Understanding the information that OneDrive is giving you, through the status icons attached to each file and folder, is key to knowing where your files are situated and solving any problems that you might encounter.
In the last blog post (OneDrive Demystified) I spoke about the fact that when files and folders are added to OneDrive by one device, they will show on other devices but won't be automatically downloaded to them.
Files and folders in this state (i.e. they exist in OneDrive but not in the local storage) are denoted with a small cloud icon:
The following table shows the various icons that OneDrive uses, with an explanation of what they mean:
| PC Icons | Alternative Mac Icons | |
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As described above, files or folders with this icon are stored in your cloud OneDrive storage, but there isn't a copy in the local OneDrive storage on your computer. |
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Files or folders displaying this icon have a copy stored in your cloud OneDrive storage, and also a copy in the local OneDrive folder on your computer. The copy on your computer is considered temporary by OneDrive. If the operating system wants to free up storage, it might delete the computer copy (this doesn't cause a problem as there is an up to date copy in your cloud storage), If it is deleted, it's icon will change to the previous cloud icon. This is the default condition when a file or folder is downloaded to your local computer. |
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Files or folders displaying this icon have a copy stored in your cloud OneDrive storage, and also a copy in the local OneDrive folder on your computer. The difference between this icon and the previous one is that the solid green circle denotes that the file is to be kept on the computer - the operating system will not delete it to free up space. In Windows, you can set a file or folder to this state by right clicking and selecting 'Always keep on this device'. |
The icons above are the most common, and are what you will most of the time when OneDrive is operating normally.
But there are a few more status icons that are shown in the following table:
| PC Icons | Alternative Mac Icons | |
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A file or folder displaying this icon has been shared with other people. |
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When your main OneDrive icon is showing this symbol, it denotes that the OneDrive folder on your computer is currently synchronising with the cloud. |
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This icon denotes that there has been a synchronisation error. Often this is caused because changes have been made to both the local and the cloud copy of a file, by different computers. In this case OneDrive doesn't know which is the correct version and you will need to resolve this issue manually. |
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This icon denotes that your OneDrive syncing has been paused. When paused no changes will be synchronised between your OneDrive cloud storage and your computer. Click on the OneDrive icon and go into settings to resume syncing your files. |
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If you see a yellow warning triangle over your OneDrive or OneDrive for work or school icon, it means your account needs attention. Select the icon to see the warning message displayed in the activity center. | |
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If you see a red "no entry" style icon over your OneDrive icon, it means your account is blocked. | |
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A grayed-out OneDrive icon with a line through it means you're not signed in, or OneDrive setup hasn't completed. | |
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This icon means the sync of certain file types has been blocked. This is most common in work or school accounts where your organisation has blocked the syncing of certain files (It's most common to block Outlook data files). |
If your OneDrive files are not showing any icons, this generally means that the OneDrive application on your computer has stopped running.
While not common, I have seen this happen sometimes. Usually, you can fix this by manually starting the OneDrive application on your computer, but occasionally it will require a reboot.
In the next blog post I'll discuss how sharing works in work and school accounts.