My Fix for OneDrive on MacOs Catalina (10.15.x)

My Fix for OneDrive on MacOS Catalina (10.15.x)

5th UPDATE: 29 Apr 2023 (at the top, new way to solve OneDrive issue, supersedes everything else below it)

4th update: 25 Apr 2023 (appended to 3rd update, found at the bottom, below)

3rd update: 23 Apr 2023 (appended to 2nd update, found near the bottom, below)

2nd update: 18 Apr 2023 (now obsolete, but preserved to help with reversing the fix)

1st update: failed to record date (content replaced by the 2nd update)

Original Post: 11 Apr 2023

UPDATE #5 (supersedes everything before it)

Thanks to carlos andres gonzalez1 and many others who have reported success with the latest "insider preview" version of OneDrive for MacOS (23.081 and later). Reports indicate that the following versions (which are "insider preview" as of the date of this update) have restored functionality with MacOS 10.15.x (Catalina):

* 23.081

* 23.086

Huge thanks to MICROSOFT for fixing the problem! (I have to admit I doubted they would. So glad to be wrong.)

Prior to the release of the above insider preview versions, the last versions of OneDrive working on MacOS Catalina were these:

* 23.002

* 23.054

These are the OneDrive versions that DO NOT work on/with MacOS Catalina (with roll out dates):

I have installed 23.081 and can confirm that it launches and syncs.

Recommendations now as follows:

A. For those who have not implemented a previous fix, there might be nothing to reverse, in that case, simply download and install the insider preview version of OneDrive for MacOS 23.081 or later, found here: https://oneclient.sfx.ms/Mac/Installers/23.081.0416.0001/universal/OneDrive.pkg 

In case the link shifts later, it can also be found in Hans Brender's blog, here: All OneDrive Versions – Hans Brender's Blog

As of the time of this update, DO NOT install OneDrive from the App Store, it still has the older non-working version (23.076). That is because the working versions (23.081 and later) are still "insider preview" versions.

B. For those who implemented a fix that prevented OneDrive from updating itself, you may need to reverse that fix first. In my case, I first reversed the previous edit to the HOSTS file, as follows:

Editing the HOSTS File

1. Launch the Terminal app (navigate to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal, double-click Terminal to launch it.)
2. Type (or copy-paste) the following command and press Return to run the "Nano Editor" and open the HOSTS file: sudo nano /etc/hosts
3. Enter your computer password when asked.
4. Using the down- and left/right arrow keys, move cursor down and and in front of this entry: 0.0.0.0 oneclient.sfx.ms
5. Use the "delete" key to erase that entry (erase 0.0.0.0 oneclient.sfx.ms)
6. Press Control-X to exit, press Y to save the changes when prompted, press enter key to select the default file name (which should remain unchanged)

After editing the hosts file to remove the reference to 0.0.0.0, you can click on the first link above to download the new OneDrive version.

3rd Party Firewall

If you installed and enabled a 3rd party firewall (as I did), you can simply do any of the following: disable, quit, or uninstall.

In my case, I had installed Lulu. I disabled it first. I then downloaded and installed OneDrive version 23.081. Once I confirmed 23.081 was working, I uninstalled Lulu. (The new OneDrive version works with Lulu installed and disabled.)

In my experience, there was no need to first uninstall my current OneDrive version. I simply installed version 23.081 over version 23.002 (after I first corrected the hosts file and disabled my 3rd party firewall).

Hopefully this is the last update on the matter? Seems like we are out of the tunnel! Thanks to the OneDrive user community for coming together to help each other! And thanks to MS for getting it fixed!

Good luck!

+++ +++ +++ THIS FIX NO LONGER RECOMMENDED, PRESERVED TO HELP REVERSE THE FIX +++ +++ +++

Symptom: OneDrive will not start.

