Office 365 -- OneDrive File Sync or Upload Troubleshooting

Also See

Common Issues and Solutions

ISSUE: File will not sync or upload. Special characters, such as the ones below, appear in file names.

~ " # % & * : < > ? / \ { | } .

  • SOLUTION: Rename files or folders with these characters, or with long file or folder names.

ISSUE: File will not upload because it start or ends with a blank or empty space character.

  • SOLUTION: Remove the blank or empty space from the beginning or end of the file name (or before the period in the file suffix).
    • A space character is the invisible character created when you press the space bar on your keyboard. (The Tab and Enter/Return keys on your keyboard can create invisible characters too, especially in Word documents or text files.)

ISSUE: If the file or folder name is 256 characters long or longer, the file will probably not upload.

  • SOLUTION: Rename these files or folders to shorten their names.

ISSUE: If a file or sub-folder is buried deep within multiple other folders and sub-folders, and the entire file directory path name (for example: C:/folder/sub-folder/sub-sub-folder.../file.docx) is larger than 256 characters or more, the file or sub-folder will probably not upload.

  • SOLUTION: Navigate to those deeply buried or nested files or sub-folders on your computer, and then try uploading them to directly to the OneDrive web portal. Avoid folder structures that are more than 3 levels deep.

ISSUE: Individual files cannot be 10 GBs in size or larger. (Folders can be, but not individual files.)

  • SOLUTION: Contact us. See "Additional Assistance" area below. We likely will need to rely on CrashPlan to keep these files backed up on your computer.

ISSUE: Some internet browsers may not let you upload files that are 2 GBs or larger.

  • SOLUTION: Try Chrome. Drive has 5 TB file upload limit. Or contact us for assistance. See "Additional Assistance" area below. We likely will need to rely on CrashPlan to keep these files backed up on your computer.

Additional technical restrictions on files or folders that you can upload to OneDrive are listed at the Microsoft support webpage below.