OneDrive laggy or slow on my Samsung Galaxy phone

Question

OneDrive laggy or slow on my Samsung Galaxy phone

Whittington Jack 85

OneDrive on my Samsung 23ultra device feels very laggy, slow to open, delayed uploads, and freezing when browsing files. This doesn’t happen on other Android devices.

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Anonymous

Hi Whittington Jack

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum and for outlining the behavior you’re seeing on your Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Since this issue does not occur on other Android devices using the same OneDrive account, it suggests the behavior may be related to device‑specific optimization rather than a service-wide issue.

Before proceeding further, could you please confirm which version of the OneDrive app you are currently using?

In the meantime, please try the following steps to help scope this down:

1, Check Power Saving / Battery Saver

If Power Saving or Battery Saver is enabled, Samsung may throttle apps that are set to Optimized, which can result in lag, freezing, or slow sync

Check whether Power Saving mode is enabled when the lag occurs
If enabled, temporarily turn it off and test OneDrive again

2, Disable battery optimization for OneDrive

Please ensure that OneDrive is not being battery‑optimized:

Go to Settings > Apps > OneDrive > Battery
Set the option to Unrestricted

3, Since you also mentioned sync delays, re‑sync and switch network temporarily

Pause and resume OneDrive sync
Temporarily switch between Wi‑Fi and mobile data to rule out network‑specific behavior

4, Storage and cache

Ensure there is sufficient free internal storage on the device
Clear the app cache: Settings > Apps > OneDrive > Storage > Clear cache (Avoid clearing app data unless you’re prepared to sign in again)

If the issue persists after completing the steps above, please try signing out of OneDrive, restarting the device, and signing back in, or uninstalling and reinstalling the app.

Please let me know how things go on your side as your update can also assist others in the community who may be facing the same issue.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Answer 1

Breno Farber 20

If I disable battery optimization for OneDrive and let the app consume as many resources as it wants, my battery lasts less than 6 hours. If I disable OneDrive app, my battery lasts around 24 to 26 hours. I'm using an S23 (standard) device.

Anonymous

2026-02-13T12:57:32.25+00:00

Hi Breno Farber

Thank you for sharing this.

Setting OneDrive to Unrestricted can increase battery usage because it prevents Samsung from throttling background activity, which improves sync performance but reduces battery life. The recommendation to disable battery optimization is intended for troubleshooting and performance testing, not as a required permanent setting for all users.

For daily use, users may choose to keep OneDrive optimized to preserve battery life, and temporarily switch to Unrestricted only when investigating lag, freezes, or sync issues.
Breno Farber 20 Reputation points

2026-02-14T15:55:57.9333333+00:00

I got it, thank you. Unfortunately, even using the app configured for best performance, the same problems related in this post persist. I know that OneDrive is a very comprehensive app, with many features, but these issues make the application unreliable and hard to use. Analysing these bugs, I've just noticed that many photos from my gallery weren't synced with my OneDrive account, specially some photos from when I was taking many photos (an event for example). I'm sad now knowing that after switching phones in the past and relying on OneDrive backup, I certainly lost several photos.
Anonymous

2026-02-16T07:03:13.9433333+00:00

Hi Breno Farber

Thank you for the update. If photos taken during high‑activity periods (such as events) were not fully uploaded, even with performance settings adjusted, OneDrive would unfortunately not have a copy available to restore later.

At this point, the best next step is to submit in‑app feedback so the OneDrive product team can review diagnostics from your device: OneDrive > Help & feedback > Report a problem.
Breno Farber 20 Reputation points

2026-02-19T11:13:51.8866667+00:00

Thank you for your comments. I completely disabled the OneDrive app, and I'm trying the native integration in the Gallery app and My Files app. It seems to work much better, but I need time to draw my conclusion.
Anonymous

2026-02-23T13:57:03.6066667+00:00

Hi Breno Farber

Thanks for the update. Please feel free to share your findings once you’ve had more time to observe the behavior.
Breno Farber 20 Reputation points

2026-02-27T21:45:31.51+00:00

So far, my perception is that My Files (with OneDrive cloud account), and Gallery (enabled to sync with OneDrive Photos) are much better in terms of performance and battery consumption than the native OneDrive app.
Anonymous

2026-03-09T03:34:53.1066667+00:00

Hi Breno Farber

Thank you for keeping us updated and for sharing your observations.

Answer 2

If OneDrive is laggy or slow on your Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, there are a few troubleshooting steps you can consider:

Check Network Connection: Ensure that your internet connection is stable. A slow or unstable connection can cause delays in uploads and browsing.
Clear Cache: Go to your device settings, find the OneDrive app, and clear its cache. This can help improve performance.
Update the App: Make sure that you are using the latest version of the OneDrive app. Updates often include performance improvements and bug fixes.
Reinstall the App: If the problem persists, try uninstalling and then reinstalling the OneDrive app. This can resolve any underlying issues with the installation.
Check for Device Updates: Ensure that your phone's operating system is up to date, as updates can improve app compatibility and performance.
Reduce Syncing Load: If you are syncing a large number of files, consider reducing the number of files or folders being synced to improve performance.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, it may be helpful to check if there are any specific settings or configurations on your device that could be affecting OneDrive's performance.

References:

Best practices for using Office 365 on a slow network

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OneDrive laggy or slow on my Samsung Galaxy phone

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