How to Remove the Red X on Files in Windows 11

A red circle with a white X on a file or folder in Windows 11 is a OneDrive status icon: it means that item cannot be synced. To remove it, select the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area at the right end of the taskbar, read the error shown there, and fix what it reports. The X disappears by itself once the file syncs.

Applies to: Windows 11 with the OneDrive sync app (personal, work or school accounts). Checked against Microsoft Support on October 7, 2026.

What the red X means

File Explorer shows a small status icon next to every item stored in a OneDrive folder. Microsoft describes the red one this way: a red circle with a white cross means that a file or folder cannot be synced. The copy on your PC is normally still there and you can keep working on it, but the copy in the cloud is missing or out of date, so the file is not backed up and your other devices will not see your latest changes.

This also explains why the X can appear on the Desktop, Documents or Pictures folders. If OneDrive folder backup is turned on, those folders are stored inside OneDrive and their files carry the same status icons.

The other icons you may see in the same column are normal and need no fixing:

Icon	Meaning
Red circle with a white X	The file or folder cannot be synced.
Blue cloud	The file is only available online and takes up no space on the PC.
Green check mark	The file has been downloaded and can be opened offline.
Solid green circle with a white check mark	The file is marked Always keep on this device.
Circular arrows	Sync is in progress.
Padlock	The file or folder has settings that prevent it from syncing.

Before you start

• Make sure the PC is online. OneDrive cannot sync without an internet connection.
• Know which Microsoft account, or work or school account, OneDrive should be using.
• Do not delete a file just to get rid of the X. Deleting a file in a synced folder can also delete it from the cloud. If the file matters, copy it to a folder outside OneDrive first.

Find the error and fix it

1. Look at the right end of the taskbar for the white or blue OneDrive cloud icon. If you do not see it, select the Show hidden icons arrow next to the notification area.
2. If there is no cloud icon at all, OneDrive is not running. Select Start, type OneDrive, and select OneDrive in the results. Wait a minute and check the files again.
3. Select the cloud icon. A panel that Microsoft calls the activity center opens and shows the current status and any sync error. Read the message, because it names the file and the reason.
4. Fix the reported problem using the table in the next section. For example, rename a file that has an unsupported character, or sign in again.
5. If the message says sync is paused, select More and then Resume syncing.
6. If nothing changes after a few minutes, restart the app: select the cloud icon, select the Help & Settings icon, and select Quit OneDrive. Then select Start, type OneDrive, and open it again.
7. Go back to the folder in File Explorer. When the file has uploaded, the red X is replaced by a green check mark or a blue cloud.

Common causes and what to do

The look of the cloud icon on the taskbar usually tells you the cause before you open it.

What you see	Cause	Fix
Gray cloud with a line through it	You are not signed in, or OneDrive setup has not finished.	Select the icon and sign in with your email address and password.
Paused symbol on the cloud	Sync is paused. OneDrive also pauses automatically when the PC is in battery saver mode or on a metered network.	Select the icon, then More > Resume syncing.
Yellow warning triangle	Your account needs attention.	Select the icon and read the warning in the activity center.
Red “no entry” icon	Your account is blocked, which happens when it is over its storage limit or has been inactive for a long time. Existing files become read-only and new files cannot be uploaded or synced.	Delete files you do not need or buy more storage. Microsoft says changes can take up to two hours to apply.
Red X on one file or a few files only	Something about that file stops it from syncing: its name, its size, or its type.	Check the name and size rules below.

File name and size rules

OneDrive will not sync a file or folder whose name breaks one of these rules, taken from Microsoft’s list of restrictions:

• The name cannot contain any of these characters: ” * : < > ? / \ |
• The name cannot start or end with a space.
• These names are not allowed: .lock, CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM0 to COM9, LPT0 to LPT9, _vti_, desktop.ini, and any file name that starts with ~$.
• A single file cannot be larger than 250 GB.
• Temporary files that end in .tmp are not synced at all.

To fix a name, right-click the file in File Explorer, rename it without the unsupported character, and wait for OneDrive to try again. Very long folder paths can also stop a sync, so if a file sits many folders deep, moving it to a folder closer to the top of your OneDrive is worth trying.

Reset OneDrive

If the activity center shows no clear cause, or OneDrive seems stuck, Microsoft’s next step is a reset. According to Microsoft, you won’t lose any data by resetting OneDrive. It rebuilds the app’s sync records, and afterwards you may need to choose again which folders sync to this PC.

