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Restrictions and limitations

when you sync SharePoint
libraries to your computer
through OneDrive for
Business
INTRODUCTION
This article contains information about the restrictions and limitations in using OneDrive for
Business (formerly SkyDrive Pro) to sync SharePoint Online or SharePoint 2013 libraries to your
computer.

MORE INFORMATION
Number of items that can be synced

You can sync up to 20,000 items total across all synchronized libraries. This includes OneDrive
for Business libraries, Team Site libraries, or both. This includes folders and files. Separately

from the overall sync limit, there are limits to the number of items that can be synchronized for
each library type.
You can sync up to 20,000 items in an OneDrive for Business library. This includes folders
and files.
You can sync up to 5,000 items in a SharePoint library. This includes folders and files.
These are libraries that you find on various SharePoint sites, such as team sites and
community sites, libraries that other people created, or that you created from your Sites
page. You can sync multiple SharePoint libraries. Any team sites that you sync will also
count against the overall 20,000 item limit across all synchronized libraries.

Size limit for syncing files

In any SharePoint library, you can sync files of up to 2 gigabytes (GB).

Character limit for files and folders

These limits apply to files and folders that you add to a synced library folder for uploading to
SharePoint.
In SharePoint Server 2013, file names can have up to 128 characters.
In SharePoint Online, file names can have up to 256 characters.
Folder names can have up to 250 characters.

Folder name and file name combinations can have up to 250 characters.

Invalid characters

SharePoint Online

The following characters in file or folder names aren't supported when you sync OneDrive for
Business with SharePoint Online:
\
/
:
*
?
"
<
>
|
#
%

Additionally, a file or folder name that begins with a tilde (~) isn't supported.

SharePoint Server 2013

The following characters in file name aren't supported when you sync OneDrive for Business
with SharePoint Server 2013:
\
/
:
*
?
"
<
>
|
#
{
}
%
~
&

A file name that begins with a period (.) or a tilde (~) isn't supported.

Unsupported folder names

When you sync OneDrive for Business with SharePoint Online or SharePoint 2013, a folder
named "forms" isn't supported at the root level for a list or library. This occurs because "forms"
is a hidden default folder that's used to store templates and forms for the library. Additionally,
a folder that contains the string _vti_ is reserved by SharePoint, and isnt supported.

The following folder names can be synchronized in OneDrive for Business and SharePoint
Online. However, if theyre synchronized, they wont appear when you view the library on the
SharePoint Online or OneDrive for Business webpage. With some of these restrictions, you may
be unable to add files or folders that have these characters while in the OneDrive for Business
folder. However, if you create the files or folders outside OneDrive for Business and then drag
those files or folders into the OneDrive for Business folder, the files and folders will sync but
the files won't appear on the webpage.
*_files:
*_Dateien
*_fichiers
*_bestanden
*_file
*_archivos
*_tiedostot
*_pliki
*_soubory
*_elemei

*_ficheiros
*_arquivos
*_dosyalar
*_datoteke
*_fitxers
*_failid
*_fails
*_bylos
*_fajlovi
*_fitxategiak
*_private

GUID strings as file names

The GUID string structure is supported in SharePoint Online.

The following GUID string structure isn't supported for file names in SharePoint 2013:
'{' + 8 hexadecimal + '-' + 4 hexadecimal + '-' + 4 hexadecimal + '-' + 4 hexadecimal + '-'
+ 12 hexadecimal +'}'

For example, a GUID that matches this structure resembles the following:
{9b6634a7-26b7-40a2-a48e-6f967d89c29e}

Invalid file types

You can't upload files that have a *.tmp or *.ds_store extension, and you can't upload
desktop.ini, thumbs.db, or ehthumbs.db files.

