My Mac will not sync Folders saved to my Onedrive so how can I cancel the action

Steve Nicholson 0 Reputation points
2026-08-31T12:43:03.0466667+00:00

My Mac will not sync Folders I have tried to save to my Onedrive so how can I cancel the action

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | MacOS
0 comments No comments

2 answers

Sort by: Newest
  1. DYARI BARHAM 37,661 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-31T13:27:40.9766667+00:00

    Hi ,

    I'm Dyari. Thanks for reaching out.

    Click the OneDrive cloud icon in your Mac's top menu bar > Help & Settings > Pause syncing or choose Quit OneDrive to completely halt any active attempts to upload.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments

  2. AI answer

    2026-08-31T12:43:20.79+00:00

    To cancel the current OneDrive sync action on a Mac, use one of these options depending on what is happening:

    1. Pause sync temporarily
      • Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the menu bar.
      • Select Pause syncing.
      • Choose 2, 8, or 24 hours, or select Quit OneDrive.
    2. Cancel a file that is currently downloading
      • Open OneDrive from the menu bar icon.
      • Select the X next to the file currently downloading.
    3. If a file or folder was added by mistake
      • Pause OneDrive.
      • Delete the file or move it out of the OneDrive folder.
      • Resume OneDrive.
    4. Stop syncing specific folders to the Mac
      • Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the menu bar.
      • Open the menu and select Preferences.
      • Go to the Account tab.
      • Select Choose Folders.
      • Uncheck the folders that should no longer sync to the Mac, then select OK.
      Note:
      • The folder is removed from the Mac, but remains available online.
      • Some folders cannot be unchecked, including Documents, Desktop, Pictures, and Personal Vault.
    5. If syncing is stuck on Mac
      • Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the menu bar.
      • Select Help & Settings > Preferences.
      • Go to the Account tab.
      • Select Unlink this Mac.
      • Then open OneDrive again from Spotlight and sign in.
      • When prompted that the folder already exists, select Use this folder.
    6. If needed, fully stop OneDrive
      • Click the OneDrive icon.
      • Select Pause syncing > Quit OneDrive.

    If many files were accidentally deleted or moved, the safest option is to let the action finish and then restore the files from the OneDrive Recycle bin.


    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.