Have you ever wondered what the different OneDrive icons mean?
Grey OneDrive Cloud Icon
A grayed-out OneDrive icon in the taskbar means you’re not signed in, or OneDrive setup hasn’t completed.
Press the Windows key, search for OneDrive and then open the OneDrive desktop app to resolve this.
Pause on OneDrive Icon
The paused symbol over the OneDrive icon means your files are not currently syncing.
To resume syncing, select the relevant OneDrive icon in the notification or menu bar area, select More and then Resume syncing.
Sync on OneDrive Icon
The circular arrows over the OneDrive notification icon signifies that sync is in progress.
This includes when you are uploading files, or OneDrive is syncing new files from the cloud to your PC.
Red Circle with White Line on OneDrive Icon
If you see a red “no entry” style icon over your OneDrive icon, it means your account is blocked.
Yellow Warning Sign on OneDrive Icon
If you see a yellow warning triangle over your OneDrive icon, it means your account needs attention. Select the icon to see the warning message displayed in the activity center.
Red Circle with White Cross on OneDrive Icon
A red circle with a white cross means that a file or folder cannot be synced. You’ll see this in File Explorer or on the OneDrive notification area icons.
Click the blue or grey OneDrive icon in the notification area to learn more about the problem.
Blue Cloud Icon
A blue cloud icon next to your OneDrive files or folders indicates that the file is only available online. Online-only files don’t take up space on your computer.
You can’t open online-only files when your device isn’t connected to the Internet.
Green Tick Icon
When you open an online-only file, it downloads to your device and becomes a locally available file. You can open a locally available file anytime, even without Internet access.
Solid Green Circle with White Tick
Files that you mark as “Always keep on this device” have the green circle with the white check mark.
These always available files download to your device and take up space, but they’re always there for you even when you’re offline.
Padlock Icon
OneDrive will show a padlock icon next to the sync status if the file or folder has settings which prevent it from syncing.
People Icon Next to a File or Folder
If you see a “people” icon next to your OneDrive files or folders, this indicates the file or folder has been shared with other people.
