Microsoft One Drive Access Denied

If the Microsoft account was recovered but OneDrive access is still denied, the most likely causes in the available guidance are:

• the account is still temporarily blocked after suspicious activity or a security check
• the Microsoft 365 app or OneDrive is signed in with the wrong account
• cached OneDrive or Office credentials are stale or expired
• for work or school storage, the account may not have edit permission to upload files

Try these steps in order:

1. Check whether the account block is still active. If OneDrive shows “Your account is currently unavailable”, the account may still be temporarily blocked due to suspicious activity, unusual traffic, or a policy violation. If the account was recently verified, the block can be removed within 24 hours. Use the Microsoft services account reset page and follow the on-screen steps.
2. Make sure OneDrive and Office use the same account.
   • Select the OneDrive icon in the taskbar notification area.
   • Go to Help & Settings > Settings.
   • On the Account tab, note the signed-in account.
   • Open Word, Excel, or another affected Microsoft 365 app.
   • Go to File > Account.
   • Under Connected Services, remove all accounts except the same account shown in OneDrive.
   • Pause syncing from the OneDrive icon: Help & Settings > Pause syncing.
   • Then select Help & Settings > Quit OneDrive.
   • Close all Microsoft 365 apps.
   • Restart OneDrive and the app, then try saving again.
3. Clear old OneDrive and Office credentials.
   • In the affected Microsoft 365 app, go to File > Account.
   • Under User Information, sign out of all accounts.
   • Close all Microsoft 365 apps.
   • Open Start, type credentials, and open Credential Manager.
   • Select Windows Credentials.
   • Under Generic Credentials, remove entries related to OneDrive, MicrosoftOffice16, and MicrosoftOffice15.
4. If this is OneDrive for work or school, verify upload permission. A user can access a SharePoint or OneDrive library but still be unable to upload if the library permission is read-only. Uploading requires edit permission. Some file types such as aspx, master, xap, swf, jar, asmx, ascx, xsf, and htc require Add and Customize permission, which is typically limited to administrators.
5. If the issue started after account switching or duplicate file behavior, clear cached OneDrive sign-in settings. On Windows:
   • Press Windows key + R.
   • Enter %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\settings and select OK.
   • Delete PreSignInSettingsConfig.json.
6. If the problem continues, reinstall OneDrive. This is documented as a supported workaround, and the guidance states that disabling or uninstalling OneDrive does not delete files or data.

For a work or school account, if access is still denied after these steps, the remaining supported path is to contact the organization’s IT helpdesk or admin to verify permissions and account status.

References:

• "UPLOAD BLOCKED" error when you save OneDrive-synced files in Microsoft 365 apps
• Permissions needed to upload files in OneDrive for work or school
• Fix problems uploading files on the OneDrive website
• Reactivate an account that has been blocked