OneDrive Helper 0.11.0: Folder Redirection to OneDrive backup, OneDrive problem alerts, self-service fixes

Three new features, all off by default. The folder move has been through one real migration so far, and the OneDrive problem alerts haven't yet seen a real sync error, so please pilot them on a few PCs first.

Moving users from Folder Redirection to OneDrive backup (FolderRedirectionMigration)

Moving a site off Folder Redirection used to mean, for every user: take them out of scope of the redirection GPO, gpupdate, re-point Desktop / Documents / Pictures back to C:\Users\<user> by hand, then turn on OneDrive's folder backup. OneDrive Helper now does the last two steps for you.

• When it's offered:
  • on a workstation (never on Remote Desktop, AVD, Citrix, Horizon or FSLogix hosts);
  • with folders still pointing outside the user's profile;
  • with no applied GPO containing Folder Redirection settings any more, read from gpresult the same way it lists "Applied Group Policy Objects";
  • and with a work account signed in to OneDrive.
• What the user gets: a card offering Move to OneDrive, approved by an administrator unless RequireAdminApproval is off. Then:
  • every redirected folder is pointed back to its normal place in the profile;
  • a Where are my files.txt note goes on the Desktop. Its wording is MigrationNoteText, and {folders} lists the old locations;
  • optionally, a Desktop shortcut such as Network Drive → U:\ or \\server\users\%USERNAME% (MigrationShortcutName / MigrationShortcutTarget);
  • Explorer and OneDrive restart, and OneDrive moves the folders in and backs them up.
• Files are not copied: the old files stay on the share for you to move across.
• The backup policy: while the feature is on, the service sets OneDrive's machine-wide KFMSilentOptIn policy (with KFMSilentOptInWithNotification).
  • The tenant comes from KFMTenantID, or from the signed-in work account if that's blank.
  • It never changes a value set by your own GPO or Intune.
  • Turning the feature off, or uninstalling, removes only what OneDrive Helper set.
• Events: 6101–6105.

OneDrive problems brought to the user's attention (OneDriveIssueAlerts)

Sign-in needed, sync errors and conflicts, sync paused or offline, and a OneDrive that's running but has stopped responding. Normally these only show as a mark on OneDrive's icon.

• Windows 11 and Server 2025: the alert shows OneDrive's own message, the same status File Explorer shows. Its button runs OneDrive's own command, such as Sign in or View sync issues, or offers Restart OneDrive if it's hung.
• Windows 10 and Server 2019/2022: the alert reports libraries that are not connected, have an error or are offline. Individual conflicts can't be detected there.
• Grace periods: errors and hangs are reported after about 2 minutes; paused, offline and not connected after IssueAlertGraceMinutes (default 30).
• Events: 6001–6004.

Self-service fixes (RequireAdminApproval)

On by default, so nothing changes. Turn it off to let users fix their own folders: their confirmation is enough, the button reads Fix instead of Fix (admin), and event 5001 records who confirmed. The file work runs as the user either way.

Also

• Settings window: now three columns, so it fits laptop screens with display scaling. The help line under it shows up to three lines, so long help texts are no longer cut off.
• OneDriveHelper.exe check shows OneDrive's reported status, the user's redirected folders, which redirection GPOs apply, the backup policy, the work account, and whether the move is offered (and if not, why). It warns when run from an elevated prompt, where OneDrive's status can be wrong.
• Fix journal: the fix's progress file is replaced safely when antivirus or the search indexer briefly holds the old copy. Before, that could stop a fix with "Access is denied".

Upgrading

Install over any earlier version as usual. The RMM install script in the README is updated for v0.11.0. The checksums are in SHA256SUMS.txt.

OneDrive Helper v0.10.5 (fixes leftover folders nobody could remove, found on RDS)

Fixes a leftover folder nobody could remove (found on a Remote Desktop server)

On an RDS session host, a leftover copy of a SharePoint library (ACME-Training - Documents (1), next to the real, syncing ACME-Training - Documents) couldn't be moved or deleted by anyone, administrators included. The error was "Access to the cloud file is denied", and a server restart didn't help. Two separate things were blocking it. 0.10.5 clears both by itself, as the user, with no extra admin step.

