Files App on iOS can't upload documents to Sharepoint site

Question

Files App on iOS can't upload documents to Sharepoint site

Anonymous

We have client who use fleet of iPad A16's for their field users.

All are registered and managed through the companies Apple Business Manager and JAMF Now accounts. All 14 iPads are using the same global policy for settings.

They have templates for common document they use while at job sites. Their process is to open onedrive app, select the document template they need > Download > Save to files > this opens Apple's Files application to select were to save the document to. They will then select Onedrive > Libraries > Sharepoint site > Job folder and then save the template with the date in the file name.

They can then open that saved document and put in the data they need.

For 2 of the iPads this process doesn't work. After hitting save, the document won't upload to the sharepoint folder. If you browse to the sharepoint folder in the Apple Files app it will show the file you attempted to save there, but it states "upload error". Selecting Get info on the file shows its size is "-2 bytes" and "the file doesn't exist".

The users signed into onedrive on these iPads have full edit access to the Sharepoint site. We have also changed users on the problem iPads and get the same issue.

We have made the template file available offline. We have tried saving the document to the iPads local files, then tried uploading it to sharepoint site.

We've installed latest OS update. Reinstalled Onedrive app. Factory reset the iPad. Deregistered the iPad from Apple Business Manager and JAMF portals.

Triple checked and there are no differences in the settings or permissions between the iPads that can and can't upload to sharepoint.

It seems like that on 2 of the 14 iPads the Files app just can't upload to Sharepoint location. They can save it to their Onedrive files, just not the sharepoint site.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to resolve this issue?

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Dear @Mick Lockhart,

Thank you for the detailed information and for the extensive troubleshooting you’ve already completed. I understand how disruptive this is for your field users, especially since the same workflow works successfully on most of the iPads.

Based on our review, this does not appear to be related to SharePoint permissions, user access, device enrollment, or JAMF/Apple Business Manager configuration. On the affected iPads, the upload fails after saving via the Files app, and the file appears with an “Upload error”, a “-2 bytes” file size, and a message indicating that the file doesn’t exist. This has been observed even when using different users, after factory resets, and when the same accounts work correctly on other devices.

In this case, please help me review and check these steps to narrow down the problem:

1.Please check whether Background App Refresh and Location Services are enabled for OneDrive, and if photos are involved, turn off iCloud Optimize iPhone Storage. It is also recommended that you toggle OneDrive off and back on inside the iOS Files integration, because that can refresh the broken link. If upload works only inside the OneDrive app itself, that is probably the safest temporary workaround.

2.Until this iOS Files/OneDrive integration issue is addressed, the following options are the most reliable:

Save the file to OneDrive first, then move it into the SharePoint library from within the OneDrive app. This avoids the Files app upload path where the failure occurs.
Shorten folder paths or file names in the SharePoint library.
Deep folder structures or long filenames can trigger upload failures on iOS.
Avoid using “Save to Files” when targeting SharePoint libraries and use that option only for local storage or personal OneDrive folders.

If this workflow is business‑critical and the workarounds above are not suitable long‑term, I recommend opening a Microsoft Support ticket so the OneDrive iOS team can collect logs from one of the affected devices and investigate further. In this case, the best way to further troubleshoot it is to report it to the related team. I sincerely recommend you try to create a support ticket from Microsoft 365 Admin Center>Support>New Service Request. You can raise support ticket from: https://admin.microsoft.com/#/support/requests

The support team over there has higher permission than us to investigate the issue from background, they have more resource and correct escalation channel in handling this kind of issues. This would be a more efficient way in handling the case for you.

For reference:  Get support | Microsoft Docs     

I will also feedback this situation on our side. Please accept my sincere apologies for not being able to resolve the problem and for redirecting you to the related development team. I regret any inconvenience this may cause. The fix to your concern can be identified through the background logs, and I suggest you raise a support ticket from the Office 365 admin center, where the related team will investigate the problem further by collecting the necessary background logs.

Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. I appreciate your patience and understanding and thank you for your time and cooperation.

Sorry for the inconvenience again. Hope you stay safe and healthy!