Additionally, you can't upload files whose file types are blocked on the SharePoint site. If your
organization is running SharePoint Server, the list of blocked files may vary, depending on what
your administrator sets up. If your organization is running SharePoint Online, the default list of
blocked files is fixed and can't be changed. To see a list of the default blocked files, go to the
following Microsoft website:
File types that cannot be added to a list or library

Outlook PST files

Whereas PST files arent actively blocked by OneDrive for Business, syncing PST files that are in
an open state isnt supported. If you decide to sync PST files (for example, an archive PST file
that you dont load or view in Outlook), they cant be in an open state at any time by any
application while theyre in the OneDrive for Business sync folder. A PST file thats connected to
Outlook will be updated regularly and therefore if synchronized, can result in too much
network traffic and growth of the Office File Cache on your local drive.

OneNote notebooks

Because OneNote notebooks have their own sync mechanism, they aren't synced by the
OneDrive for Business sync client. You can upload OneNote notebooks to a SharePoint Online
page. However, they won't sync with through the OneDrive for Business sync client application.
Additionally, if you add a OneNote notebook to a local folder that syncs with SharePoint
Online, the notebook won't sync with the SharePoint site and may cause other sync errors
within the local folder.

Open files can't be synced

Any file thats currently open by an application (for example, an Excel .xlsx file) can't be synced
by OneDrive for Business.
To sync the file, close any application where the file is currently being used, and then sync the
file.

Lookup columns in a library

The SharePoint Online or OneDrive for Business library can't exceed the lookup column
threshold. For more information, go to the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

2927386 "We couldnt sync this library" error when you use the OneDrive for Business
sync client

"Fix it" tool to help in renaming files and folders to prepare or fix the naming of
items in a local folder or OneDrive for Business folder
To get files to syncsuccessfully, you may have to rename a wide range and large number of
files if their names contain unsupported characters. This Fix it tool for Windows automatically
renames files and folders whose current names contain any unsupported characters. The tool
also generates a report of those changes and of any files that are violating other restrictions
that are called out in this article, and shows which folders were scanned by the tool.
Supported changes by this tool apply only to SharePoint Online. SharePoint Server 2013 may
have a separate set of restrictions that were set by your administrator.
The Fix it tool currently performs the following tasks on the OneDrive for Business folder or
local folder that you specify:
Removes unsupported characters from file or folder names. For example, a file that's
named This%is%a%test.doc will be renamed Thisisatest.doc.
If an item has only invalid characters, it will be renamed Invalid Renamed File. If the
item is a folder, it will be renamed Invalid Renamed Folder.

If a file or a folder is renamed, and the renamed file or folder conflicts with an existing
item on the same directory path, the item will be renamed by appending an <x> to the

name. The <x> placeholder represents is an integer, starting with the number 1, until all
rename actions are completed for that folder.
For example, assume that a folder has two files that are named HelloWorld.doc and
Hello%World.doc. Because % is an unsupported character, the second file is renamed
HelloWorld.doc. To avoid duplication in the same folder, the name of the renamed file
will be changed to HelloWorld1.doc.

In addition to file names being changed by this Fix it tool, several other rules are run to check
for any additional limitations that you may encounter when it's syncing. A report that
documents the issues that were found is generated and put on your desktop for you to review.
A new log file will be generated every time that you run the Fix it tool.
The Fix it tool won't change file and folder names that have unsupported characters or
generate warnings in the log file for the following items:
OneNote notebook names
Open files

Lookup columns

Maximum path character count for an uploaded file

(The character count is not validated.)

To fix file and folder name problems automatically, click theFix it button or link, and then
follow the steps in the Fix it wizard.
Download

Additional resources

For more information about how to resolve problems that you might have with the OneDrive
for Business sync client, go to the following Microsoft website:
Solve problems youre having with the OneDrive for Business sync app

For more information about the characters that you can't use in site names, folder names, and
file names in earlier versions of SharePoint, go to the following Microsoft Knowledge Base
article:
905231 Information about the characters that you cannot use in site names, folder names,
and file names in SharePoint

Still need help? Go to the Office 365 Community website.

Properties
Article ID: 2933738 - Last Review: 07/09/2015 18:54:00 - Revision: 29.0
Applies to
Microsoft SharePoint Online

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013

OneDrive for Business

Keywords:
o365 o365e o365p o365a o365m o365022013 kbfixme kbmsifixme KB2933738

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