Multiple OneDrive folders on MacOS

Question

Multiple OneDrive folders on MacOS

Mark Berthelemy 20

Hi,

I've been using OneDrive on MacOS (currently version 15.7.3) for a couple of years quite happily.

Last week OneDrive had an issue with the application not running, so I ended up uninstalling and reinstalling. However I reinstalled it via the MacOS AppStore, rather than the download from Microsoft. This ended up causing more problems (I forget what now).

So I uninstalled again, and reinstalled via the downloaded app.

Now I seem to have multiple OneDrive directories:

~/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive (2.79GB)
~/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive-Personal (01-07-2026 09/44) (1.98GB)
~/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive File Provider (45KB)

(1) seems to have all my OneDrive files listed, and is synchronising with my online OneDrive

(2) has a subset of my OneDrive files listed, and isn't synchronising. I have renamed the folder with a prefix 'xx-' and it doesn't seem to have affected anything.

(3) has a larger and different subset of my OneDrive files listed, and isn't synchronising. I cannot rename the folder, and its name also appears in the Finder under the list of 'Locations' - alongside OneDrive and Google Drive. When I click into the directory, I get the message: The application 'OneDrive File Provider' cannot be found, and a button shows saying "Delete 'OneDrive File Provider'".

My question is, am I safe to remove directories (2) and (3)?

Thanks,

Mark

Mark Berthelemy 20 Reputation points

2026-07-15T20:29:53.8366667+00:00

Thanks Lucus, much appreciated.

Answer accepted by question author

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Mark Berthelemy 20 Reputation points

2026-07-15T20:29:53.8366667+00:00

Thanks Lucus, much appreciated.

Answer 1

Hi Mark Berthelemy,

Based on your description, it appears that ~/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive is the active and healthy sync location.

~/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive (2.79 GB)

Contains the full set of files.
Actively synchronizes with OneDrive online.
This appears to be the current sync root.

~/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive-Personal (01-07-2026 09/44) (1.98 GB)

Contains only a subset of files.
Is not synchronizing.
Renaming it does not affect the current OneDrive client.

This strongly suggests it is a leftover folder from a previous OneDrive configuration. Before deleting it, I would recommend confirming that any files contained within it are already present in the active OneDrive folder and/or visible in OneDrive on the web.

~/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive File Provider (45 KB)

Is not synchronizing.
Cannot be renamed.
Finder reports that the associated application cannot be found.

This looks like a stale macOS File Provider entry left behind after uninstalling or switching between the App Store and standalone OneDrive versions. Given its very small size and the missing-provider warning, it is unlikely to contain any unique user data.

Before you take any actions, please double-check:

Verify that all expected files are present in ~/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive and in OneDrive Online.
Compare the contents of OneDrive-Personal with the active OneDrive folder and ensure there are no unique local files.
If everything is accounted for, move OneDrive-Personal to a temporary backup location or delete it.
Remove the stale OneDrive File Provider entry if macOS offers the "Delete 'OneDrive File Provider'" option.
Restart OneDrive and confirm synchronization remains healthy.

From the information provided, folders (2) and (3) appear to be orphaned remnants rather than active sync locations. However, I would suggest you should verify that OneDrive-Personal does not contain any files that exist only locally before permanently removing it.

If you have further information, please feel free to let me know.