Jade Ng 15,485 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-12T23:39:19.1533333+00:00

Dear @Mick Lockhart,

I hope this message finds you well!

I just wanted to check in and see if you have any updates or additional information you’d like to share regarding your situation. If there's anything new or if you need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Looking forward to your response!
Anonymous

2026-04-13T23:40:14.16+00:00

Hi Jade. Thanks for the response. Background app refresh is on. There is no option for location services when I look under One Drive app in settings, also Onedrive doesn't show as an app that can be toggled on when I look at Location Services in Settings.

They are mainly working with PDF files, but I did try with Optimization turned off. Unfortunately we still get the same issue.

I have made a case with Microsoft support, but they have said its outside their scope as the issue is with the iPads, not any Office application. They did give me some information on how it's a File Provider failure and its a known fragile area in iOS:

"Files app thinks it created the file in the cloud

OneDrive’s SharePoint File Provider never successfully initiated the upload

So the placeholder remains broken"

And they gave me some things to try to fix that, but none of the suggestions have worked.

I'm off to apple support now to see if they have any fixes for this issue.
Jade Ng 15,485 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-14T02:12:53.82+00:00

Dear @Mick Lockhart,

Thank you for the detailed update and for taking the time to test the additional scenarios.

Based on Microsoft’s feedback, this does appear to be related to an iOS File Provider framework limitation rather than a OneDrive or Office app–specific issue. As they mentioned, the Files app may believe the file has been created successfully in the cloud, while the OneDrive SharePoint File Provider does not complete the upload, leaving the placeholder in a broken state. Unfortunately, this is a known fragile area within iOS, and it sits outside the scope of what Microsoft can directly remediate.

At this stage, engaging Apple Support is absolutely the right next step, as they are best positioned to investigate and address File Provider–level behavior on iPadOS. I would recommend sharing Microsoft’s technical explanation with Apple, as it clearly identifies where the failure occurs within the iOS file handling flow.

Please let me know how the discussion with Apple Support goes, or if they request any additional information from the OneDrive side. I am more than happy to assist where possible and continue supporting you in parallel.

Thank you again for your thorough troubleshooting and patience. I hope your issue will be successfully resolved soon. If you have any further questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Wishing you a wonderful day ahead.

Answer 2

Based on the described behavior, the issue is isolated to uploading from iOS into a SharePoint-backed OneDrive library on just two devices, while the same accounts and locations work on others. From the available information, the following checks and workarounds are supported:

Verify file/path name limits
- OneDrive/SharePoint enforce limits on total path length and file name length. If the template name plus job-folder path is long, these two iPads might be hitting a path-length edge case when saving via Files.
- Shorten the folder structure and file name (for example, move the job folder closer to the root and use a shorter date-based name) and try again.
- OneDrive mobile guidance specifies that the full path (folders + file name) must be under 400–442 characters depending on scenario.
Confirm the file is not locked/open elsewhere
- OneDrive and SharePoint cannot upload or overwrite a file that is currently open in another app. Ensure the template or target file is not open in Word or another app when saving.
Test direct upload from OneDrive instead of Files
- Open the OneDrive app on the affected iPads.
- Browse directly to the same SharePoint library and job folder from within OneDrive.
- Use the OneDrive upload option to upload a copy of the locally saved file.
- If this works, the problem is isolated to the Files integration layer; continuing to use the OneDrive app’s own upload flow is a viable workaround.
Check storage and camera-roll–style sync issues
- If the tenant or user is over Microsoft storage quota, new uploads (including from mobile) can fail. Confirm the account has available OneDrive/SharePoint storage.
- For iOS photo/doc scenarios, ensure the device has a stable Wi‑Fi or mobile connection when the upload is attempted.
Recreate the OneDrive/SharePoint location in Files
- Since reinstalling OneDrive and resetting the iPad did not help, remove the OneDrive/SharePoint location from the Files app and re-add it so the connection and tokens are refreshed.

If uploads continue to fail only from these two devices and only to SharePoint locations, collect screenshots of the “upload error” and test results from the above steps, then open a support case so logs from the affected devices can be reviewed against the working ones.

References: