How to fix OneDrive error 0x8007018b in Windows?

Error 0x8007018B, "Access to the cloud file is denied", appears when you rename, move or delete a file or folder in your OneDrive folder while OneDrive is still using it. Microsoft's own fix is short: wait for OneDrive to finish syncing, then close OneDrive and try again. Your files are not damaged.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2 with the OneDrive sync app.

What error 0x8007018B "Access to the cloud file is denied" means

The code has two halves. 0x8007 says it is an ordinary Windows error in the longer HRESULT format, and 018B is that error: number 395. In the Windows SDK header winerror.h, 395 is ERROR_CLOUD_FILE_ACCESS_DENIED, which matches the text in the dialog: "Access to the cloud file is denied."

Microsoft's OneDrive error page explains it in plain words: you may see 0x8007018b when you try to delete, move or rename a file that is open or in use by OneDrive. So "denied" here rarely means a missing permission. It means OneDrive is busy with the item and Windows will not change it under OneDrive's feet.

What causes OneDrive error 0x8007018B, most common first

Microsoft names one cause: the file is open or in use by OneDrive. The table splits that into the situations you can actually check, and ties each to a fix. The lower rows come from Microsoft's notes on neighbouring OneDrive codes, not from a statement about 0x8007018B itself.

How to fix OneDrive error 0x8007018B

Fixes 1 to 3 are Microsoft's own steps and solve most cases in a few minutes. Fix 4 gets the change done today even if the PC is stubborn. Fixes 5 to 8 are for errors that keep coming back. Use the table to start at your case.

Fix 1. Wait for OneDrive to finish syncing, then select Try Again

1 to 5 minutesNo riskEveryone first, and especially when you created, moved or saved the item a moment ago.

Microsoft's first step for 0x8007018b is to wait for OneDrive to finish syncing. While OneDrive uploads or registers an item, it holds it, and Windows refuses a rename or delete until it lets go.

1. Leave the error dialog open, or select Cancel. Nothing changes on the file.
2. Look at the OneDrive cloud in the notification area at the far right of the taskbar. If you do not see it, select the Show hidden icons arrow.
3. Select the cloud. The panel shows what is syncing now, or says that your files are up to date.
4. If it says syncing is paused, select the gear icon and resume syncing, then wait.
5. Wait until the panel says your files are up to date and the item in File Explorer shows a green check mark or a blue cloud, not sync arrows.
6. Select Try Again in the dialog, or do the rename, move or delete again.

Fix 2. Close the file in every app and turn off the preview pane

2 minutesNo riskThe file, or a file inside the folder, is open somewhere, or the File Explorer preview pane shows it.

Microsoft's description is a file that is "open or in use". An open Office document is also synced by OneDrive in the background, so OneDrive keeps working on it until every window with it is closed.

1. Save and close the file in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, a PDF reader or a photo viewer. For a folder, close every file from that folder.
2. In File Explorer, select View, then Show, and make sure Preview pane and Details pane are not ticked. On Windows 10, the Preview pane button is on the View tab.
3. If an app does not close, end it in Task Manager: Close a frozen app (Task Manager, Force Quit).
4. If File Explorer itself still holds the item, restart File Explorer: Restart File Explorer.
5. Wait a few seconds for OneDrive to sync the closed file, then try the rename, move or delete again.

Fix 3. Quit OneDrive, make the change, then start OneDrive again

3 minutesLow riskThe sync is finished and nothing is open, but the error repeats.

This is Microsoft's second step for 0x8007018b. With OneDrive closed, it no longer holds the item, so Windows lets you rename, move or delete a file that is stored on the PC; OneDrive picks up the change when it starts again.

1. Select the OneDrive cloud in the notification area.
2. Select the gear icon (Microsoft's page calls this menu More), then Quit OneDrive. Older builds name it Close OneDrive. Confirm.
3. If OneDrive does not respond, close it by force: open Command Prompt, type this command and press Enter.

   taskkill /f /im OneDrive.exe

4. In File Explorer, rename, move or delete the item now.
5. Select Start, type OneDrive and open the OneDrive desktop app.
6. Wait until the panel says your files are up to date, then check the item on onedrive.com to see that the change arrived.

Fix 4. Do the rename, move or delete on onedrive.com or in SharePoint

3 minutesLow riskYou need the change done now, the item is online-only, or Fixes 1 to 3 did not help.

The web version changes the item in the cloud directly and skips the PC's Cloud Files layer, where the refusal happens. The sync app then simply follows the new name or place.