1. Windows still had the folder registered as a OneDrive sync folder

OneDrive stopped syncing the library long ago but never unregistered it. Windows keeps a sync folder's registration on the folder itself as well as in the registry. The registry entry was gone, but the one on the folder wasn't, so Windows' Cloud Files driver still protected the folder, with OneDrive no longer connected to it. Because the registration is stored on disk, a restart changes nothing.

Fix: before moving a folder, OneDrive Helper now asks Windows whether the folder itself is a OneDrive sync folder with nothing connected to it (and OneDrive's settings don't list it as synced). If so, it removes that dead registration with Windows' CfUnregisterSyncRoot, logs event 5017, and carries on. No files are touched. If the registration can't be removed, the folder is skipped with a clear message and event 5016.

2. OneDrive had made the copies undeletable

The user could only read that library, so OneDrive had put Everyone:(DENY)(D,WD,AD,DC) on every local copy. A deny entry beats every allow, administrators included.

Fix: the user owns the files in their own profile, and an owner can always change a file's permissions. After the backup is verified, OneDrive Helper removes exactly that deny entry from the copies it's about to delete, then deletes them as before. No other permission is changed. The library that's still syncing keeps its read-only protection.

Also

• The fix only says a file is "open in another program" when it really is open. Otherwise it says Windows wouldn't allow the delete, and why.
• The "Your support team will need to add … back" line is gone from the result card and the folder lists. For leftover copies there's nothing to add back.
• Neither block is a locked file, so no restart or sign-out is offered for them (it wouldn't help).

The full write-up, including how to clear such a folder by hand on an older version, is on the project page under What we learned on Remote Desktop servers.

Downloads

File	For
OneDriveHelper-v0.10.5-x64.zip	64-bit Intel/AMD PCs and servers
OneDriveHelper-v0.10.5-arm64.zip	ARM64 PCs
SHA256SUMS.txt	Checksums (the RMM install script on the project page is filled in for this release)

Settings carry over on upgrade. Event IDs are unchanged apart from the new 5016 and 5017.

OneDrive Helper v0.10.2 (simpler messages, clickable folder paths)

Simpler, clearer messages. Every card now says each thing once, and folder paths can be clicked to open them in Explorer.

The alert and status window

• The warning comes first: "Files saved in these folders are NOT uploaded or backed up."
• Each group has one line saying what the fix will do:
  • Stopped syncing: We will back up these files & folders, then try to sync them again.
  • Old copies: We will move these files & folders to a backup folder.
  • From an account that is no longer connected: We will move these files & folders to a backup folder.
  • Empty leftover folders: We will remove these empty folders.
• Each folder is listed by name with its path once, in small print. The per-folder notes are gone. A short note follows the name only where the group's line doesn't fully apply, for example (click 'Sync' on its SharePoint page afterwards).
• Folder paths are underlined and clickable: they open the folder in Explorer. Only existing folders are links, and only folders are ever opened.
• The support phone and e-mail aren't repeated in the text: the Contact support button covers them.

The fix

• Confirmation: the same groups, then "Your files are saved to" with the folder, "Nothing is deleted until a copy is saved." and "An administrator needs to approve this."
• Administrator approval: laid out the same way on a wider card, with section headers, each folder's path, and its file count and size in small print, then where the files go and the space check.
• Progress: "Moving the folders to a safe place, and saving a copy of your files. Please wait while this completes and do not save any new work."
• Result: a single card instead of two. It says how many folders were moved to the backup folder, lists only the folders that couldn't be fixed (with their path, and what stopped them in bold, for example Microsoft Excel has a file in it open), says which libraries OneDrive was asked to sync again, and links to the saved files. Support details only appear when something went wrong.

Copy details, the event log and the log files still carry the full technical detail. What the fix does, and every safety check, are unchanged.

Upgrading

Run OneDriveHelper.exe install from the new zip, or re-run the RMM install script on the project page, which is updated for this release. Your settings carry over.

Downloads

File	For
OneDriveHelper-v0.10.2-x64.zip	Most PCs (Intel / AMD 64-bit)
OneDriveHelper-v0.10.2-arm64.zip	Windows on ARM
SHA256SUMS.txt	Checksums to verify the zips

These binaries are not code-signed yet. You're welcome to build from source instead with .\release.ps1 -Version 0.10.2.

OneDrive Helper v0.10.1 (old copies recognised by folder name)

A small follow-up to 0.10.0: old copies are now recognised even when OneDrive Helper was installed after the organisation was renamed.

