How to fix ‘OneDrive Files Cannot Be Deleted’ issue

This article will show you how to fix ‘OneDrive Files Cannot Be Deleted’ issue. Users may find it annoying that they can’t delete files or folders in OneDrive from Windows. Microsoft OneDrive is a cloud-based storage service that lets users store and sync their files across multiple devices. It makes it easy to access files from anywhere, and it has features that let users share files and work on them together. When users try to delete files or folders from OneDrive, they may run into a number of problems. First of all, if you can’t get rid of files you don’t want, they can cause clutter and take up space you don’t need.

This can make your file system messy and make it hard to find and manage important files. Second, if users can’t delete files they no longer need or don’t want to share with others, it can slow down work and make it harder for people to work together. Also, if files can’t be deleted, the synchronization process may be slowed down, which could lead to differences and conflicts between devices. If you can’t delete files or folders from OneDrive, there are a few things you could try.

Checking file sharing and permission settings, making sure that files aren’t open or being used by other programs, or trying out different methods like changing file names, moving files outside of the OneDrive folder, or pausing OneDrive syncing temporarily are all examples of what you can do. If the problem keeps happening, you can try how to fix ‘OneDrive Files Cannot Be Deleted’ issue.

What is OneDrive?

OneDrive is a service from Microsoft that lets you store files in the cloud. OneDrive is the default place to save documents in Windows 11. Users with a Microsoft account get 5 GB of free storage space before they are given options to upgrade. Users can store files, photos, and other documents on OneDrive that can be accessed from multiple devices. A user can also save their files in OneDrive and have them automatically sync on other devices. This means that someone can work on the same document in more than one place.

OneDrive makes it easy to access storage space in the cloud and gives you options for sharing content with other people. Users can access Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files from OneDrive because it works with Microsoft Office. It doesn’t need to be downloaded, and Windows 11 should already have it. To use One Drive, you need a Microsoft account, and you have to sign in before you can use it. Users need to go to onedrive.com and click “Sign in” at the top of the page to sign in.

What are the causes of ‘OneDrive Files Cannot Be Deleted’ issue?

1. File in Use: If a file is currently open or being used by another application, OneDrive may not allow you to delete it until it’s no longer in use.
2. Syncing Errors: Syncing errors can occur when files are not properly synchronized with the cloud. These errors can prevent you from deleting files.
3. File Permission Issues: If you don’t have the necessary permissions to delete a file, either because you’re not the owner or you lack the required access rights, OneDrive won’t let you delete it.
4. Sync Conflicts: OneDrive may encounter conflicts when trying to sync files between multiple devices. This can lead to an inability to delete files until the conflicts are resolved.
5. File Corruption: If a file is corrupted or damaged, OneDrive may have trouble deleting it.
6. Syncing Delays: Sometimes, OneDrive may experience delays in syncing changes, and this delay can prevent you from deleting files until the sync is complete.
7. Storage Limitations: If your OneDrive storage is full or exceeds its limit, you may not be able to delete files until you free up space.

How to fix ‘OneDrive Files Cannot Be Deleted’ issue

Check Your File and Folder’s Permissions

1. Select Properties by right-clicking on the file or folder.
2. Go to the Security tab and check to see if you have “Full control” over the selected file or folder.
3. If you are not allowed to do something, click Edit.
4. Click the box next to “Full Control” and then click Apply and OK.

Disable Files On-Demand

1. Click the icon for OneDrive, which is on the taskbar.
2. When it starts up, click the gear icon and then choose Settings.
3. Now, you’ll be taken to “Sync and backup” in OneDrive Settings.
4. Go to the right pane and click to make the Advanced settings section bigger.
5. Scroll down until you see “Files on Demand,” then click “Download all files.”
6. Wait for the next two to three minutes while your files and folders download.
7. Next, click Free up disk space to put your OneDrive account back to the way it was when it was first set up.

Clear the OneDrive cache

1. To open the Run dialog, press Windows + R.
2. Type CMD on top of it and press Ctrl, Shift, and Enter.
3. When the UAC window asks if you want to access the Command Prompt as administrator, click Yes.
4. On the elevated console, copy and paste %localappdata%MicrosoftOneDriveonedrive.exe /reset and press Enter.

Pause OneDrive Sync

1. First, click on the OneDrive icon in the system tray to open it.
2. In the right sidebar of your computer, a pop-up window appears.
3. Find the gear icon (Settings) and click on it.
4. When this opens up, choose “Pause syncing.” If you click on it, it will get bigger and show you more options. You can choose to turn off the sync feature for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
5. You can even choose to stop using OneDrive if you want to. Wait a few minutes, and then you can delete your files or folders from OneDrive.

Rename and Move the faulty OneDrive Files or Folders

1. Tricks in Windows 11/10 to trick your system and get rid of files that wouldn’t be deleted otherwise.
2. If you still can’t delete files and folders from OneDrive, try renaming the files that are giving you trouble (by changing their extensions) and then moving them to a different folder.
3. Now that you’ve moved the bad files to a different folder, you can go and delete that folder.
4. We hope that this fix works for you.

Conclusion

You can’t always delete a file when you want to. Why and how do you force Windows to delete a file? This article will show you how to delete a file that Windows 10/11/8/7 won’t let you delete. But if you accidentally deleted files from Windows or other storage devices like a USB stick, an external hard drive, etc., Tenorshare 4DDIG can help you get them back. Learn more by reading on.

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