What Does The Red X Next To Your Files Mean On Windows? (And How To Fix It)

So you're browsing through your Windows files and notice that a few were marked with an annoying red X. In a panic, you try opening and editing them to see if they've somehow been corrupted. They don't seem to be, though. Everything's working just fine, but the red X still won't go away even after multiple reboots. Then, what could it possibly mean?

The red X icon that shows up next to your files on Windows is actually a OneDrive warning sign. It indicates a syncing error, meaning your files (and even folders) couldn't be backed up to the cloud. There are several reasons why this can happen, one of which is full OneDrive storage. Once you've reached the limit, your OneDrive account will be frozen, and it won't sync any more files. You need to delete some of the previously uploaded documents, empty the OneDrive recycle bin, or subscribe to a bigger plan that can accommodate your needs.

If, however, you still have plenty of space in your account but your files aren't syncing as they should, there are a couple of other fixes you can try.

Signing out and then signing back in to OneDrive on your PC might help with your file syncing issues. Don't worry about losing your files, though. Even after logging out, anything you already saved to your local storage will remain there. You'll temporarily lose access to your online-only files and folders, but they'll automatically appear again once you relink your account. Here's how to properly remove your OneDrive account and set it up again:

1. Click on the OneDrive cloud on the right side of your taskbar.
2. Press the gear icon.
3. Open Settings.
4. Go to the Account tab.
5. Under your name and email address, select Unlink this PC.
6. Confirm by choosing "Unlink account" in the popup.
7. Open the Run dialog box. You can search for it from the Start menu or press the Windows 11 keyboard shortcut Win + R.
8. Type %localappdata%MicrosoftOneDrivesettings into the dialog box.
9. Hit OK.
10. Delete the file PreSignInSettingsConfig.json.
11. Open the File Explorer.
12. Select OneDrive from the left-hand panel. This should automatically open the Set up OneDrive window.
13. Enter the email address for your OneDrive account, or select one from the list.
14. Click on Sign in.
15. Press Next on the onboarding screens.
16. On the OneDrive folder screen, hit Next.
17. Select Use this folder to continue using the current folder for OneDrive. Otherwise, click on Choose new folder.
18. Pick which folders you want to back up to OneDrive. Or press "I'll do it later" to skip it for now.

OneDrive should now start syncing your files and folders. Once the sync is complete, you'll no longer see the red X icons next to your files.

Sometimes, it helps to remove problem files from the OneDrive folder first then refresh the syncing process and fix the issue. To refresh OneDrive sync (a.k.a. pause and resume the service) on your PC, here's what you have to do:

1. Press the OneDrive icon on your taskbar.
2. Select the gear icon in the upper right corner.
3. Click on Pause syncing.
4. Choose one of the available options (2 hours, 8 hours, or 24 hours).
5. Open the OneDrive folder in File Explorer.
6. Select all the files with a red X icon next to them.
7. Move these files to a different location that you aren't syncing with OneDrive (perhaps Desktop or an entirely new folder under C:/Users/[your name]).
8. After moving the unsynced files out, turn on syncing again by clicking the OneDrive icon on the taskbar and heading over to the gear icon > Resume syncing.
9. Wait for the sync to finish. You should see a "Your files are synced" message.
10. Copy the unsynced files over to the OneDrive folder again.

You can also try moving back the files individually and waiting for each one to finish syncing before adding the next to the folder.

OneDrive has some restrictions that can block the syncing of your local files and folders to the cloud. For instance, file and folder names shouldn't have invalid characters like ~$ at the start or include _vti_, .lock, desktop.ini, AUX, COM0 to COM9, CON, LPT0 to LPT9, NUL, and PRN. Try renaming them to see whether this fixes the issue.

If that isn't the case for you, check the extension of the file with a red X mark. Temporary files (.tmp) aren't supported for syncing, so you should just move them out of your OneDrive folder. If you really want a copy of them in the cloud, you can just upload it yourself via the OneDrive website. Besides file names and types, make sure to look at the size too. You can't sync any single file that's over 250GB.

Another thing to consider is the file's permissions. You need to have have both Read and Write permissions to be able to sync the file. Follow these steps to check:

1. Go to the file in File Explorer.
2. Right-click on the file.
3. Choose Properties.
4. Press the Security tab at the top.
5. Under Group or user names, click on your name.
6. Check the Read and Write permissions.

Both should say Allow. Otherwise, hit Edit, check Allow for both Read and Write, and click on Apply to save the changes. From here, wait for OneDrive to start syncing the file again.

If you've tried all the other troubleshooting methods without luck, it might be time to reset OneDrive. When you reset OneDrive, all of its settings will return to factory default, and syncing will temporarily stop. Your files and folders will be completely safe during and after the reset, though, so you won't need to take them out of the OneDrive folder. Before proceeding, check which OneDrive app you have. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps and search for OneDrive. If the app icon is a distinct blue cloud, you have the OneDrive desktop app. If it's a folder with a small blue cloud instead, it's the OneDrive sync app.

If you're using the OneDrive desktop app, follow this guide to reset it:

1. Open the Run dialog box from the Start menu.
2. Type wsreset.exe in the empty field.
3. Click on OK to proceed.
4. Close the Microsoft Store app that opens.

If you have the OneDrive sync app instead, do this:

1. Go to the Run dialog box again.
2. Type %localappdata%MicrosoftOneDriveonedrive.exe /reset into the field.
3. If you get a "Windows cannot find..." error, try one of these options instead:
   1. C:Program FilesMicrosoft OneDriveonedrive.exe /reset
   2. C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OneDriveonedrive.exe /reset
4. Press OK.
5. Open the OneDrive folder to restart it.

After the reset, OneDrive will start fully syncing your files, including those with the red X icon. Your previous settings will also be restored, so you won't have to reconfigure them yourself. 

If you didn't mean to set up OneDrive in the first place and prefer not to use it at all, you can simply uninstall it either from the Settings or Control Panel to get rid of the red X on your files and folders. There are some versions of Windows where it's built in, though, so uninstalling it isn't possible. In that case, you can disable OneDrive on Windows instead. Your files will no longer be backed up to the cloud, and you can only access them from your local computer. To turn off OneDrive on PCs, here are the steps:

1. Open the OneDrive icon on the taskbar.
2. Choose the gear icon.
3. Navigate to Settings > Account.
4. Click on Unlink this PC.
5. Select Unlink account to proceed.
6. Hide OneDrive, so it doesn't show up on both File Explorer and the taskbar:
   1. Press the cloud icon on the taskbar again.
   2. Hit the gear icon.
   3. Choose Quit OneDrive.
   4. Click on Quit OneDrive on the popup.
   5. Go to File Explorer.
   6. Right-click on OneDrive in the left-side panel.
   7. Select Properties.
   8. Under the General tab, turn on Hidden.

Once you unlink your account or remove the app, the OneDrive-only files (those with a cloud icon instead of a green checkmark) that you didn't download to your PC will be deleted. But you can still view them from the OneDrive web app on your browser.