Fixed

• In 0.10.0 a folder was only recognised as an old copy if something recorded which library it held: OneDrive Helper's own record (only kept for libraries it has seen syncing) or OneDrive's entries for that exact folder. On PCs where the tool arrived after the rename, OneDrive often keeps neither for the old folders, so they all showed as Stopped syncing.
• When nothing else identifies a folder, the tool now uses its name. OneDrive names library folders "site - library" (for example "Internal - Documents"), and its current settings and leftover ClientPolicy files carry both names. If exactly one library has that name, the folder is matched to it, so it shows as an old copy (if that library syncs elsewhere now) or as stopped syncing.
• If two different libraries share the name (for example in two organisations), the tool doesn't guess: the folder is shown as stopped syncing, as before.

As in 0.10.0, this only changes the wording and whether the library is synced again after a fix. Which folders count as broken, and every safety check, are unchanged.

Upgrading

Run OneDriveHelper.exe install from the new zip, or re-run the RMM install script on the project page, which is updated for this release. Your settings carry over.

Downloads

File	For
OneDriveHelper-v0.10.1-x64.zip	Most PCs (Intel / AMD 64-bit)
OneDriveHelper-v0.10.1-arm64.zip	Windows on ARM
SHA256SUMS.txt	Checksums to verify the zips

These binaries are not code-signed yet. You're welcome to build from source instead with .\release.ps1 -Version 0.10.1.

OneDrive Helper v0.10.0 (old copies vs stopped libraries, clearer alert)

OneDrive Helper now tells old copies apart from libraries that have really stopped syncing, and the alert is easier to read.

Old copies, disconnected accounts and stopped libraries

When an organisation is renamed, or an account is removed and added again, OneDrive starts syncing the same libraries into a new folder and leaves the old ones behind. Earlier versions reported every one of those as "stopped syncing", and the fix tried to sync them again, even though they were already syncing elsewhere.

The tool now checks what OneDrive is actually syncing, works out which library each folder held, and sorts the folders into groups:

Group	What it means	What the fix does
Stopped syncing	OneDrive dropped the library, but the account is still connected	Saves the files, removes the folder, syncs the library again
Old copies	The same library now syncs to another folder (shown in the heading)	Saves the files, removes the old copy, no re-sync
From an account that is no longer connected	No signed-in account belongs to that organisation	Saves the files, removes the folder, no re-sync
Empty leftover folders	An organisation folder with nothing in it	Removes it

A library is matched by its site and list IDs, or by its SharePoint address (a list ID alone isn't enough, because default libraries can share one), and the organisation by tenant ID or SharePoint address. If a library can't be identified, it's shown as stopped syncing, as before.

This only changes the wording and whether a library is synced again. Which folders count as broken, and every safety check in the fix, are unchanged. Old copies can still hold work saved after sync stopped, so their files are always saved first.

A clearer alert

• New heading: "Problems found with your OneDrive / SharePoint sync", followed by the warning that files saved in these folders are not uploaded or backed up.
• The folders are listed under group headings, in a smaller font, so the warning stands out. The organisation name is no longer repeated after every library.
• The status window, the fix confirmation, the administrator approval, "What does this mean?" and Copy details use the same groups.

Tested on Remote Desktop

Fixes on RDS session hosts, including signing out to finish a fix and picking it up on a different session host, have been tested.

Upgrading

Run OneDriveHelper.exe install from the new zip, or re-run the RMM install script on the project page, which is updated for this release. Your settings carry over.

Downloads

File	For
OneDriveHelper-v0.10.0-x64.zip	Most PCs (Intel / AMD 64-bit)
OneDriveHelper-v0.10.0-arm64.zip	Windows on ARM
SHA256SUMS.txt	Checksums to verify the zips

These binaries are not code-signed yet. You're welcome to build from source instead with .\release.ps1 -Version 0.10.0.

OneDrive Helper v0.9.2 (tested on RDS)

A small release: tested on Remote Desktop (RDS), plus two fixes found while testing.

Tested on RDS

The fix, including signing out to finish it when files are locked and picking it up again on a different session host, has been tested on RDS session hosts. Azure Virtual Desktop and Citrix work the same way but haven't been tested separately.

