What do the OneDrive icons mean? (2023)

FAQs

What do the symbols in OneDrive mean? ›

The circular arrows over the OneDrive or OneDrive for work or school notification icons signify that sync is in progress. This includes when you are uploading files, or OneDrive is syncing new files from the cloud to your PC. Sync icons may also be seen online in OneDrive.com.

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.

On a PC, you should see a white or blue OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area, at the far right of the taskbar. You might need to click the Show hidden icons arrow next to the notification area to see the OneDriveicon. If the icon doesn't appear in the notification area, OneDrive might not be running.

Observe the OneDrive icon (the cloud on the right-hand side of your windows toolbar). This will show as in the image below to indicate it is not syncing. If the OneDrive icon shows as spinning, this indicates it is syncing.

Cloud icon with arrows forming a circle — Indicates that a file is currently syncing.

A solid grey circle with a white cloud icon means your file or folder is fully synced and online-only. “Synced” means that any changes you made to this file or folder are reflected everywhere you access your files in Dropbox.

Android. The cloud icon sits in the top blue bar, to the right of the Line2 logo. When you see it, that means you are connected to a data connection (either WiFi or your cellular data) and your calls will be placed over that data connection.

The brown box icon overlays are generated by OneDrive and indicate you are not logged into OneDrive on your PC. When an employee leaves the organization, the organization usually will unassign the license and can also delete the account.

This status (a Blue or Grey cloud with a yellow triangle and black exclamation mark in the bottom right-hand corner) means that OneDrive is in an error state that requires your attention.

Well-known member. I guess one icon is for Quick Access (and can be removed) and the other is for accessinf OneDrive when you don't have it in the Quick Access. Both should open the same thing. You can just remove it from Quick Access (right-click and select Remove from Quick Access) so you don't have it twice.

What is the difference between cloud and green tick in OneDrive? ›

A blue cloud icon is an online-only file. It is not taking up any space on your device. To access a blue icon file, you need to download the file, which means you need an internet connection. After opening a blue cloud icon, it will automatically change to a Green tick icon.

Icons next to each file or folder indicate whether it is stored only on the web (the cloud icon) or on your PC as well (the checked circle icon). If you double-click a file in File Explorer that's on your PC or in both locations, you open it from your PC.

The OneDrive sync app uses Windows Push Notification Services (WNS) to sync files in real time. WNS informs the sync app whenever a change actually happens, eliminating redundant polling and saving on unnecessary computing power.

At times, OneDrive can annoy users because of its sync error, such as OneDrive keeping syncing one file, or OneDrive not syncing, and so on. Commonly, OneDrive constantly syncing is due to program error or Windows conflicts. No matter what problem you have, you need to stop OneDrive syncing.

On your work computer, right click the blue cloud OneDrive icon on the Taskbar Tray, and then click Settings> click the Account tab> choose Folders link. Check the folders you would like to automatically update between your devices and then click OK.

If that is two blue arrows facing each other at the top right of the icons, that indicates that folder, or disk is compressed, you can right click the folder or drive and select Properties and turn off compression . . 2.

Arrows – RECYCLED

It is a symbol used on packaging in many European countries and signifies that the producer has made a financial contribution towards the recovery and recycling of packaging – NOT that the packaging is recyclable.

Compressing files

When files or folders are compressed, they appear as having two blue arrows overlaid on the icon. Depending on your File Explorer settings, you may see icons that look larger or smaller.

In terms of purpose, backup is done to keep a copy of the file at another location, which prevents the loss when files are deleted or corrupted at the source location. However, sync is designed to keep the same files at different locations.

When you open your Chrome browser, you should see your account in the top right corner. If you don't see your name here OR it says paused, click on your name to see this screen: Make sure it says Sync is On.

Should my sync be on or off? ›

If you turn off sync, you can still see your bookmarks, history, passwords, and other settings on your computer. If you make any changes, they won't be saved to your Google Account and synced to your other devices. When you turn off sync, you'll also be signed out of other Google services, like Gmail.

It's an indication that the content or app you're looking at is not stored locally, but can be downloaded from the cloud. Tap it to download it. Show more Less.

Files that are online-only will have a gray cloud and arrow icon next to them, while files that are saved to the local drive will have no icon next to them—they'll appear just like any other file on disk.

