What do the icons for OneDrive mean?

The sync status of a file or folder is indicated by the Microsoft OneDrive icons in desktop notification areas, menu bars, Windows File Explorer, and macOS Finder.

OneDrive might be hidden, not installed, or not functioning if you don’t see any desktop notification or menu bar icons.

Red circle with white cross

	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 white OneDrive icon in the notification area to learn more about the problem.
	A grayed-out OneDrive icon with a line through it means you’re not signed in, or OneDrive setup hasn’t completed.  Press  , search for OneDrive and then open the OneDrive desktop app.

	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 white OneDrive icon in the notification area to learn more about the problem.
	A grayed-out OneDrive icon with a line through it means you’re not signed in, or OneDrive setup hasn’t completed.  Press  , search for OneDrive and then open the OneDrive desktop app.

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 white OneDrive icon in the notification area to learn more about the problem.

Gray OneDrive cloud icon with a line through it

A grayed-out OneDrive icon with a line through it means you’re not signed in, or OneDrive setup hasn’t completed.  Press  , search for OneDrive and then open the OneDrive desktop app.

OneDrive paused icon

The paused symbol over the OneDrive or OneDrive for work or school 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.

OneDrive icon with sync pending arrows 

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 on OneDrive.com. OneDrive will also check for other file or folder changes and may show “Processing changes”. If OneDrive shows “Processing changes” for a long time, it could be because you have an online file open, a very large file syncing, a lot of files stuck in a queue.

Red with white bar OneDrive icon

If you see a red “no entry” style icon over your OneDrive icon, it means your account is blocked.

Yellow exclamation mark OneDrive icon

If you see a yellow warning triangle over your OneDrive or OneDrive for work or school icon, it means your account needs attention. Select the icon to see the warning message displayed in the activity center.

Files with this icon won’t sync

You may see this icon if you sign in to OneDrive with a work or school account. It means your admin has blocked the sync of certain file types. It’s most common to block Outlook data files. If you also sign in to OneDrive with a personal account, the same restrictions will apply. .

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.

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 icons

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.  If you need more space, you can change the file back to online only. Just right-click the file and select “Free up space.”

Solid green circle with the white check mark

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.

Gray X on desktop icons

This is not a OneDrive icon, but a corrupted Windows shortcut icon. If you see a gray X over your Windows Desktop shortcuts, try these tips: Right-click on your Desktop and select Refresh. Uninstall any backup applications that are no longer used. Restart your computer after each uninstallation.

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.

Why do I have two OneDrive icons?

If you have signed in to the OneDrive sync app with both work or school and a personal account, you will see two OneDrive sync icons. The blue one is for your work or school account, the white one is for your personal account.

Chain icon on a folder

A chain or link icon over a folder means it’s a shortcut to another folder that has been shared.

Brown box on Desktop icons

A brown box over your Windows Desktop icons can be caused by an issue with Windows Explorer. To resolve the issue, restart Windows Explorer: Press Windows key  + E. Press CTRL + ALT + DEL and select Task Manager. Select More details to show all the apps. On the Processes tab, under Apps, right-click on Windows Explorer. Select Restart.

Shortcut Arrow

If you see a shortcut arrow over files that are not shortcuts, the solution is to Restart Windows File Explorer. To resolve the issue, restart Windows Explorer: Press Windows key  + E. Press CTRL + ALT + DEL and select Task Manager. Select More details to show all the apps. On the Processes tab, under Apps, right-click on Windows Explorer. Select Restart.

This article from Microsoft is referenced https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-do-the-onedrive-icons-mean-11143026-8000-44f8-aaa9-67c985aa49b3#ID0EBH=Windows&id0ebh=windows