Fixed

• The tray icon now turns green as soon as a fix is done. It used to wait for the next check (up to a minute), so it could stay red while the status window already said "Everything looks good". The check now runs as soon as the files have been saved and the folders removed, and whenever the status window is opened.
• The progress message is accurate. While a fix was running, it said the folders "have been moved to a safe place" before they had been. It now says "Moving the folders to a safe place and saving a copy of your files."
• Changes made while a right-click menu was open (in the tray or on a card) could wait until something else happened before they showed. They now show as soon as the menu closes.

Upgrading

Run OneDriveHelper.exe install from the new zip, or re-run the RMM install script on the project page, which is updated for this release. Your settings carry over.

Downloads

File	For
OneDriveHelper-v0.9.2-x64.zip	Most PCs (Intel / AMD 64-bit)
OneDriveHelper-v0.9.2-arm64.zip	Windows on ARM
SHA256SUMS.txt	Checksums to verify the zips

These binaries are not code-signed yet. You're welcome to build from source instead with .\release.ps1 -Version 0.9.2.

OneDrive Helper v0.9.1 (fix works on shared PCs)

A small fix release: the fix now works on PCs shared by more than one person.

Fixed

• "The fix can't start right now ... UserSyncRoots: Access is denied". In 0.8.0 to 0.9.0, if anyone else had ever used OneDrive on the same PC, clicking Fix stopped with "some of OneDrive's settings could not be read (...SyncRootManager\OneDrive!S-1-12-1-...\UserSyncRoots: Access is denied.)" and event 5013 was logged. The tool read every user's OneDrive sync-folder registrations, but Windows lets only their owner read them, and since 0.8.0 any unreadable setting stops the fix. It now reads only the signed-in user's own. Other people's sync folders can't be inside this user's profile, which is the only place a fix ever touches.
• Nothing was at risk before: the tool refused and changed nothing. This mostly affected Remote Desktop session hosts and shared workstations.

All the other safety rules are unchanged: if the user's own OneDrive settings can't be read, no fix is planned.

Upgrading

Run OneDriveHelper.exe install from the new zip, or re-run the RMM install script on the project page, which is updated for this release. Your settings carry over.

Downloads

File	For
OneDriveHelper-v0.9.1-x64.zip	Most PCs (Intel / AMD 64-bit)
OneDriveHelper-v0.9.1-arm64.zip	Windows on ARM
SHA256SUMS.txt	Checksums to verify the zips

These binaries are not code-signed yet. You're welcome to build from source instead with .\release.ps1 -Version 0.9.1.

Still not fully tested on Remote Desktop (RDS), Azure Virtual Desktop or Citrix: pilot on one host first.

OneDrive Helper v0.9.0 (card popups, logo, finish locked fixes at next sign-in)

Warning

Not yet fully tested on Remote Desktop (RDS) session hosts, including multi-host farms with FSLogix, Azure Virtual Desktop and Citrix. Take extra care there: pilot it on one host or a small group first, and keep v0.8.2 to roll back to. Full testing will be done in the next few days and these notes will be updated. To leave out the new sign-out behaviour entirely, set RestartToFinish to 0.

New

• Card popups instead of Windows message boxes. Every question and message (the fix confirmation and its result, the administrator approval, contact details, "What does this mean?", and the settings tool's messages) now uses the same style of card as the alerts. Long messages scroll with the mouse wheel; warnings and errors have a Copy text button for support tickets.

• Company logo. New setting LogoFile. Pick a PNG in the settings tool (250 x 75 pixels works well; at most 2000 x 1000 and 2 MB) and it's shown at the top of every card. Export writes it as logo.png next to the settings file; install --config copies it to %ProgramData%\OneDriveHelper\logo.png. The RMM install script on the project page has an optional $LogoBase64 line.

• Locked files: finish the fix at the next sign-in. When a folder is skipped because a program won't let go of a file, the user is offered:

  • on a single-user workstation: Restart now / Restart later / Not now
  • on Remote Desktop, Azure Virtual Desktop (including Windows multi-session), Citrix, VMware Horizon, FSLogix, or with someone else signed in: Sign out now / Sign out later / Not now

  At their next sign-in OneDrive Helper finishes the fix by itself, as the user, before they open anything, with no second administrator approval. The request is saved in the user's profile, so with roaming or FSLogix profiles it's picked up on whichever session host they land on. It expires after 3 days. New setting RestartToFinish (on by default) and events 5014 (restart or sign-out requested) and 5015 (fix finished after signing in again).

