5 Ways to Fix OneDrive not Showing in File Explorer Easily

Why OneDrive not Showing in File Explorer?

With the popularity of cloud backup, more and more users choose to store files in cloud storage, such as OneDrive. But recently, some users have reported that they have encountered the problem that OneDrive not showing in File Explorer. This problem can be caused by several reasons. Below are some common reasons.

• You did not update the program or your system.
• There is something wrong with your registry.
• OneDrive is stuck for some reason.
• Your policy settings are preventing OneDrive from appearing.

How to Fix OneDrive not Showing in File Explorer

Now that you know what might be the cause of the OneDrive not showing in File Explorer error, you can continue reading the article. This article will introduce 5 solutions in turn, each for different reasons. Each solution includes a detailed graphic tutorial. Even if you are a novice, you can learn it easily.

Fix 1. Reset OneDrive

If OneDrive is stuck, you can try restarting OneDrive. If restarting OneDrive doesn't help, you can try to fix this error by resetting OneDrive to its default settings. The following are the specific operation steps.

Step 1. Press Windows + R together to open the Run window.

Step 2. Paste %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset to tap on OK.

Step 3. Wait for a few minutes, and follow the on-screen guides to finish the setup of OneDrive on your device. Then, check if OneDrive shows in File Explorer.

Fix 2. Update Your Windows to Latest Version

This error can also be caused by the fact that the Windows system is not updated. Older versions of Windows systems may not be compatible with the OneDrive program. If your Windows is not the latest version, you can follow the steps below to upgrade Windows to the latest version to resolve the “OneDrive not showing in File Explorer in Windows 10/11” error.

Step 1. Click on the Start button of Windows, and then click Settings > Update & Security.

Step 2. Click the Windows Update button, and hit Check for updates.

Step 3. After the update, restart your computer and log in to OneDrive to check if the problem is resolved.

Fix 3. Use Local Group Policy Editor

If it is because of a problem with Group Policy, it will also cause the “OneDrive not showing in File Explorer in Windows 11/10” error, because some policies may affect the normal work of OneDrive. You can follow the steps below to try to fix the problem caused by this reason.

Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run window and enter gpedit.msc to open the Local Group Policy Editor window.

Step 2. Click on Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OneDrive in turn.

Step 3. In the right panel, locate Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage. Tap on Policy settings and ensure to tick the box next to Not Configured. And then, click OK to confirm your operation.

Fix 4. Remove All OneDrive Entries

A problem with the registry will also cause OneDrive not to be displayed in file explorer. You can try to fix this by following the tutorial below to delete the OneDrive entry in the registry. Modifying the registry is risky, and incorrect modification can cause system instability or crash.

If you are not familiar with the registry, it is strongly recommended to make a backup before modifying the registry, or complete the modification under the guidance of a professional to avoid unknown problems caused by misoperation.

Step 1. Open the Run dialog by pressing Win + R, and type regedit to click on OK.

Step 2. On the Registry Editor screen, go to the Edit tab and click the Find option.

Step 3. In the Find window, populate OneDrive and tick all checkboxes under Look at. Then, hit Find Next.

Step 4. Delete the OneDrive entries that find out. And repeat this process to remove all OneDrive entries on your PC until all of them are erased.

Fix 5. Modify the Registry

For this problem caused by the registry, in addition to deleting the OneDrive entry, you can also modify the registry to solve the problem of OneDrive not showing in File Explorer. The following are the specific operation steps.

Step 1. Open the Run window and type regedit in it like the previous step.

Step 2. Navigate to the following path.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\OneDrive

Step 3. Right-click the DisableFileSyncNGSC string and choose Modify to continue. Then, modify the Value data to 0. Finally, click OK.

Step 4. After you finish the above steps, reboot the computer to check whether the issue is solved.

How to Prevent Similar Errors to Occur Again

The above methods can help you fix this problem, but trying each method in turn will take a lot of time. More importantly, in order to avoid similar errors in the future, it is recommended that you use professional backup software – AOMEI Backupper Standard to back up files to OneDrive. Even if you encounter this error, you can still use this backup for a quick restore without losing any data.

• Scheduled backup: You can backup files to OneDrive at fixed intervals, such as Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event trigger and USB plug in.
• Incremental backup: This backup method can backup only the changed parts of files to OneDrive, which makes backups more efficient and saves disk space.
• Various backup paths: It allows you to backup files not only to OneDrive but also to other locations such as local disks, external disks, USB drives, HDDs, SSDs, etc.
• System compatibility: This software supports many Windows PC systems including Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista, etc.

You need to download and install this free backup software first, and then you can follow this graphic tutorial to automatically backup files to OneDrive.

Step 1. Open the freeware, install, and open it. You can click Backup > File Backup.

Step 2. Click Add File or Add Folder to select the files or folders you want to backup.

Step 3. Click the triangle icon next to the folder shaped icon select OneDrive as the destination path.

Step 4. Confirm all your operations and click Start Backup to automatically backup files to OneDrive.

Notes:

• Options: You can write comments on the backup files, encrypt, split and compress the backup file. You can also set the email notification.
• Schedule Backup: This feature allows you to perform the scheduled backup with different frequencies (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event triggers and USB plug in)
• Backup Scheme: You can select various backup methods (Full/Incremental/Differential). The last two methods can improve the backup efficiency. But the Differential backup method is easier to restore the scheduled backup task. You can upgrade to the Professional edition to enjoy this feature.

Summary

This article explains why the “OneDrive not showing in File Explorer” error occurs and provides 5 simple and useful methods. In order to avoid the risk of data loss caused by similar mistakes, you can choose the safer and more professional backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard to back up files to OneDrive. When your files accidentally have any problems, you can use this backup file for quick restoration without losing any data.

In addition, it also provides functions such as system backup, disk backup, and partition backup to protect your data in an all-round way. Its restore function is also very practical, even if you want to restore the system backup to a computer with different hardware, its Universal Restore feature can help you achieve tthe goal easily.