Office for Mac Issues

How to Fix OneDrive Application is Damaged and Cannot Be Opened on Mac

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user receives an error message indicating that the OneDrive application is damaged and cannot be opened on their Mac.

Product: Microsoft OneDrive
Device & OS: Mac
Scenario: Attempting to launch or run the OneDrive desktop application on macOS.
Observed behavior: A warning dialog appears stating the app is damaged and offers an option to move it to Trash. However, selecting the Trash option fails to permanently resolve the issue.

Before you start

Ensure that your local OneDrive folder is accessible via Finder and verify that your most important files are fully synced to the cloud online before making changes to the application.

Solution 1Recommended

Force Quit and Reset the OneDrive App

Clearing the application's configuration and resetting its background processes often resolves 'damaged application' errors without requiring a full reinstall.

MacOS sometimes flags an application as damaged due to cached corrupted configurations or minor update glitches. Running the built-in reset script can clear these errors and restore functionality.

Force Quit OneDrive

Open Activity Monitor from your Applications > Utilities folder. Search for 'OneDrive' in the top right corner, select any running OneDrive processes, and click the 'X' button to force quit them.

Locate the Reset Command

Open Finder and navigate to the Applications folder. Right-click on the OneDrive app icon and select 'Show Package Contents'.

Execute the Reset Script

Go to Contents > Resources. Find the file named 'ResetOneDriveApp.command' (or 'ResetOneDriveAppStandalone.command') and double-click it to run the terminal script.

Restart OneDrive

Once the terminal process completes, launch OneDrive again from your Applications folder and follow the prompts to sign back in.

No Data Loss: Resetting the OneDrive application will not delete your local files or your cloud data. It merely resets the application's sync settings and preferences.

Solution 2

Manually Uninstall and Reinstall OneDrive

If resetting does not work, the application files might be corrupted, and a clean installation is required.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Mac say the OneDrive application is damaged?

This error often occurs due to a corrupted software update, a glitch in macOS Gatekeeper verifying the app signature, or incomplete installation files.

Will uninstalling OneDrive delete my locally synced files?

No, moving the OneDrive application to the Trash only removes the software itself. Your local OneDrive folder and all the files stored inside it remain intact on your Mac's hard drive.

Can I edit my OneDrive files using WPS Office on Mac?

Yes, you can open, edit, and save files directly within your local OneDrive folder using WPS Office. Any changes you save will automatically sync to the cloud once the OneDrive application is running properly.

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