Is OneDrive working, and is my file safe?

Your computer is already telling you the answer. It is in the small badges next to your files, and once you can read them, most of the worry goes away.

Do this first: look for the cloud

1. Look at the bottom-right of your screen, near the clock, for a cloud icon. If you do not see one, click the small arrow near the clock to show the hidden icons.
2. Read the cloud. The icons below show what each one means.
3. No cloud at all? Press the Windows key, type OneDrive, and open it. It appears near the clock within a few seconds and catches up on its own.

The cloud near the clock	What it means
Plain cloud	Signed in and up to date. Nothing to do.
Cloud with circling arrows	Syncing right now. Give it a minute.
Cloud with a pause mark	Sync is paused. Click it, then Resume syncing.
Cloud with a yellow triangle	It wants something from you. Click it and read the message.
Cloud with a red cross	Not syncing. See the last section.

If you have to start it every morning, tell us. OneDrive is meant to start by itself, and when it does not, it is something on the computer rather than anything you did. Nobody should have to remember to start their own backup.

What the badges next to your files mean

Open File Explorer and look at your Desktop, Documents, or OneDrive folder. Every file has a small badge, and the badge tells you where that file is right now: in OneDrive, on this computer, or both. It is a sync status, not proof of a separate backup. Is my file backed up? below covers that.

Badge	What it means
Outline of a blue cloud	Safely in OneDrive, not taking up room on this computer. Double-click and it downloads. Needs internet to open.
White circle with a green tick	In OneDrive and on this computer too. Opens without internet.
Solid green circle with a white tick	The same, pinned so Windows never clears the local copy. Right for anything you need on a plane.
Blue circling arrows	Syncing right now.
Red circle with a white cross	Not syncing. See the last section.
Two people	Shared with somebody.

The one to remember. A blue cloud outline is not a problem. People see it and assume the file is gone or never saved. It means the opposite: the file is safely stored and simply not taking up space until you need it.

Want a file available with no internet? Right-click it and choose Always keep on this device.

Is my file backed up?

OneDrive only covers what is inside it. On most computers we set up, your Desktop, Documents and Pictures already live in OneDrive, so saving in the usual places is covered.

Badges mean a folder is inside OneDrive. No badges does not tell you whether that folder is backed up some other way, so do not move files to be safe. If you are unsure whether something is covered, ask us before moving it and we will check.

To confirm which folders OneDrive covers:

1. Click the cloud icon near the clock.
2. Click the gear, then Settings.
3. Open Sync and backup, then Manage backup.
4. Desktop, Documents and Pictures should each show as backed up.

If one is switched off and you think it should not be, tell us rather than switching it on yourself. Turning it on moves files around, and it is worth doing with you.

Deleted it, or saved over it?

These two tools get most people out of trouble in a minute.

1. Deleted by mistake. Open OneDrive in your browser and check the Recycle bin. On a work account, deleted files stay there for 93 days unless an administrator has changed the retention settings. On a personal OneDrive it is 30 days. Restore the file and it goes back where it was.
2. Saved over a good version. Right-click the file, choose Version history, and open or restore an earlier one. This one surprises people. It has saved a lot of afternoons.

What sync does not do is protect you from something that affects every copy at once, because a change on your computer becomes a change everywhere within seconds. Protecting against that is a separate job. If you are not sure what cover you have, ask us and we will tell you exactly what is in place.

How to tell if a file is shared

1. Look for the two people badge next to it in File Explorer.
2. Or right-click the file, choose OneDrive, then Manage access. That lists everyone who can open it and lets you stop sharing with any of them.

Worth a look on anything holding client details, payroll or personal information. If you are about to share something, read How to share a file safely first. It is short.

If OneDrive says it is not syncing

1. Click the cloud icon and read the message. It is usually specific about what it wants.
2. If it says paused, click Resume syncing.
3. If it asks you to sign in, sign in with your work email address.
4. If it mentions being full, that is a storage limit rather than a fault. Tell us and we will sort it.
5. Restart the computer and give it ten minutes to catch up.

On a Mac

The same ideas apply. The badges sit in a column next to the file name in Finder, and the OneDrive cloud lives in the menu bar at the top-right of the screen. Everything else reads the same way.