Stuck on “Processing changes"

Note: After updating to macOS Big Sur, some Mac users may see "Processing changes" for a long time. No action is required - please wait for the changes to complete.

If OneDrive shows “Processing changes" for a long time, it could be because you have an online file open, lots of files stuck in a queue, or a very large file syncing.

Problem

Resolution

You opened an online file and are using Files On-Demand.

Mark the file as "Always Keep on this device".

You're syncing a lot of files.

This can be resolved by pausing and then resuming your sync. For more information, read How to Pause and Resume sync in OneDrive.

You're trying to sync a very large file, such as a video or your Outlook PST or OST offline files.

You can move large files such as email data files out of your OneDrive storage folders, or choose not to sync folders which have large files such as videos in them.

Any OneDrive log files titled "aria-debug" can be safely deleted.

For more information, read an How to remove an Outlook .pst data file from OneDrive and Choose which OneDrive folders to sync to your computer.

Tip: You cannot remove Outlook data files/folders from sync when using Files On-Demand. Outlook needs to be able to access the files on your PC.

Unknown/hidden files causing the error

Temporary or hidden files may be blocking sync. Read OneDrive status stuck on "Sync pending" for more information.

Something else

If "Processing changes" remains, you can Reset OneDrive or see below for instructions and other fixes.

Select the white or blue OneDrive cloud icon in the taskbar/menu bar to show the list of all files being synced or have recently synced.

How to stop OneDrive sync

If "Processing changes" remains, you can stop the OneDrive sync process using the Windows Task Manager.

Press CTRL, ALT and DEL or right-click the Windows taskbar and select Task Manager.
Click More details and open the list of Apps or Background processes
Right-click all instances of Microsoft OneDrive and select End Task:
After you have made changes to files or folders being synced, press , search for OneDrive and then open the OneDrive desktop app to restart syncing again.
When OneDrive restarts, it will update OneDrive.com with any changes you made on your PC. Any files you moved out of OneDrive sync folders will remain in your OneDrive.com Recycle bin for 30 days. Read how to Restore deleted files or folders in OneDrive for more information.

Turn off proxy settings

If you use your device both at home and at work, try turning off the proxy settings in Microsoft Edge. If you’re using a different browser, check their help to find out how to turn off proxy settings.

Microsoft Edge

Click the Start button (lower-left corner) and choose Settings.
Select Network & Internet, go to the bottom of the selections on the left side, and click Proxy.
In Automatic proxy setup, automatically detect settings or use setup script, by sliding to On or Off.
In Manual proxy setup, you can choose to use a proxy server. Generally, it will be off and if you slide it to On, be sure to select Save. And if it was off by default before you turned it on, be sure to slide back to Off when you've finished using it.

Reset OneDrive

Resetting OneDrive can sometimes resolve sync issues and resets all OneDrive settings. OneDrive will perform a full sync after the reset.

For full steps, read how to Reset OneDrive.