1. Open onedrive.com in a browser and sign in with the same account. For a work library, open the SharePoint site or the Files tab of the Teams channel.
2. Find the file or folder and select its round check box.
3. Select Rename, Move to or Delete in the toolbar and finish the change.
4. Back on the PC, select the OneDrive cloud and wait until it says your files are up to date.
5. Check in File Explorer that the item now shows the new name or place.

A deleted item goes to the OneDrive recycle bin online, where you can get it back if you deleted the wrong one: Restore deleted or older files in OneDrive.

Fix 5. Check your permissions on the file or the shared library

5 minutesLow riskThe item is in a work, school or shared library, or the change also fails on the web.

The code's name is "access denied". For files that are only busy, Fixes 1 to 3 cover it, but in a library where you can view and not edit, nobody can rename or delete for you except the owner.

1. On the web, open the library or shared folder and select Share or the details pane of the item. Read whether you Can edit or Can view.
2. If you can only view, ask the owner of the folder or your IT department for edit rights. You cannot fix that from your PC.
3. For a file in your own OneDrive folder, right-click it in File Explorer and select Properties.
4. Open the Security tab and select Edit.
5. Select your own user name and make sure Full control is ticked under Allow, as Microsoft's OneDrive help describes for permission errors.
6. Select Apply and OK, restart the PC and try again.

Fix 6. Reset OneDrive with Microsoft's reset command

5 minutes, then a full syncLow riskMany items fail, OneDrive shows other errors too, or the error stays after Fixes 1 to 5.

A reset ends all sync connections and rebuilds OneDrive's local records, so a stale record that keeps an item marked as busy no longer blocks it. Microsoft uses the same reset for the neighbouring codes 0x8007016A and 0x80070194.

Microsoft says you won't lose files or data by resetting OneDrive. Two things change: if you synced only some folders, choose them again afterwards, and a large OneDrive takes time to sync again.

1. Open the Run box. Press the Windows key and R at the same time.
2. Reset the Microsoft Store cache. Type the command below and select OK. A blank Command Prompt window opens and closes, then the Microsoft Store opens. Close it. This is the first step in Microsoft's instructions. If OneDrive still does not sync, continue.

   wsreset.exe

3. Run the OneDrive reset command. Press the Windows key and R again. Copy the command below, paste it into the box and select OK.

   %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset

   

4. If Windows cannot find it, try the second path. If you see a message that starts with Windows cannot find, open the Run box again and use this command instead.

   C:\Program Files\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset

5. If that fails too, try the third path. If you still see Windows cannot find, use this command. If none of the three works, the OneDrive sync app is not installed on this PC.

   C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset

6. Start OneDrive again. Select Start, type OneDrive in the search box and select the OneDrive desktop app. OneDrive then starts a full sync.

These steps were written for Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2, Windows 10 22H2. The full page with the other versions and what each result means: How to reset OneDrive in Windows

Fix 7. Update the OneDrive app and Windows

10 minutesLow riskYour OneDrive build is old, or Windows has pending updates.

The code comes from the Cloud Files part of Windows and is handled by the OneDrive app, so both sides should be current. Microsoft's first step for the sister code 0x8007016A is a Windows update.

1. Select the OneDrive cloud, the gear icon, then Settings, and open the About tab.
2. Compare the build next to OneDrive version with the newest one in Microsoft's OneDrive release notes.
3. If yours is lower, press Win + R, paste this path, select OK and double-click OneDriveSetup.exe, as Microsoft's error code page describes.

   %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\update

4. Open Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates. Install what is offered and restart the PC.

Fix 8. Rule out antivirus, backup and other sync software

15 minutesLow riskThe error began after you installed or updated antivirus, backup, encryption or another cloud sync app.

Such tools open each new or changed file to scan or copy it, which can keep a OneDrive file in use. Microsoft also says legacy filters in some antivirus software can block Files On-Demand, and advises updating the antivirus.

1. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps and note every antivirus, backup, encryption and sync app.
2. Update each of them from inside the app or from the publisher's website, then restart the PC.
3. If the error stays, pause protection for one test only, try the change, then turn protection back on: Turn off Microsoft Defender protection for a moment.
4. To test all other apps at once, start Windows in a clean boot: How to perform a clean boot in Windows.
5. If the change works in the clean boot, turn apps back on in small groups until the error returns, then update or reconfigure that app.

0x80070184 and other OneDrive cloud file codes

Many readers land here with 0x80070184 instead of 0x8007018B. They look alike and come from the same Windows family of cloud file errors, but they mean different things, so check the last three digits before you pick a fix.

