OneDrive Folders Have Red X

If you see the related red X from the above situation or after transferring files from your hard drive to OneDrive, which means that some files or folders located in your OneDrive folder cannot be synced to the OneDrive server.

Don’t worry, here we will show you the causes and proven solutions for you to fix it quickly and helps you sync files easily.

Reasons to OneDrive Red X on Files in Windows 10/11

There are some reasons should be responsible for OneDrive red X next to files or folders, that is:

• OneDrive is not the latest version.
• OneDrive is not running correctly due to some bugs.
• You don’t have enough OneDrive cloud storage to sync files.
• The Office Upload can be the cause preventing OneDrive from syncing files.
• Some unsupported characters in the file name cannot be synced.
• The file you uploaded exceeds the file size that is allowed to upload in OneDrive.
• System issues on your computer.

9 Quick Solutions to Fix Red X on OneDrive Folder

OneDrive red X problems have been reported on many Windows platforms, and there are common issues in Windows 10 and Windows 11. In the next part, you can find the proven ways to troubleshoot the problem, just follow the step-by-step guide to resolve it.

Way 1. Uninstall OneDrive

If you want to fix red X on OneDrive, you can try to uninstall the OneDrive desktop app from your computer, then the problem will be fixed and never bother you again.

1. Please input control panel in Windows 11 search box, and choose it.

2. Hit Uninstall a program under Programs.

3. Scroll down to find Microsoft OneDrive, and select it, then hit Uninstall.

Now, the OneDrive red X has been fixed.

Way 2. Run Command Prompt to Fix OneDrve Red X

1. Please input cmd in the Windows search box, and run Command Prompt as administrator.

2. Then execute the following commands one by one with the Enter key:

cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local

attrib -h IconCache.db

delete IconCache.db

start explorer

Now, your OneDrive red X should be fixed and the corrupted icon caches have been rebuilt

3. Restart your computer and the OneDrive folder should appear as normal without a red X.

Way 3. Check System Files

1. According to the above steps and run Command Prompt as an administrator.

2. Input sfc /scannow to start the system scan, and it will automatically fix the problems that are found.

3. Type dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth and hit enter.

Wait for a while, it will take some time to finish.

4. Restart your computer to check if OneDrve red X has been fixed.

Way 4. Short your File Name Path

The file path, including the file name, can't contain more than 400 characters for OneDrive. Besides, you should be aware of the computer limitations, no more than 255 characters within the file or folder path (including the file name).

If you meet OneDrive sync problems, OneDrive will show you the error message and click it, you will find the files that have problems, and you will be given the possible solution to fix it, just check it if you meet OneDrive red X.

Way 5. Rename your File Name

Some special characters that aren't allowed in file and folder names in OneDrive for home, OneDrive for work or school: " * : < > ? / \ |

And these characters can’t be in file and folder names in OneDrive for work or school: ~ " # % & * : < > ? / \ { | }.

Just find the files or folders that contain the invalid characters, and rename them to sync to OneDrive.

Way 6. Relink OneDrive account

Sometimes, there are some bugs in OneDrive that might prevent OneDrive from syncing files, so you can try unlinking OneDrive and relinking it to check if OneDrive red X can be fixed.

1. Click the OneDrive icon on the taskbar, and select Help & Settings > Settings.

2. Tap Account > Unlink this PC.

3. Hit the Unlink account button to confirm.

4. Input your OneDrive email address, and hit Sign in.

5. Customize your OneDrive folder location, and hit Next to confirm.

6. Hit Use this folder instead of Choose new folder.

7. Follow the steps to finish the setup. Now OneDrive red X problem should be fixed.

However, you might encounter the problem “you now have two copies of a file”, which makes your OneDrive create duplicate files, and take up much more disk space on your hard disk.

Way 7. Reinstall OneDrive

It’s an emergency for you to sync files to OneDrive but OneDrive has a red X on folders and prevents you from syncing files, you can reinstall OneDrive to fix it.

