Has the OneDrive icon gone missing from the Taskbar on Windows 10?
Microsoft OneDrive is one of the leading file hosting services that offers rich features alongside capable mobile and web interfaces. It also works closely with the Microsoft Office applications, which makes collaboration extremely easy. Moreover, it supports all kinds of files, which means that once you upload the files on OneDrive, you can edit them on any of your devices.
You can access OneDrive from your taskbar directly, but recently several users reported that the OneDrive icon from the taskbar has gone missing. If you are facing a similar situation, you are in the right place.
We have compiled a list of easy yet effective methods that you can try to get the OneDrive icon back on your taskbar.
Let’s get right into it!
1. Adjust the Taskbar Settings.
Windows taskbar allows the users to modify it by adding or removing apps as per their requirements.
If the OneDrive icon is missing from the taskbar in Windows 10, the first thing you should try doing is adjusting the taskbar settings according to your preferences.
Here is what you need to do:
- Right-click on your taskbar and select Taskbar settings from the list of options available.
- In the Taskbar settings window, locate the Notification area and select the ‘Select which icon appears on taskbar’ option.
- Now check the toggle against Microsoft OneDrive and enable it.
That’s it. If the toggle was disabled, enabling it will make the OneDrive icon appear on the taskbar.
2. Use Group Policy Editor.
Group Policy Editor is an advanced Windows tool used by the administrators to control the working environment and make necessary changes in the Windows.
Since it allows the users to manage and configure the operating system using the Group Policy Editor, you can use it to solve the missing OneDrive icon issue on your PC.
Here is what you need to do:
- Open a Run dialogue box by pressing Windows + R keys simultaneously on your PC.
- Type ‘gpedit.msc’ in the text field and hit Enter.
- Inside the Group Policy Editor, navigate to the location mentioned below.
Computer Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Windows Components
- Locate OneDrive from the left pane and double-click on it.
- Now right-click the ‘Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage’ option and select Edit.
- Next, choose either Disabled or Not Configured and click Apply.
- Once done, restart your PC and check if the error is resolved.
You should now be able to access OneDrive from the taskbar without any issues.
3. Modify Windows Registry.
Windows Registry stores low-level information about the programs on your system. Windows refers to this information frequently while operating.
Like the Group Policy Editor, Windows Registry also allows users to tweak Windows according to their preferences. If you were unable to resolve the issue using the Group Policy Editor, try making changes in the Registry.
However, we suggest being careful while following this method as a slight error can result in losing vital information.
Here is all that you need to do:
- Type Registry Editor in the search bar and click on Run as administrator.
- Inside the Registry Editor window, navigate to the path mentioned below.
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\OneDrive
- In the right pane, double click on DisableFileSyncNGSC.
- Change the value of this key to 0. If you cannot locate the DisableFileSyncNGSC key, jump to the next method.
- Now check if the issue is resolved. If the error persists, navigate to the path mentioned in Step 2 again and attempt to remove all the OneDrive folder’s content. If you cannot delete the Default folder, you can leave it and delete the others.
Hopefully, this will resolve the issue on your PC.
4. Unhide the OneDrive Icon.
If you list too many items on your taskbar at once, Windows will automatically hide a few, and as a result, you will not be able to locate those on the taskbar.
A simple solution to this issue is to unpin the unnecessary programs from the taskbar and then unhiding the OneDrive icon.
Here is what you need to do:
- Click on the arrow-shaped icon on the right corner of the taskbar and locate the OneDrive icon.
- If the OneDrive icon is available in the list, simply drag it to the taskbar and drop it there.
As simple as that!
However, if you did not find the OneDrive icon in the hidden icons list, see the next method below.
5. Reset OneDrive.
There are times when applications like OneDrive get corrupt and exhibit strange behavior. Sometimes a simple reboot will resolve the issue, but most of the time, resetting the application is the only way to get rid of the corruption errors.
Here is how you can reset the OneDrive application to resolve the error at hand:
- Press Windows + R keys simultaneously to open a Run dialogue box.
- Inside the text field, paste the following command and hit Enter.
%localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset
- If Windows fails to execute this command, then proceed with the command mentioned below.
%programfiles(x86)%\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset
- Once one of the commands mentioned above is executed, type the command mentioned below and hit Enter.
%localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe
Hopefully, doing so will eliminate the corruption error by reverting OneDrive to its initial state.
6. Try Using CleanMyPC.
If the troubleshooting steps are not working for you, then there is a chance that your OneDrive user profile is infected with a corruption error.
This can be due to several reasons, including malware infections and virus attacks. Don’t worry; the process of resolving this issue is relatively straightforward and would not take much of your time. All you need to do is install a reliable PC cleaner, and if you are struggling to find one, we suggest using CleanMyPC.
CleanMyPC will not just eliminate the viruses and corruption errors, but it will also help improve your PC’s overall performance. Moreover, it comes with a complete range of system maintenance tools that can take care of all your PC’s issues.
If this sounds like something your PC desperately needs, install CleanMyPC now!
7. Reinstall OneDrive.
If none of the methods mentioned above works for you, we encourage you to go ahead and reinstall OneDrive.
Sometimes the corruption errors cannot be resolved using the conventional troubleshooting steps. In such cases, reinstalling the app is the last resort. However, the process of reinstalling OneDrive is different from the process you follow for other applications. This is because OneDrive is an integrated feature on Windows 10.
Here is how you can reinstall OneDrive on your PC:
- Type cmd in the search bar and click on Run as administrator.
- Inside the Command Prompt window, type the command mentioned below and hit Enter. This command is for the users of Windows 10 32-bit.
%SystemRoot%\System32\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall
- If you use Windows 10 64-bit, type the command mentioned below and hit Enter.
%SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall
- Wait for a few minutes for the commands to execute since your screen will not display any visual confirmation notice stating the OneDrive application has been removed.
- Now type the command mentioned below if you are a Windows 10 32-bit user and hit Enter.
%SystemRoot%\System32\OneDriveSetup.exe /install
- If you use Windows 10 64-bit, type the command mentioned below and hit Enter.
%SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe /install
- Now, wait for the installation to complete, and once OneDrive is reinstalled, enter your credentials to access your data.
Hopefully, reinstalling the app will solve the issue once and for all.
This wraps up our guide on retrieving the missing OneDrive icon from the taskbar on Windows 10. We tried walking you through all the troubleshooting steps in detail, and we hope that they helped you resolve the issue on your PC. If you have any questions regarding the troubleshooting steps, please feel free to let us know in the comment section below. We will try our best to assist you.
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