• Recovery report. A fix that doesn't finish cleanly (a folder put back, kept aside, partly removed, or recovered after an interruption) leaves RECOVERY-REPORT.txt next to the backups. It says where each folder is, where its backup is, and which copy has the user's latest edits. A new fix always gets its own folders, so it never overwrites an earlier backup.

Testing

• New automated tests: a fix process killed after the backup copy and then recovered, a backup disk filling up mid-copy, reruns not treating OneDrive Helper's own folders as broken, and the restart / sign-out logic.
• A manual release checklist is in docs/release-checklist.md. It hasn't been completed for this release yet; it will be over the next few days.

Upgrading

Run OneDriveHelper.exe install from the new zip, or re-run the RMM install script on the project page, which is updated for this release. Your settings carry over.

Downloads

File	For
OneDriveHelper-v0.9.0-x64.zip	Most PCs (Intel / AMD 64-bit)
OneDriveHelper-v0.9.0-arm64.zip	Windows on ARM
SHA256SUMS.txt	Checksums to verify the zips

These binaries are not code-signed yet. You're welcome to build from source instead with .\release.ps1 -Version 0.9.0.

OneDrive Helper v0.8.2 (clean event log entries)

A small fix release: clean event log entries. Thanks again to the Reddit user who tracked down the cause.

Fixed

• No more "The description for Event ID ... cannot be found". Every OneDrive Helper event in Event Viewer started with that text before the real message. The event source was registered against Windows' EventCreate.exe, which only has text for event IDs 1 to 1000, and all of ours are above 1000. The event text is now built into OneDriveHelper.exe, which the installer registers as the source's message file.
• Existing PCs are fixed by the upgrade. The installer now rewrites the event source registration every time; older versions left an existing one alone. Event Viewer looks up the text when it displays an event, so events logged before the upgrade show cleanly too.

Event IDs are unchanged, so RMM event monitors keep working as they are.

Tip for RMM alerting

3001 is logged as soon as OneDrive has been missing past the grace period, before the automatic restarts are tried, so it also appears when a restart then works (followed by 3005). To be alerted only when a user is actually left without OneDrive, monitor 3006. The full list is in Getting alerts in your RMM.

Upgrading

Run OneDriveHelper.exe install from the new zip, or re-run the RMM install script on the project page, which is updated for this release. Your settings carry over.

Downloads

File	For
OneDriveHelper-v0.8.2-x64.zip	Most PCs (Intel / AMD 64-bit)
OneDriveHelper-v0.8.2-arm64.zip	Windows on ARM
SHA256SUMS.txt	Checksums to verify the zips

These binaries are not code-signed yet. You're welcome to build from source instead with .\release.ps1 -Version 0.8.2.

OneDrive Helper v0.8.1 (no false alarms on new PCs)

A small fix release: no more false "stopped syncing" alarms on freshly set-up PCs. Thanks to the Reddit user who reported it with a precise diagnosis.

Fixed

• Personal OneDrive folders are no longer reported. A new PC signed in to a work account always has an empty, unused OneDrive placeholder folder next to OneDrive - <Org>. Versions 0.7.0 and 0.8.0 flagged it as "A SharePoint library has stopped syncing" right after install. Personal folders (OneDrive, OneDrive - Something) are now never reported, and never scanned as organisation folders.
• Clearer alert heading. When the list includes a leftover organisation folder, the heading says "OneDrive folder(s) have stopped syncing" instead of "SharePoint library".

Library folders that OneDrive has dropped and leftover organisation folders are still detected exactly as before.

If you turned OrphanCheckEnabled off as a workaround, you can turn it back on after upgrading.

Upgrading

Run OneDriveHelper.exe install from the new zip, or re-run the RMM install script on the project page, which is updated for this release. Your settings carry over.

Downloads

File	For
OneDriveHelper-v0.8.1-x64.zip	Most PCs (Intel / AMD 64-bit)
OneDriveHelper-v0.8.1-arm64.zip	Windows on ARM
SHA256SUMS.txt	Checksums to verify the zips

These binaries are not code-signed yet. You're welcome to build from source instead with .\release.ps1 -Version 0.8.1.