Fix: Broken Personal OneDrive Icon in Windows 10 Explorer

Applies To: Windows 10 LTSC 2021 (Version 10.0.19044)


Issue Overview

On Windows 10 LTSC 2021, you may encounter an issue where the personal OneDrive icon in File Explorer’s navigation pane doesn’t work. Clicking it does nothing, and the properties page is blank.

Even running shell:::{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6} in the Run dialog, which should open the OneDrive folder, fails to work.

What Works Normally?

  • OneDrive for Business accounts function without issue.
  • Other cloud sync services (e.g., iCloud, NextCloud) also work correctly.

This issue affects all versions of the OneDrive client (32-bit and 64-bit) installed on Windows 10 LTSC 2021. Notably, the default OneDrive version bundled with this Windows version is 32-bit, regardless of system architecture.


Root Cause

The issue lies in a missing registry configuration. When setting up a personal OneDrive account, the OneDrive client is supposed to register the CLSID {A52BBA46-E9E1-435f-B3D9-28DAA648C0F6} to link the File Explorer icon to the actual OneDrive folder.

On Windows 10 LTSC 2021, this registration step doesn’t occur. As a result, the icon appears in File Explorer but lacks the functionality to open your OneDrive folder.


Solution

To fix this issue, you’ll need to manually update the Windows registry to create the missing entries. Follow the steps below:


Step 1: Create a Registry File

  1. Open Notepad or another text editor.
  2. Copy and paste the following code into the editor:
    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
    
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{5E6C858F-0E22-4760-9AFE-EA3317B67173}]
    "Category"=dword:00000002
    "Name"="Profile"
    
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A52BBA46-E9E1-435f-B3D9-28DAA648C0F6}]
    "Attributes"=dword:00000001
    "Category"=dword:00000004
    "DefinitionFlags"=dword:00000040
    "Icon"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,     00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,69,00,     6d,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,72,00,65,00,73,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,     00,31,00,30,00,34,00,30,00,00,00
    "LocalizedName"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,     6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,     00,5c,00,53,00,65,00,74,00,74,00,69,00,6e,00,67,00,53,00,79,00,6e,00,63,00,     43,00,6f,00,72,00,65,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,00,31,00,30,00,32,     00,34,00,00,00
    "LocalRedirectOnly"=dword:00000001
    "Name"="OneDrive"
    "ParentFolder"="{5E6C858F-0E22-4760-9AFE-EA3317B67173}"
    "ParsingName"="shell:::{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}"
    "RelativePath"="OneDrive"
    
  3. Save the file as OneDriveFix.reg.
    • In the “Save as type” dropdown, select All Files to avoid saving it as a .txt file.

Step 2: Import the Registry File

  1. Locate the .reg file you just saved.
  2. Double-click the file.
  3. When prompted, confirm that you want to apply the changes by clicking Yes.

Step 3: Restart File Explorer

After applying the registry fix, restart File Explorer:

  1. Open Task Manager (press Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
  2. Under the “Processes” tab, find Windows Explorer.
  3. Right-click it and select Restart.

Alternatively, you can reboot your computer to apply the changes.


Optional: Adjust for Custom Folder Locations

If your OneDrive folder isn’t in the default location (C:\Users\YourUsername\OneDrive), you’ll need to modify the registry file before importing it:

  1. Folder inside your User Directory:
    • Example: C:\Users\YourUsername\CustomFolder
    • Update "RelativePath"="OneDrive" to "RelativePath"="CustomFolder".
  2. Folder outside your User Directory:
    • Example: E:\OneDrive
    • Remove the line "ParentFolder"="{5E6C858F-0E22-4760-9AFE-EA3317B67173}".
    • Update "RelativePath" to the full path, e.g., "RelativePath"="E:\OneDrive".

Conclusion

After completing these steps, your personal OneDrive icon in File Explorer should function as intended. If you encounter issues, double-check your edits to the registry file.

Edit
Pub: 04 Sep 2023 08:37 UTC
Edit: 27 Jan 2025 14:53 UTC
Views: 4419