OneDrive Sync is broken - missing files, says files already exist when they don't

Added: 12/1/2022 7:00 PM

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Problem: OneDrive fails to sync a folder from Sharepoint to a local folder on the PC. Some files are just missing from the PC or the server, and won't sync to the other location. OneDrive might show a "Sync Error" complaining that a file/folder you dragged into the local path already exists on the server (even though it actually does not), so it wants you to rename the local folder to fix the sync. Cause: OneDrive bugs. Apparently, OneDrive maintains a list of contents of the local PC and the server, and uses that list to decide what to sync. If that list of contents gets corrupt or out of sync from reality, OneDrive isn't smart enough to detect it and fix it. Solution: Run this command from the command prompt (not as admin): C:\Program Files\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset OneDrive will automatically close and restart itself, and will display a message saying it has been reset. Then, OneDrive will immediately begin syncing things correctly.