Red X on some of my files and folders

Rob Samay 0 Reputation points
2025-12-09T02:20:51.9033333+00:00

My laptop that I bout a little over a year ago came with 500g cloud storage. Apparently it expired after a year and I had a red x on all my files that were in cloud storage. I bought a new subscription to 365 which included cloud storage and I still have red x's on many of my files but my cloud storage properties show that i have plenty of room. A lot of my music software isn't working because of this.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Microsoft 365 Defender | For home | Windows
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  1. Q&A Assist
    2025-12-09T02:21:01.4533333+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    The red X on your files and folders typically indicates that there is an issue with syncing to OneDrive, which may be related to your subscription status or the files' availability in the cloud. Since you mentioned that your previous subscription expired and you have since purchased a new subscription to Microsoft 365 that includes cloud storage, here are a few steps you can take to resolve the issue:

    1. Check Subscription Status: Ensure that your new subscription is active and that your OneDrive is properly linked to it. You can do this by logging into your Microsoft 365 account and checking your subscription status in the admin center.
    2. Reactivate OneDrive: If your subscription is active, try reactivating your OneDrive. You can follow the instructions for reactivating your Microsoft 365 subscription if needed.
    3. Check File Availability: Sometimes, files may not sync if they are not available in the cloud. Ensure that the files you are trying to access are indeed uploaded to OneDrive.
    4. Flush DNS Cache: If the issue persists, consider flushing your DNS cache as it can sometimes resolve connectivity issues. You can do this by opening Command Prompt and running the command ipconfig /flushdns.
    5. Contact Support: If none of the above steps work, it may be beneficial to contact Microsoft technical support for further assistance, especially if your music software is affected by these issues.

    By following these steps, you should be able to address the red X issue and restore functionality to your files and software.

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  2. Ami-T 4,045 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-12-11T04:30:53.92+00:00

    Hi Rob Samay,

    Thanks for sharing your situation on Microsoft Q&A.

    According to your description, it seems like the issue was about OneDrive's syncing, red X means files are not syncing or are blocked. After fixing the account link and reinstalling, the icons should change to green checkmarks.

    In order to troubleshoot it, you can try to check below workarounds:

    1. Check OneDrive Account and Storage
    • Make sure you’re signed in with the correct Microsoft account that has the active Microsoft 365 subscription.
    • Go to Manage your OneDrive storage and confirm your quota shows the new limit (usually 1 TB for Microsoft 365).
    1. Unlink and Relink OneDrive
    • Right-click the OneDrive icon in the taskbar → SettingsAccountUnlink this PC.
    • Sign back in with the account tied to your Microsoft 365 subscription.
    1. Force a Full Sync
    • If unlinking doesn’t help, reinstall OneDrive:
    • Windows: Go to Add or remove programs, uninstall OneDrive, then download the latest OneDrive app and reinstall.
    1. Check Personal Vault and Large Files
    • If you used Personal Vault, unlock it and let sync complete before locking again.

    Reference for your case: Fix OneDrive sync problems

    In case you need to restore the OneDrive's file. Please let me know so I can share the relevant workarounds for you.

    I hope you can solve the issue successfully.

    Thanks, and sincerely,


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