1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run box.
2. Type wsreset.exe and select OK. A blank window opens and closes, and the Microsoft Store app may appear. You can ignore both.
3. Press Windows key + R again.
4. Paste %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset and select OK.
5. If you get a “Windows cannot find” message, use C:\Program Files\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset instead. If that also fails, try C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset.
6. Select Start, type OneDrive, and open the app. Give it time to check every file before you judge the result.

The steps are the same on the older system, and our guide to resetting OneDrive on Windows 10 covers what to save beforehand.

Unlink and relink your account

Unlinking disconnects the OneDrive folder on this PC from the cloud for a short while and then connects it again. Microsoft states that no data is lost by unlinking and relinking.

1. Select the OneDrive cloud icon, select the Help & Settings icon, and select Settings.
2. Open the Account tab and select Unlink this PC, then confirm with Unlink account.
3. Select Start, type OneDrive, open the app, and sign in.
4. When OneDrive says a folder already exists, select Use this folder.
5. Wait while your files sync again. OneDrive starts with online-only placeholders to save space.

If you don’t want those folders in OneDrive

When the X appears on Desktop, Documents or Pictures and you never meant to store them in the cloud, you can stop folder backup rather than keep fixing sync errors.

1. Select the OneDrive cloud icon, select the Help & Settings icon, and select Settings.
2. Open the Sync and backup tab and select Manage backup.
3. Turn off the switch for each folder you no longer want backed up, and choose where to keep the files when OneDrive asks.

Read the prompt carefully. Microsoft notes that files already backed up stay in the OneDrive folder and no longer appear in the device folder unless you choose to keep them on the computer. To see how the feature is set up in the first place, read our guide on backing up folders to OneDrive.

How to confirm it worked

• The status icon next to the file changes from the red X to a green check mark or a blue cloud.
• The cloud icon on the taskbar no longer shows a red, gray, paused or warning symbol.
• The file is listed when you sign in to OneDrive.com in a browser. This is the surest check, because it shows what is really stored in the cloud.

Troubleshooting

The red X is on a network drive, not a file

A red X on a mapped network drive under This PC is a different thing. Microsoft documents that Windows drops idle connections to a network share after a time-out, 15 minutes by default, and File Explorer then shows a red X on the drive icon. The connection normally comes back as soon as you open the drive. If it does not, check that the PC is on the same network as the server, or connected to the VPN, and ask the person who manages the share.

The X stays after every fix

Microsoft’s sync troubleshooter for personal accounts suggests three further checks: confirm you can sign in and see your files at OneDrive.com, install the latest Windows updates and the latest version of OneDrive, and move the stuck file out of the OneDrive folder for a moment and then back in.

It is a work or school PC

Your organization controls which accounts, folders and file types can sync. If sign-in fails or a setting is missing, contact your IT administrator instead of resetting the app more than once.

The file is in a folder that belongs to another sync app

Other cloud storage apps add their own status icons to files in their own folders. If the file with the X is not inside a OneDrive folder, open that app from the notification area and read its error message, the same way as with OneDrive.

Frequently asked questions

Does a red X mean the file is deleted or damaged?

No. It means the file could not be synced. The copy on your PC is normally still there. What is missing is an up-to-date copy in the cloud.

Can I ignore the red X?

You can keep working, but files marked with it are not being backed up to OneDrive and will not reach your phone or other computers. Fix the cause before you rely on the cloud copy.

Will resetting OneDrive delete my files?

Microsoft says you won’t lose any data by resetting OneDrive. The reset clears the app’s own records and settings, not your documents.

Why is there a red X on my Desktop or Documents folder?

OneDrive folder backup is on, so those folders live inside OneDrive and one or more files in them failed to sync. Open the folder, look for the individual files with the X, and fix those.

Which characters are not allowed in OneDrive file names?

These nine: ” * : < > ? / \ | and the name cannot begin or end with a space.

Where does Microsoft explain these icons?

Microsoft Support keeps a full list in What do the OneDrive icons mean? and walks through repairs in Fix OneDrive sync problems.

Start with the cloud icon on the taskbar: the message it shows is almost always the quickest route to clearing the red X. If the message is not clear, reset OneDrive, then relink your account.