OneDrive File Issues

How to Improve OneDrive for Business and SharePoint Sync Performance

Khadija Khan Sep 30, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users need ways to improve the synchronization speed and overall performance of OneDrive for Business and SharePoint, particularly when dealing with large files or limited asymmetric internet connections.

How to Improve OneDrive for Business and SharePoint Sync Performance

Product: OneDrive for Business and SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to sync business files and manage team documents on small business networks where uploads are slow or bandwidth is constrained.
Observed behavior: Synchronization processes are sluggish, large files cause bottlenecks, and traditional mapped-drive access methods are no longer functioning.

Before you start

Ensure you have a stable internet connection and that all your Microsoft Office applications are closed before making administrative changes to your sync cache.

Solution 1Recommended

Optimize OneDrive Sync Settings

Adjusting your OneDrive settings to selectively sync files can significantly reduce network strain and improve performance on asymmetric internet connections.

In environments with slow upload speeds, attempting to sync everything at once can severely bottleneck your network. Using built-in features to control what and when files sync is the most effective way to restore performance.

Enable Files On-Demand

Open your OneDrive settings, navigate to the 'Sync and back up' tab, click 'Advanced settings', and enable 'Files On-Demand'. This keeps files in the cloud until you double-click them, saving massive amounts of bandwidth.

Sync Only Required Folders

Go to OneDrive Settings, click the 'Account' tab, and select 'Choose folders'. Uncheck any large folders you do not immediately need on your local machine.

Pause Sync During Heavy Network Usage

Click the OneDrive cloud icon in your system tray, click 'Help & Settings' (the gear icon), and choose 'Pause syncing'. Select an appropriate time limit (e.g., 2 or 8 hours) during peak working hours to free up internet bandwidth.

Solution 2

Manage Large Files and Clear Office Cache

Large local files like Outlook archives can freeze the sync engine. Moving these out of OneDrive and refreshing the cache can unblock stalled synchronizations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is OneDrive for Business uploading so slowly?

Slow uploads are frequently caused by asymmetric internet connections (where upload speeds are significantly lower than download speeds) or by attempting to sync massive files that constantly update, such as Outlook PST data files.

What does OneDrive Files On-Demand do?

Files On-Demand allows you to view all your cloud files in File Explorer without actually downloading them to your hard drive. A file is only downloaded when you open it, which greatly reduces initial sync time and saves local disk space.

Can I still use a mapped network drive for SharePoint?

No. The traditional method of mapping a network drive to a SharePoint library relied on legacy technologies tied to Internet Explorer. Microsoft no longer supports this method; you should use the OneDrive sync client instead.

How do I clear the Office file cache?

First, close all Office applications. Then, press Windows + R, type '%localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\OfficeFileCache', and press Enter. Delete the contents of this folder to clear the cache.

Document & File Issues