Forum Discussion

backlit's avatar
backlit
Copper Contributor
Jul 08, 2025

OneDrive offline conflicts with File explorer

My desktop profile has crashed. An L2 support says that I need to discard my profile and create a new one. I am here to find an alternative to that.

It must also be related to a MS data security and needs an investigation. See for instance I cannot delete off instances of the previous companies OneDrive business offline folders from my home desktop PC. The conflicts of these have aggravated to an extent that it is now crashing OneDrive and other cloud services connected through File explorer. 

To begin with, Is there any way I can clean my desktop profile. Can you please do me a Data security investigation?

 

microsoft 365
onedrive

1 Reply

  • Kidd_Ip's avatar
    Kidd_Ip
    MVP
    Jul 20, 2025

    Try below without rebuilding:

     

    1. Create a Temporary Local Admin Account

      • Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users
      • Add a new local user (not tied to your Microsoft account)
      • Give it admin rights and log in with it

    2. Use ShellExView to Disable Context Menu Extensions

      • Download ShellExView
      • Disable all non-Microsoft context menu handlers
      • This can fix File Explorer hangs caused by cloud integrations

    3. Run System Repair Tools

    sfc /scannow
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
      • Run these in Command Prompt (Admin) to repair system files

    4. Clear OneDrive Cache and Reset Sync

      • Unlink OneDrive: Right-click cloud icon > Settings > Account > Unlink
      • Delete %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive
      • Reboot and re-sign in to personal OneDrive only

    5. Remove Orphaned Business Folders

        • Use these commands in Command Prompt (Admin):
    takeown /f "C:\Path\To\Folder" /r /d y
icacls "C:\Path\To\Folder" /grant administrators:F /t
rd "C:\Path\To\Folder" /s /q
      • This forcibly removes folders with broken permissions