Downgrade OneDrive macOS Ventura 13.7.8 without losing unsynched data

Wiliam 0 Reputation points
2026-09-14T15:45:45.43+00:00

On a MacBook pro i5 2017 with MacOS Ventura 13.7.8 a unscheduled update to OneDrive (downloaded via Appstore) resulted in the app not being able to open and operate properly. The issue has already been described in different threads here and on other platforms, with a seemingly straightforward fix (downgrading to an older version of the app and stopping auto updates from happening) of which I'm already aware.

The issue here, and what is currently preventing me from trying this fix is that different folders and files of irreplaceable nature had been moved to the OneDrive folder and cannot be found neither in the current system nor are they present as synched cloud copies via web view.

Trying to copy the files over to a non cloud related folder fails as to does attempting to open them. As these files where the only copy I'm attempting to find a way to either retrieve them be it locally or by finishing the sync process.

Attempted Solutions:
At first I assumed that MacOS File Provider was locking access to the files in response to the failed sync process, meaning that data was there and was retrievable but the system prevented me from interaction until the application responded properly. Because the application isn't responding (can't be opened due to OS version incompatibility) i attempted to reboot without OneDrive auto launching to no avail. I then attempted to reboot the system in Recovery Mode, trying to copy the data over to an external drive to check if it reported correctly. After some digging I found that the data is present on disk with the proper size but with Block size 0 and as "dataless" entries (as per ls -sh command, trying to copy them over via cp returns a "Resource deadlock avoided" message) meaning that the files are effectively "placeholder" copies that don't contain the data i'm trying to recover - which explains why macos fails when attempting to copy or open the files directily; they exist on disk but don't hold any data. I then validated that what ~/Library/Cloudstorage dir was showing for the onedrive entry was effectively present in the cache and internal data stored by the app ( at ~/Library/Caches/ and ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.OneDriveStandaloneSuite ) meaning that some form of file processing - perhaps before the app could properly synch to remote - did happen, though no trace of intact data that i could retrieve.

What could have happened:

My assumption here is that the unsupported update happened after the data was "processed" for synching to remote but before it could either finish or transfer it to remote - this being a Onedrive or CloudStorage / File provider issue i can't say for certain - which explains why no plain data is seemingly present on the device and why it isn't available remotely either.

Proposed Solution:

I could identify only two possible solutions for which i would like validation and feedback:

  1. Uninstall the currently unsupported version of OneDrive and reinstall the latest supported version, effectively downgrading and applying the described fix without cleaning any cache data. This seems the most straight forward solution but I'm concerned that it will automatically either clean the cache or attempt to pull data from the remote cloud copy without first synching what is locally present effectively losing all the data. - I don't know which is the default behaviour on reinstalled instances to be able to confidently move forward with this one.
  2. Attempt to connect a different Mac with a newer version of the OS that is supported by the updated OneDrive instance to the old one (connecting it as an "external drive") and attempt to finish the sync process from there. - I don't know if it is even possible to run the process from a different machine for CloudStorage and weather or not such behaviour would be supported, it does seem far fetched but could work.

Additional information:

  • I'm not aware when the unsupported update happened, nor when the data effectively stopped syncing properly.
  • I'm sure that sync functionality was enabled and working before the update, as previously uploaded files are present.
  • The bin folder on remote copy doesn't hold anything in it, I've checked. - No time machine snapshots are present before the update.
  • Because the Mac is already on the latest supported version updating to a newer version to restore support isn't an option.
  • Sending the Machine to a specialist to retrieve the data is unlikely to result in a success as no exact date for when the issue started can be pinpointed and the machine has since been used, meaning that if the data was deleted it would probably been written over by now.
  • Shipping a paid product version that doesn't check the os system version before performing a breaking change, even on older hardware, is a misjudgement at best and a liability at worst, especially when data is involved.

My main concern here is retrieving this data one way or another, be it from where ever it is locally stored, if still present or by downgrading the version and attempting to "finish" the sync (if that was the issue) or any other method that could work. I'm available to share any log or specific file if it proves to help.

Thanks for the time and any help.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | MacOS
0 comments

1 answer

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Xavier-D 12,855 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-15T03:39:23.28+00:00

    Hello Wiliam

    Based on the details provided, I would not uninstall, reset, unlink, downgrade, or reinstall OneDrive yet.

    The entries reported as dataless, with a block size of zero, appear to be Files On-Demand placeholders. A placeholder describes a file but does not necessarily contain its data. This explains why Finder cannot open or copy it and why cp returns an error. If the corresponding file is also absent from OneDrive on the web, reinstalling OneDrive cannot be relied upon to download it.

    Uninstalling or resetting OneDrive normally does not delete OneDrive data. However, that assurance applies to files already stored locally or in the cloud. It does not confirm that an incomplete, unsynced file held only in temporary cache data can be reconstructed. Therefore, reinstalling in this case should not be treated as a risk-free recovery method.

    I suggest taking the following precautions first:

    1. Stop using the Mac as much as possible. Do not run cleanup utilities, clear caches, reinstall OneDrive, or allow further App Store updates.
    2. Make a full disk image or sector-level clone of the internal drive to another disk before changing anything. If the files are irreplaceable, consider having a professional data-recovery specialist create the image.
    3. From another device, check:
      • OneDrive on the web and its Recycle Bin
      • Search and Recent views
      • Whether the files were uploaded under another Microsoft account
      • Any external backup, email attachment, application recovery folder, or previous exported copy

    You can also contact Microsoft Support and ask them to investigate a OneDrive for Mac sync failure with locally unsynced data. Provide the OneDrive logs, the affected paths, the approximate date range, the installed OneDrive version, and confirmation that the web version contains neither the files nor Recycle Bin entries.

    Here is how to contact them:

    Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, are not allowed to directly interfere with Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited solely to providing technical guidance on reported incidents, requests, or ideas.  

    1. Open a website link - Contact - Microsoft Support 
    2. In the box below "We're here to help", type Microsoft 365, click "Get Help", and then click "Contact Support" below. 
    3. In this section, you will need to sign in to your Microsoft account. 
    4. Select "Microsoft 365 and Office" under Products & Services, select "Technical Support" as the category, and click to confirm 
    5. You can select " Chat with a support agent in your web browser " to access the chat window. 

    Connecting the old Mac as an external disk to a newer Mac would allow the disk to be inspected, but it would not normally transfer the original Mac’s signed-in OneDrive/File Provider session to the newer Mac or make that machine complete the pending sync. I would therefore not rely on that approach as the primary recovery method.

    Only after the disk has been imaged should reinstalling a compatible OneDrive version be considered. If that is attempted, preserve copies of the entire OneDrive folder and relevant Library containers first. Use only an official Microsoft installer. Be aware that Microsoft’s current OneDrive requirements list macOS 14.4 or later, so macOS Ventura 13.7.8 is outside the currently supported requirement.

    Unfortunately, if the entries are placeholders, the files are absent online, and no intact data exists in the cache, backup, or unallocated disk space, there may be no copy for OneDrive to recover.

    Feel free reply back to this post if you need further assistance, I'll be happy to help.

    Was 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.