1. Follow the above steps to uninstall OneDrive, then download the latest OneDrive desktop app.

2. Double-click the OneDrive installer, then follow the steps to install.

3. Sign in to your OneDrive account, and the red X on OneDrive folder should have disappeared.

Way 8. Reset OneDrive

Sometimes, you might find that there is a red X on OneDrive folder but no sync issues, reset OneDrive can be the fix for OneDrive sync issues, as well as the red X on OneDrive folder. Here are the steps to reset OneDrive:

1. Press the Windows + R key combination, enter wsreset.exe in the Run dialog, then select OK.

2. A blank Command Prompt window will open automatically, and stay with you for about a few seconds. Then the Microsoft Store window shows up, just close it.

3. If OneDrive has a red X after this operation, you can press Windows + R to open the Run window.

4. Input the following command, and hit enter:

%localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset

5. If you get the window showing “Windows cannot find ‘C:\Users\Ailsa\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe’. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.”, just input one of the two commands:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset

6. Then start OneDrive from the Start menu.

OneDrive red X should be fixed now.

Way 9. Check OneDrive Storage Space

Red X on OneDrive folders or files means that the files or folders can’t be synced to the OneDrive server. It’s possibly caused by the lack of available storage space on OneDrive, so please check your OneDrive storage space, then sync files.

1. Please open your OneDrive desktop app, then sign in.

2. Click the OneDrive icon from the taskbar notification area, and select Help & Settings > Settings.

3. Check the OneDrive storage, including used storage and the available OneDrive storage space on the bottom left.

If your OneDrive is full, OneDrive red X will appear as well. So, it’s highly recommended to clean up OneDrive storage space by deleting unnecessary files, emptying the trash bin, removing duplicate files, and removing shared files to SharePoint, etc. Or you can increase OneDrive storage space for free with the following information.

Tricks and Tips for OneDrive Red X

The above effective ways might be cannot fix the red X on OneDrive folders, and there are some tips and tricks for you.

Tip 1. Increase OneDrive Storage Space for Free

Here, you can take full use of all the idle cloud space by merging multiple cloud drives with the free cloud backup service, CBackup, then you can get a huge cloud space to store more files.

Here are the steps to increase OneDrive storage space for free with CBackup:

1. Please download and install the CBackup desktop app, then create a CBackup account and sign in.

2. Tap the Storage tab, then select OneDrive and hit Authorize Now. Follow the same step to add other clouds that has the idle cloud space, no matter the Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive.

3. Now tap + Add Combined Cloud under Storage.

4. Tick all the cloud drives that you added, and hit Next > Combine to confirm.

5. You can enjoy the huge combined cloud by clicking Backup > Backup PC to Combined Cloud.

Tip 2. Sync Files to OneDrive Quickly with CBackup

If you cannot fix OneDrive red X and don’t want to use OneDrive anymore, you can try CBackup to backup and sync files to OneDrive easily. Besides, CBackup use incremental backup or sync to speed up the transfer as well as shorten the time you cost. Other cloud drives are supported in CBackup, like Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.

1. Ensure you have added OneDrive to CBackup. Then hit Sync > Sync PC to Public Cloud.

2. Select the files on your computer, then choose a OneDrive folder as the destination.

3. Hit the Start Sync button to sync files to OneDrive directly.

★Tips:  There are some useful settings before syncing files in Settings:

Scheduler enables you to run the OneDrive automatic sync hourly, daily, weekly, or even monthly.

Email notification can send you the email after the sync is finished no matter whether it’s failed or succeeded.

You can enjoy the valuable features in CBackup while performing online backup:

Offers 5GB free cloud space of CBackup Cloud, which allows you to store files more securely.

Transfer OneDrive to another, even other clouds directly without downloading or uploading files manually.

If you want to abandon OneDrive, you can move OneDrive to the Combined Cloud directly and protect everything safely.

The Verdict

OneDrive red X is quite an annoying problem in Windows 11/10/8/7, you can follow the proven solutions and the step-by-step guide to fix it. If the problem has been fixed, congratulations. Or you can let it go, or uninstall OneDrive to try other cloud backup services, like CBackup, which allows you to merge two or more OneDrive accounts to take full use of spare cloud storage. You can try cloud to cloud backup as well to make another layer of protection for your OneDrive files.