Cause: OneDrive automatically upgraded to 23.061.0319.0003 or later

Solution: Reverse the cause and prevent recurrence (A-B-C)

A. Uninstall non-working OneDrive installation (e.g. 23.061.0319.0003, 23.066.0326.0005, etc.)

B. Download older OneDrive version 23.002.0102.0004 (deferred ring)

C. Prevent OneDrive from automatically updating itself to 23.061, 23.066, or later

Step A: Uninstall non-working OneDrive

1. Using the Finder app, GO to “Applications” folder
2. Scroll down to OneDrive
3. Right click on the OneDrive app and select “Move to Trash”

Step B: Download and Install older version of OneDrive

1. Download the 23.002.0102.0004 (deferred ring). The MS download site is this: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/onedrive-release-notes-845dcf18-f921-435e-bf28-4e24b95e5fc0?ui=en-us&rs=en-us&ad=us#OSVersion=Mac ); do not install from the Mac Appstore—that version has already been updated to 23.061.0319.0003 or later
   1. Others report success with version 23.054 (I also had early success, but I've since learned that it updates too aggressively)
   2. Alternate site for older versions of OneDrive: https://hansbrender.com/all-onedrive-versions/#tabmac
2. After downloading and before installing, turn off wifi (to avoid auto-update during or soon after the install process)
3. Install OneDrive 23.002.0102.0004 (with Wifi turned off)
4. DO NOT LAUNCH OneDrive after installation just yet (complete Step C first)

Step C: Prevent OneDrive from updating itself

1. OneDrive will attempt to auto update every time you log back into your computer and at some time interval when you are logged in
2. The key offending process is StandaloneUpdater
3. I've tried the following solutions to defeat StandaloneUpdater, but they don't work as long term fixes:
   1. Renaming or removing StandaloneUpdater or OneDriveUpdater, etc. (OneDrive will not run if you do so)
   2. Using the Mac built-in firewall to block StandaloneUpdater (alas the Mac firewall will not prevent the update process)
   3. There is a built-in Mac capability to use Terminal to "block" apps from running (using Mac built-in "Gatekeeper" feature to control access to Applications); but it will not stop the StandaloneUpdater from running either
   4. Using the Mac Terminal to edit the plist to prevent auto-run of StandaloneUpdater works, but only in preventing auto-run during startup; alas, something else launches StandaloneUpdater when not in the context of a startup (which results in OneDrive being updated anyway); in short, this solution does not work long term
4. Two solutions appear to be working for me as of this update. I have employed both concurrently. (Will do a 3rd update if that fails in a few days.) In no particular order, the first of the two is to
   1. Option 1: Edit the "HOSTS" file using the built in Terminal (has the advantage of not needing to install an app) so that the OneDrive update app is pointed towards a non-routable network address; the other solution is to
   2. Option 2: Download and install a free 3rd party firewall app such as LuLu or Little Snitch, and create a rule that would "block" StandaloneUpdater and OneDriveUpdater from successfully connecting to the internet (in effect, turning off Wifi for them only)
   3. Option 1 & 2 are not mutually exclusive. For good measure, I implement both, though one or the other may work just fine for you.

Option 1: Editing the HOSTS File

1. Launch the Terminal app (navigate to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal, double-click Terminal to launch it.)
2. Type (or copy-paste) the following command and press Return to run the "Nano Editor" and open the HOSTS file: sudo nano /etc/hosts
3. Enter your password when asked.
4. Scroll ahead or down and press the Return key to create some space below the existing records.
5. Enter (or copy-paste) the following non-routable network address: 0.0.0.0 oneclient.sfx.ms
6. Exit the "Nano Editor" (Ctrl-X) and select "YES" to save when prompted (just press Enter to select the default file name already provided)
7. Finally, type the following command to flush the DNS cache and press Enter: sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Option 2: Download & Install 3rd Party Firewall

1. I use Lulu from Objective C, others report success with Little Snitch. Both appear to be free.
2. For Lulu, download from here: Objective-See: LuLu. For Little Snitch, here: Little Snitch (obdev.at)
   • You should download and install Lulu or Little Snitch before you install OneDrive.
   • And then install OneDrive (with Wifi off).
   • Before launching the new OneDrive installation, continue with the steps (e.g. below) to block StandaloneUpdater. Best to do this before turning wifi back on and/or running OneDrive for the first time after the OneDrive install (because as soon as OneDrive launches, the StandaloneUpdater will instantly try to force an update—so this Lulu or Little Snitch shield has to be up and running before OneDrive gets to run)
3. Assuming Lulu, after installation, go to Mac System Preference > Security & Privacy to give Lulu the necessary permissions
4. Within Lulu, "Add Rule" and select StandaloneUpdater to block it. I also block OneDriveUpdater. (e.g. see 1st Lulu screenshot below)
5. You can allow Apple apps and other 3rd party apps to run/connect, just not StandaloneUpdater (e.g. see 2nd Lulu screenshot below), so Lulu bothers you less with permission requests

So, this is my current set up (as of 19 Apr 2023). I'll edit this post again if OneDrive still updates itself after this fix, otherwise, hopefully this post will remain unchanged after today. Hopefully this solution works for others too?

