Forum Discussion
Prevent users from closing their OneDrive session
It’s not possible through native OneDrive Group Policy (OneDrive.admx) or Microsoft 365 admin settings to fully prevent users from manually closing the OneDrive desktop client, signing out, or pausing/stopping sync—those UI actions remain user-accessible.
Microsoft's official documentation on OneDrive Group Policy settings lists all available policies, and none address forced sign-in persistence or preventing unlink operations.
Alternative workarounds...
- Use Intune to deploy scripts restarting "OneDrive.exe" on exit or monitor via endpoint analytics.
- Conditional Access in Entra ID can block sign-ins from unmanaged devices, forcing re-auth after closure.
Approach |
| Limitation |
Software Restriction Policies/AppLocker |
| Can prevent uninstallation but cannot block sign-out or "Stop sync" within the running app |
Monitoring via Sync Reports |
| Admins can detect when users stop sync via Apps Admin Center sync reports, but cannot prevent the action Microsoft |
User Education/Compliance Policies |
| Organizational policy (not technical enforcement) requiring sync for data protection |
There is no technical mechanism in Microsoft 365 admin controls, Group Policy, or registry settings to force users to remain signed in to OneDrive for Business or prevent them from stopping synchronization. This is by design—Microsoft provides controls to restrict access (block sync entirely) but not to force continuous sync against user action.
While you cannot prevent sign-out, you can remotely sign users out of all sessions via Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Active Users → [user] → OneDrive Settings → "Sign out of all devices"
Microsoft. This is a reactive, not preventive, control.
It's just an idea, it might not be correct, just try it out...or not🙂.
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
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