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Changes to OneDrive For Mac - Sync Button / Add to Shortcuts

Updated

Audience: Mac users running the standalone version of OneDrive (installed from microsoft.com, not the Mac App Store) Platform: macOS only

What's happening and why

Microsoft is replacing OneDrive's sync engine on Mac with a new Native Sync Engine. It rolls out gradually (starting with version 26.098 to Insiders) and installs automatically when your Mac receives the update.

Background: when OneDrive moved to Apple's File Provider platform in 2022, Microsoft kept the old sync engine running behind a hidden cache folder that mirrored your OneDrive contents. Over time, that cache folder became the root cause of most of the reliability and performance problems reported on Mac. The Native Sync Engine removes it.

What you gain:

  • Up to 2× faster initial sync and on-disk state changes
  • Lower CPU, memory and battery use
  • Files and folders are always browsable on disk (no more "Loading…" in Finder)
  • Files On-Demand behaviour is unchanged
  • External drive support (where your Mac and drive meet Microsoft's requirements)

After the update, OneDrive may take a couple of minutes to finish upgrading, and File Provider a little longer — you can keep using OneDrive while this happens.

How to tell which engine you're on: open OneDrive → Preferences → About.

  • Version ends in something like "(26M)" → Native Sync Engine
  • Version ends with the version of macOS → still on the old engine; the update hasn't arrived yet

Impact: sidebar items and the "extra" OneDrive entries

The main visible change affects synced SharePoint/Teams libraries:

  • Before the update, libraries you synced with the old Sync button appeared nested under a single tenant entry in the Finder sidebar.
  • After the update, each synced library appears as its own root in the Finder sidebar — which is why you may suddenly see multiple "OneDrive"-looking entries.

Microsoft's recommended model is shortcuts, not library sync. "Add shortcut to OneDrive" (also called "Create shortcut" / "Add shortcut to My Files") is the modern way to access shared content: shortcuts live under your OneDrive, so they don't clutter the sidebar with extra roots.

If your organization has disabled the Sync button and you already use "Add shortcut to My Files", you're already in the ideal state — no action needed.

 

Steps to bring OneDrive back in control

Step 1 — Reset OneDrive

  1. Quit OneDrive: click the OneDrive cloud icon in the menu bar, then Help & Settings (gear icon) → Quit OneDrive.
  2. Open Finder and navigate to the Applications folder.
  3. Right-click the OneDrive app and select Show Package Contents.
  4. Navigate to Contents > Resources.
  5. Double-click to run ResetOneDriveAppStandalone.command (on older builds, the file may be named ResetOneDriveApp.command).

Note: resetting does not delete your files. It only disconnects your sync connections and resets OneDrive settings; a full sync runs afterwards. Because the reset disconnects all sync connections, the old library roots will disappear from the sidebar — that's expected.

 

Step 2 — Use Create Shortcut in SharePoint instead of Sync

  1. In your browser, open the SharePoint site (or Teams) that holds the document library.
  2. Open the library.
  3. Choose Add shortcut to OneDrive — on the command bar or in the … (More options) menu. Depending on your tenant it may be labelled "Create shortcut" or "Add shortcut to My Files".
  4. Repeat for each library you previously had synced.

Do not re-add libraries with the old Sync button — that's what recreates the extra sidebar roots.

 

Step 3 — Re-open OneDrive and restore the sidebar

  1. Make sure OneDrive is running and signed in.
  2. In Finder, open your OneDrive folder — the shortcuts you added should be there.
  3. Re-add OneDrive to the sidebar: Finder → Settings (⌘,) → Sidebar, and tick OneDrive if it's missing.
  4. Drag the shortcut folders (or your OneDrive folder) into the sidebar Favourites area as desired.
  5. Confirm the sidebar now shows a single OneDrive entry plus your shortcuts — not multiple "OneDrive" roots.

4. References

  • Microsoft Tech Community — "Making Mac OneDrive Faster and More Reliable": https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/onedriveblog/making-mac-onedrive-faster-and-more-reliable/4516506
  • Microsoft Support — "Reset OneDrive": https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive/reset-onedrive

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