Thanks to MarcoRicciardi, PabloLoiacono, Trui365, Dominic Ciciollo, Anne, Tian-Qin, and many many others for their answers, feedback, and reports, all of which really helped a lot.

+++

3rd Update: 23 Apr 23

POTENTIAL PROBLEM: I noted that after a restart, it is possible for the StandaloneUpdater to start up before LuLu firewall. If the updater is up and running before Lulu, in theory it can update OneDrive to the non-functional version before Lulu is up and running to guard against it. This depends on how many programs "start-up" after a restart, and where Lulu is in that queue. As far as I can tell, the StandaloneUpdater is first in the queue and Lulu is not.

WHAT CAN BE DONE: After the startup, as soon as the desktop screen comes up, I turn off Wifi. One could also turn off wifi before shutting down or restarting, so when the machine starts up, WiFi is off to begin with (turn on WiFi only after seeing Lulu running already). As before, I always shut down or restart with the Activity Monitor on (so it launches automatically at start up), and I monitor by using the search term "update", and I "KILL" the StandAloneUpdater as soon as it appears—even if I have Wifi off and Lulu on—I just don't trust it at all.

STATUS: I still have OneDrive running fine (version 23.002.0102.0004). No major change to the solution shared above; so far so good.

+++

4th Update: 25 Apr 23

THE GOOD NEWS:

1. The fix still works for me with no changes, OneDrive version 23.002.0102.0004 is still running fine.
2. User Staff Campforts has reported success using a different freeware firewall app named "Lockdown Privacy" (https://lockdownprivacy.com), in lieu of Lulu or LittleSnitch.
3. A read a report that Microsoft said via email reply that they're looking into the problem. (Personally, I don't think Microsoft is going to fix it. I hope I'm wrong.)

THE BAD NEWS:

1. Others have reported that implementing only option 1 (editing the hosts file) may not work, having a 3rd party firewall is needed.
2. I read a report that Standalone updater may install after startup even if LittleSnitch was installed. I had the same experience with Lulu. After a reboot or restart, StandaloneUpdater can (and does) start up ahead of a firewall app such as Lulu (or LittleSnitch as recently reported), and can finish the upload process before the firewall app can block it. Which is why editing the hosts file is a good solution (in theory) because the system should access the hosts file before StandAloneUpdater can spool up (but in practice, see #1 above).

• In my case I had implemented both options (editing the hosts file & having a 3rd party firewall app) and still StandAloneUpdater spooled up after a restart.
• Since I was tracking the restart with "Activity Monitor", I was able to kill StandAloneUpdater in time to prevent it from completing the update.

3. The latest OneDrive version is now 23.071 (up from 23.061 which was when the problem started, through 23.066). I read a report that 23.071 also does not support Catalina. Therefore for now only two versions in the 23 series work with Catalina (23.002 and the more recent 23.054).

WHAT NOW:

1. The fix appears stable as long as one does not restart/reboot. Maybe best to just let the computer sleep instead of turning it off or logging out.
2. For those who can't avoid logging out or restarting (for example, me: I switch back and forth between MacOS and Windows via Bootcamp so I restart frequently), here is what I do to preserve my functional OneDrive installation:

• (1) I turn off the Mac's WiFi transmitter before I log out, shutdown, or restart
• (2) I turn off all apps and windows except for Activity Monitor, and I set the Mac to restart any open apps (which would only be Activity Monitor)
• (3) When I start up or restart, with WiFi off, I enter the search term "update" as soon as I see Activity Monitor to filter the view to display only update apps, and I quickly kill StandAloneUpdater (I often need to try many times before I succeed in killing it)
• (4) After StandAloneUpdater has been killed, and after the firewall app is up and running, I then turn on WiFi to let OneDrive connect to the internet and start the sync-check process

GOOD LUCK!