OneDrive File Issues

How to Upload a Large 50 GB Folder to OneDrive on Mac

Ayan Masood Oct 1, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs a stable method to upload a large 50 GB folder to OneDrive without causing the system or browser to crash.

How to Upload a Large 50 GB Folder to OneDrive on a Mac

Product: OneDrive
Device & OS: Mac
Scenario: Attempting to back up or sync a massive directory, particularly one filled with images, to OneDrive via a web browser.
Observed behavior: The OneDrive website becomes highly unresponsive, lags, or freezes entirely, causing the upload to fail due to browser memory limits or network instability.

Before you start

Verify that your Microsoft OneDrive account has at least 50 GB of available storage space, and connect your Mac to a stable, preferably wired, internet network to prevent random disconnections.

Solution 1Recommended

Use the OneDrive Desktop Application for Mac

The desktop client is specifically optimized for handling massive data transfers and can automatically recover from network drops, unlike web browsers.

Web browsers are not designed to handle bulk uploads of thousands of files at once. They consume massive amounts of RAM to process thumbnails and file paths, which causes freezing.

By utilizing the native macOS OneDrive client, the synchronization happens in the background natively, bypassing browser memory limitations.

Download the App

Open the Mac App Store or visit the official Microsoft website to download and install the OneDrive application for Mac.

Sign In and Configure

Launch OneDrive from your Applications folder, sign in with your Microsoft account, and follow the setup prompts to create your local OneDrive folder.

Move the Folder

Open Finder, locate your 50 GB folder, and drag it into the newly created local OneDrive directory.

Allow Sync to Complete

Click the cloud icon in your top menu bar to monitor the progress. Wait until the status indicates that all files are synced and up to date.

Use the OneDrive Desktop Application for Mac

Resilient Syncing: If your Mac goes to sleep or you lose internet connection, the desktop app will automatically pause and resume the upload once reconnected.

Solution 2

Divide the Folder into Smaller Batches

If you cannot install the desktop application and must use the web browser, reducing the payload size will prevent the browser from crashing.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Safari or Chrome freeze when uploading to OneDrive?

Web browsers have strict memory allocation limits. Loading thousands of files simultaneously, especially images that force the browser to generate and cache visual thumbnails, can consume all available browser RAM, leading to total unresponsiveness.

Can I upload files larger than 50 GB to OneDrive?

Yes, OneDrive supports individual file uploads of up to 250 GB. However, the limitation typically comes from network timeouts or browser capacities when dealing with folders containing thousands of smaller files. For maximum stability, the desktop app is required.

Will my upload resume if my Mac goes to sleep during the transfer?

If you are uploading via a web browser, the upload will fail and you will have to restart or figure out which files were skipped. If you are using the OneDrive desktop application, the sync engine will safely pause and automatically resume once your Mac wakes up and reconnects.

Document & File Issues