For 0x8007017C, "The cloud operation is invalid", see our separate guide on OneDrive error 0x8007017C.

If OneDrive error 0x8007018B is still there

We found no Microsoft documentation of a log entry for this code, so the useful evidence is what you can check yourself. Collect these facts before you contact Microsoft support or your IT department:

• Does the same change work on onedrive.com or in SharePoint? If not, the cause is rights or the account, not your PC.
• Which items fail: one file, one folder, or everything in one library.
• Your OneDrive build from Settings > About, and your Windows version from winver.
• What changed just before: a new PC, a Windows update, a new antivirus, backup or sync app.

• Home users: in OneDrive, select the gear icon and Get help to reach Microsoft support from inside the app.
• Work or school PC: contact your IT department, especially for a SharePoint or Teams library. Read only rights and retention policies are set by them.
• Reinstall as a last step: unlink the PC in Settings > Account, uninstall Microsoft OneDrive (Uninstall a program or app in Windows) and install it again from Microsoft. Microsoft says you won't lose files or data by uninstalling OneDrive.

How to keep 0x8007018B from coming back

Most cases of this error are a race: you change an item at the same moment as OneDrive. Giving OneDrive a minute after you add, save or move files removes most of them.

Frequently asked questions

What does error 0x8007018B mean?

It means "Access to the cloud file is denied": Windows refused to rename, move, delete or copy an item in your OneDrive folder. 0x8007 marks a Windows error, and 018B is Windows error 395, ERROR_CLOUD_FILE_ACCESS_DENIED. Microsoft explains that you see it when the file is open or in use by OneDrive. In practice OneDrive is still syncing it, or an app has it open. Start with Fix 1.

What does 0x80070184 mean, and is it the same error?

No, but it is a close relative. 0x80070184 is Windows error 388, ERROR_CLOUD_FILE_NETWORK_UNAVAILABLE in the Windows SDK: the cloud could not be reached when Windows asked for a file. Check your internet connection, make sure OneDrive is running and signed in, and try again. Microsoft's OneDrive error page does not list this code, so we have no official fix to quote. The table of related codes above shows the neighbours.

Is error 0x8007018B dangerous, and will I lose files?

No. The change you tried simply did not happen: the file keeps its old name and place on the PC and online. The error is not a sign of malware or a damaged disk. Microsoft also says you won't lose files or data by resetting or uninstalling OneDrive. The only real risk is acting in a hurry, for example deleting the OneDrive folder to get rid of one stuck item.

Why can I not rename a folder in OneDrive?

Most often because OneDrive is still syncing that folder or a file inside it. A rename right after you created or moved the folder hits OneDrive while it is still working. Wait until the OneDrive cloud says your files are up to date and select Try Again. If a file from the folder is open in Word, Excel or a viewer, close it first. In a shared or work library, also check that you can edit, not only view.

Why does the error say access denied if I own the file?

Because "access" here means access by Windows at that moment, not your account rights. Microsoft's own description of 0x8007018b is a file that is open or in use by OneDrive. So the refusal is temporary: once OneDrive lets go of the file, the same change works. Permission problems only matter in shared or work libraries where you can view but not edit, which Fix 5 covers.

Does quitting OneDrive stop my files from syncing?

Only for as long as it is closed. Changes you make while OneDrive is off are not uploaded until you start it again, and then OneDrive syncs them. Online-only files cannot be opened while OneDrive is closed, so start it again as soon as your rename, move or delete is done. Fix 3 shows the full order: quit, make the change, start OneDrive, wait for the sync.

Why does 0x8007018B appear in SharePoint or Teams folders?

Synced SharePoint and Teams libraries use the same OneDrive app and the same Windows cloud files layer, so the same code appears there. The cause is usually the same: the item is still syncing or another person has the file open. If the error stays, check your rights in the library on the web. A library where you can only view refuses every change, and only the owner or IT can change that.

Do I need wsreset or a repair tool to fix 0x8007018B?

No. wsreset.exe resets the Microsoft Store cache and does nothing for the OneDrive sync app, so older advice to run it for this error does not apply. Every fix on this page uses what is built into Windows and OneDrive: waiting for the sync, closing the file, quitting OneDrive, the web version, permissions, OneDrive's own reset and updates.

The error text on my PC is in another language. Is it the same error?

Yes. The code 0x8007018B means the same in every language version of Windows, only the dialog text is translated. Searches like "what does it mean" in Thai or Italian ("cosa è?") lead here for that reason, and the fixes above apply unchanged. This page covers only this OneDrive error, so unrelated searches, such as the VioEdu student platform, are not answered here.