OneDrive files suddenly have a brown box icon on the lower left-hand corner. What does this mean?

Anonymous
2021-10-25T10:24:49+00:00

I use OneDrive's File-on-demand feature.

Somehow out of nowhere, my online-only files (files marked with cloud icon) in my OneDrive folder are marked with this brown box symbol in the lower left-hand corner of each file icons. What does this icon mean?

Many options in the right-click menu are also missing from all files in the OneDrive folder (both with and without brown box icon), notably the option to control OneDrive file-on-demand like "Free up space" and "Always keep file on this device".

The "Status" column that shows the file-on-demand icons like Cloud & green checkmark in Details view is also missing.

I have just encountered this today for the first time. What does this icon brown box icon mean? I've tried searching and can't find any explanation.

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Anonymous
2021-12-10T19:36:54+00:00

Hi,

I am not sure if everyone has this app, but I had the One Drive App, pre-installed for my new windows 11 device. On the app, just hit sync. Doing this resolved the brown box icon issue for me.

Hope this helps,

Cheers

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Anonymous
2021-12-08T19:12:16+00:00

Okay, so i did fix it myself, just one question, are is your onedrive connected? Because that was my problem

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-03-02T15:58:49+00:00

    It means that it is a locked file that you cannot access unless you're signed into Onedrive.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-03-02T13:12:45+00:00

    Dear All

    The original question in this thread, posted on 25 October 2021, is:

    "Somehow out of nowhere, my online-only files (files marked with cloud icon) in my OneDrive folder are marked with this brown box symbol in the lower left-hand corner of each file icons. What does this icon mean?"

    In the hundreds of responses since none has answered that question.

    Rather the conversation is about what to do when the icon appears, and why it is or is not a problem.

    Surely someone in @Microsoft knows what message the icon is intended to convey regarding the state of the file it is appended to. That is all I want to know.

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    6 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2023-03-02T11:15:20+00:00

    I have this happening only when my personal vault (OneDrive) is open. As soon as I lock it, it all goes back to normal.
    Hope this helps.

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