OneDrive icon is the gateway to the rich features that the OneDrive Service holds. Sometimes this icon goes missing from the Taskbar. It is usually placed on the right side of the Taskbar in Windows 11/10. This guide will help you find the OneDrive icon missing from the Taskbar in Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Is OneDrive Icon missing from Taskbar?
The OneDrive icon serves a vital role in the Windows Operating System. But what if it goes missing? There are several reasons why the Onedrive icon can go missing. Sometimes it may disappear from the Taskbar, which leads to difficulties in accessing the OneDrive.
Here’s how you can find the OneDrive icon.
Fix: OneDrive Icon missing from Taskbar in Windows 11/10
You can fix the OneDrive icons missing issue quickly by some of the following methods:
- Check if the OneDrive icon is hidden.
- Make sure that the OneDrive icon is allowed to appear on the Taskbar
- Check your Group Policy
- Reset OneDrive
- Setup OneDrive from Scratch
Follow these steps one by one to find the missing OneDrive icon.
1] Check if the OneDrive icon is hidden
The problem of the hidden icon is widespread in Windows 11/10. Windows hide some of the icons to make your taskbar look more organized when you have many icons in the taskbar. So make sure the OneDrive icon has not been hidden away.
To find out the hidden icon, click on the upwards pointing arrow mark from Taskbar and check if there is any cloud icon. Now, move your cursor over the cloud icon. If it says OneDrive, then it means that the OneDrive icon is missing from the taskbar. To get it on the taskbar back, you need to drag and drop it, and you are ready to go.
2] Make sure that the OneDrive icon is allowed to appear on the Taskbar
Make sure the OneDrive icon is enabled in your Windows taskbar. If not, then follow these steps to pin the OneDrive folder to your taskbar:
- Open Settings using Win + I
- Go to Personalization > Taskbar to view all settings.
- In Windows 10, click on Select Which Icons appear on the Taskbar from the Notification Area.
- In Windows 11, expand the Taskbar Corner overflow panel to view all the icons that can appear on the system tray or taskbar.
- Find out the Microsoft OneDrive, and switch the toggle ON.
Now check whether the issue OneDrive icon missing from the Taskbar is solved or not.
3] Check Group Policy
Sometimes there can be a problem caused by third-party applications or anti-tracking programs, which may affect making modifications to the Operating system and may disable the OneDrive icon.
You need to check the Local Group Policy Editor to find and resolve any modifications caused by third-party programs on OneDrive. To do that, follow these steps:
- Press Win+R to open the Run box.
- In the search box, type gpedit.msc > Click OK.
- Now, open Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OneDrive.
- Right-click on Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage > Edit.
- Select Not Configured > Apply > Ok.
Once you are finished with all the steps, you can reboot your computer and check the issue OneDrive icon missing from Taskbar is solved.
4] Reset OneDrive
If a broken OneDrive cache causes the issue, you can fix the problem by resetting One Drive. Follow these steps to reset your OneDrive:
- Press Windows + R to open Run
- Type the following command and click OK
%localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset
- Wait for about two minutes to see if the OneDrive icon appears. If it does not, type the following command.
%localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe
Hopefully, this will fix the issue.
5] Setup OneDrive from Scratch
If you didn’t find any improper modifications on the Local Group Policy Editor, then it’s time to reinstall the application from scratch.
Here’s how you do it:
- Start > Type cmd to open the Command prompt
- Click on Run as administrator
- Type the following commands in the command window one by one
Note: Before proceeding with further OneDrive install/uninstall procedure, confirm your windows architecture which may be 64-bit or 32-bit.
For 32 bit Windows (Press Enter after typing the commands)
%SystemRoot%\System32\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall
%SystemRoot%\System32\OneDriveSetup.exe /install
For 64 bit Windows (Press Enter after typing the commands)
%SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall
%SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe /install
After all the steps are finished, you can reboot your computer and check whether the OneDrive icon missing is solved.
Once you follow all these steps, it will solve your problem. I hope this post will help you fix the OneDrive icon missing from the Taskbar in Windows 11/10.
What Could Be the Reason Why OneDrive Sync Is So Slow?
You should make sure you have a stable, fast Internet connection. To see your effective download and upload speed, open a browser and go to Speedtest by Ookla – The Global Broadband Speed Test while connected to WiFi. A problem may be related to either your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or your Router (WiFi).
- We usually receive a maxed-out speed from ISPs. It is not uncommon to receive only half the internet speed we had signed up for.
- It is also possible that your system is connected to a lower band WiFi on your router. Most routers have dual-band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz capabilities. Although 5 GHz is more efficient than 2.4 GHz, if your system uses 2.4 GHz, you can benefit from a 5 GHz connection.
The OneDrive App may sometimes experience sync issues (due to duplicate or incorrectly named files) that can be resolved or space issues on the device itself.
OneDrive Files Stuck Syncing?
When OneDrive fails to update files, there are several causes:
- The name of the file or its location contains invalid characters.
- Another application is using the file.
- An incorrect network connection has occurred.
- The upload has exceeded the maximum size.
- You are using an older version of OneDrive.
- It does not have enough space to store files on OneDrive since it is full.
How To Add OneDrive in File Explorer?
Windows 11 PCs usually come with OneDrive preinstalled; however, you can download it from the Microsoft website if you don’t have it on your PC. Install it by clicking the download file, and you will see it appear in File Explorer after a few seconds.
You’ll see all documents in your cloud storage account if you’re already signed in to your Microsoft account. If you do not have an account, you will be prompted to sign in when you click it for the first time.
Thanks for this blog!
I couldn’t see the Taskbar icon for OneDrive even after numerous attempts 🙁 – eventually applied the fix :- %SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall -curiously this RESTORED the missing icon.
I had deleted OneDrive and reinstalled after suddenly seeing 4 year old files appearing in Explorer.
Thank you.
Win 11 Home, 64Bit, MS 365, Norton 360 Deluxe
That is awesome to know. TY for sharing this solution with us!