5 Best Ways to Fix OneDrive Can’t Delete Folder on Windows

A C.A. by profession and a tech enthusiast by passion, Gaurav loves tinkering with new tech and gadgets. He used to build WordPress websites but gave it all up to develop little iOS games instead. Finally, he dropped out of CA to pursue his love for tech. He has over 5 years of experience as a writer covering Android, iOS, and Windows platforms and writes how-to guides, comparisons, listicles, and explainers for B2B and B2C apps and services. He currently divides his time between Guiding Tech (writer) and Tech Wiser (editor).

Basic Fixes

Fix 1: Delete Folder on Another Device

OneDrive is also available on the web and on mobile platforms like Android and iOS. Because all folders and files within remain in sync everywhere and at all times, deleting a folder on one device should delete it on other devices, too. So, if you delete a folder inside OneDrive on Android, it will be deleted on Windows, too.

Fix 2: Delete Folder Locally, on OneDrive, or Everywhere

While deleting files and folders in Windows is as easy as eating a pie, Microsoft has a detailed guide ondeleting files and folders in OneDriveon Windows. It also explains how you can choose to delete a file/folder on your hard drive but not in the cloud and vice versa or delete it everywhere. That feature is called Files on Demand, which can help save precious space on HDD/SSD.

To begin with, check if the folder shows an icon of the cloud or not on your HDD/SSD. Deleting a folder inside the OneDrive folder on your computer will delete it everywhere, including the cloud storage. OneDrive will display a pop-up message to notify you of the same.

You can enable the Files on Demand feature to delete a folder on the hard drive but not in the cloud. And finally, move the folder outside the OneDrive folder on your computer to delete it in the cloud but not on your hard drive. So it’s up to you where you want to remove the folder from.

Fix 3: Tweak Files on Demand

The Files on Demand feature allows you to store files in the cloud and access all that data on your computer without downloading it. This saves valuable space on your HDD/SSD. You can use this to remove offline files on your PC.

Step 1:Right-clickon theOneDrive iconin the Taskbar and selectSettings.

Step 2:Under the Settings tab, click onAdvanced Settingsto expand it.

Step 3:Scroll downto the bottom to theFiles On-Demand section. Here, click onFree up disk space.

Step 4: This will delete all offline copies of your files, and move them to online-only. Click onContinueto proceed.

Step 5: Now follow the on-screen instructions. Once done, you can try deleting the folder from the online version of OneDrive.

Fix 4: Pause Sync and Delete Folder

Is the folder still syncing? Maybe that’s why you can’t delete the folder because it is under process.

Step 1:Right-clickon theOneDrive iconin the Taskbar and select thePause syncingoption. Then,select a time durationfor which you want to stop OneDrive sync.

Step 2: Wait a few moments, and then try deleting the folder. You can then go back to the same menu to re-enable OneDrive sync easily.

Fix 5: Reset OneDrive

Resetting OneDrive won’t delete any of your existing files or folders. It would simply disconnect thesync connectionand you will need to choose which folders to sync again.

Step 1:Press the Windows key+R to open the Run prompt and type the command below.

Step 2:If you are greeted with a ‘Windows cannot find…’ error message, give the below command instead.

If the error continues, try this command now.

Now, OneDrive will close. You will need to launch it again. Search for OneDrive from the Start menu and click on it to run it.

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Last updated on 09 July, 2024

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