If you see a cloud icon next to a file with an arrow, that means either the file is on iCloud Drive, but not stored locally on your computer's drive at the moment (down arrow), or it is stored on your local drive, but hasn't been synced up to iCloud yet (up arrow).

You won't lose files or data by unlinking OneDrive from your computer. You can always access your files by signing in to OneDrive.com.

In Windows 10, OneDrive is the default save location for your files and documents. This means new documents or files are automatically saved to OneDrive unless you opt to save them to a different location on your PC.

Do you know how often does OneDrive sync? The OneDrive client usually automatically detects the changes and then sync continuously in the background. And OneDrive for Business synchronizes files approximately every 10 minutes.

To reset the OneDrive desktop sync app in Windows

Press the Windows key and R to open the Run dialog box, enter wsreset.exe, then select OK. A blank Command Prompt window will open, and after about ten seconds the window will close. You can close the Microsoft Store window.

Why are my documents not syncing with OneDrive? ›

If your OneDrive is not syncing, then visit its Settings and click on the “Office” tab. From here, you need to un-check the option of “Use Office to sync Office files that I open” and save your selection by clicking the “Ok” button. Restart the drive again to fix this issue.

We'd like to explain that your OneDrive is your personal OneDrive site. Unless you share the files to others, otherwise others can't access to your personal site include the IT admin.

Suspicious activity monitoring - To prevent unauthorized access to your account, OneDrive monitors for and blocks suspicious sign-in attempts. Additionally, we'll send you an email notification if we detect unusual activity, such as an attempt to sign in from a new device or location.

OneDrive is the Microsoft cloud service that connects you to all your files. It lets you store and protect your files, share them with others, and get to them from anywhere on all your devices.

An icon is a small graphical representation of a file, folder, or application. Icons provide a way to interact with something on your computer by first selecting its icon and then issuing a command — deleting a file, moving one to another folder, or double-clicking one to open it.

Android Status Bar icons are notifications in the graphical user interface (GUI) from apps running on your device. These notifications can contain text, graphics, and even controls.

Answer: Your computer represents files with icons. By looking at a file's icon, you can tell at a glance what kind of file it is.

Effortless backup

Set up PC folder backup and OneDrive will automatically back up and sync all the files in your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders.

The OneDrive sync app checks for available updates every 24 hours when it's running. If it has stopped and hasn't checked for updates in more than 24 hours, the sync app will check for updates as soon as it's started. Windows 10 also has a scheduled task that updates the sync app even when it's not running.

Is it safe to keep everything on OneDrive? ›

Is OneDrive Safe? Generally speaking, Microsoft OneDrive is as safe as any other cloud storage platform. The platform provides encryption for data shared and stored on it. However, OneDrive is exposed to the same security risks that threaten other cloud applications with similar capabilities.

Should I Disable OneDrive? If you have a different cloud storage provider or a poor internet connection, you may find it beneficial to disable OneDrive. Given how easy it is to temporarily stop your files from syncing, there's no good reason to not do it.

Quit OneDrive app. Simply closing OneDrive app is also a way to stop it from syncing. To quit the OneDrive app, you can just click OneDrive icon in the system tray and select “Quit OneDrive” in above more pop-up menu.

How do I know if my file is being synced? Check the little icon in the bottom left corner. If it has a green circle with a white checkmark, it is being synced to the cloud.

This is a simple indicator to tell you that the file has been compressed, meaning that the file size is smaller and easier to transfer. To some users, this indicator is rather annoying.

Once you get to the folder, you'll see little icons next to your files and folders: A blue cloud icon indicates it's available only online, a green tick indicates available locally, and a solid green tick means a file or folder is always available locally (so OneDrive won't ever remove the local copy). Most Popular.

If your OneDrive is not syncing, then visit its Settings and click on the “Office” tab. From here, you need to un-check the option of “Use Office to sync Office files that I open” and save your selection by clicking the “Ok” button. Restart the drive again to fix this issue.

That icon overlay means OneDrive is syncing those files to the cloud, a red X would mean Onedrive cannot sync a file. Do you use OneDrive, or do you want to stop using OneDrive?

Why are some files highlighted blue? ›

Blue files and folders are compressed. (Right click, Properties > Advanced). This answer is provided “as-is.” You bear the risk of using it. Was this reply helpful?

The blue circle with rotating arrows means individual files and folders are in the process of syncing to Dropbox. Once the syncing process is finished, you'll see a green circle with a check mark. next to your files. You can find more info about the syncing icons here.