

Solution 1Recommended

Reduce the Synchronization Scope in OneDrive

Sync only the specific folders you need rather than the entire SharePoint library to stay well below the 300,000-item limit.

The OneDrive 300,000-item sync limit applies to the total number of synchronized items across all your libraries, including files you might not have permission to open. Exceeding this limit causes significant performance degradation and synchronization failures.

Stop syncing the current library

Click the OneDrive cloud icon in your system tray, select Settings (gear icon), navigate to 'Account', find the large SharePoint library, and click 'Stop sync'.

Navigate to specific folders

Open your SharePoint library in a web browser and navigate to the specific subfolders you frequently need to work on.

Sync targeted folders

Click the 'Sync' button inside the specific subfolder rather than at the root directory level. This limits the item count OneDrive has to process.

Reduce the Synchronization Scope in OneDrive

Performance Boost: Keeping your synchronized item count as low as possible ensures faster file updates and significantly reduces battery and CPU usage.

Solution 2

Optimize SharePoint Unique Permissions

Restructure your SharePoint library permissions to reduce the number of unique item-level permissions.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does the 300,000-item limit include SharePoint files I cannot access?

Yes, the OneDrive sync limit applies to the total number of synchronized items across the user's libraries, which includes inaccessible files even if you do not have the unique permissions to open them.

What is the maximum number of unique permissions allowed in a SharePoint library?

SharePoint supports up to 50,000 unique permissions per list or library. However, Microsoft strongly recommends keeping the number of unique permissions under 5,000 to maintain better performance and avoid sync errors.

How can I fix OneDrive being stuck on 'Processing changes'?

This is often caused by exceeding sync limits. To fix it, you should reduce your synchronization scope by unlinking the massive SharePoint library and choosing to sync only the specific subfolders you currently need.

Document & File Issues