How to delete a file that hasn't uploaded properly.

Question

How to delete a file that hasn't uploaded properly.

Anonymous 0

I was working on an Excel folder that was meant to be a temporary test.

I accidently saved it to an archived teams channel that I have absolutely no access to on a one drive or sharepoint.

Now the file will not delete on my mac and it says that it can't verify I have the necessary permissions to upload the file.

I've tried deleting it numerous times, deleting the app on my mac, logging out and relogging to delete but to no avail.

I can not change or stop the syncing either because excel says it will continue to attempt to sync to somewhere that it can no longer access at all whatsoever. How would I fix this issue without completely wiping my computer?

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Answer 1

Anonymous

Hi @Anonymous,

I’m really sorry you’re running into this, and I’d just like to share a few thoughts based on my experience for your consideration. I truly appreciate your openness and understanding.

From your description, it seems likely that this isn’t actually a file fully stored on Teams or SharePoint. Instead, it’s probably a file that’s stuck locally in the sync or upload queue on your Mac. Since the Teams channel has been archived or you no longer have access, OneDrive or Excel keeps trying to upload it but can’t verify your permissions, which may also be why it won’t let you delete it.

Have you tried pausing or quitting OneDrive directly from the OneDrive cloud icon in the Mac menu bar, instead of from within Excel? If not yet, I’d suggest pausing the sync first, then going into your OneDrive folder and trying to delete or move the file out of that location.

User's image

If that doesn’t work, another approach that has helped in similar situations is to unlink and then relink OneDrive on your Mac. You can follow the steps in this guide: Unlink and re-link OneDrive | Microsoft Support

Please give these a try and see how it goes. If you have any updates, feel free to leave a comment under this post. That’s the best way for me to stay notified and follow up with you promptly.

Thank you for taking time.

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Anonymous 0 Reputation points

2026-06-26T13:35:42.7433333+00:00

Thanks Rin,

Unfortunately both these fixes do not work, I originally did not have the filed saved to one drive so the file could not be found there and I do not have the proper permissions to move the file location.

Currently, the current state of the file is "upload pending" with the upload failing each time I refresh. Each time I open the file, it creates a duplicate save on my drive as well. Thanks.
Anonymous

2026-06-26T14:28:20.63+00:00

Hi @Anonymous,

Thank you again for your thoughtful reply. I really appreciate it, and I’m sorry the issue is still ongoing.

At this point, if you’re open to it, I’d really appreciate it if you could give the following a try:

Reset OneDrive on your Mac using this guide: Reset OneDrive | Microsoft Support

Then, clear the Office (Excel) cache, as it may still be holding onto that stuck upload state: Clear the Office cache - Office Add-ins | Microsoft Learn

Whenever you have a chance to try it, feel free to share an update.
Anonymous 0 Reputation points

2026-06-26T19:50:11.0833333+00:00

Hi Rin,

I've tried absolutely everything so far and have comprehensively looked at the guides to reset my one drive and had manually deleted all the files within the caches and related folders, however, it still is stuck in that upload state. Any further thoughts and tips I could try? Thank you.
Anonymous

2026-06-27T08:38:22.1433333+00:00

Hi @Anonymous,

First of all, thank you so much for your patience in working through all those steps already, I really appreciate the effort you’ve put in so far.

To help me take a closer look, would you mind sharing a screenshot of where the file is currently stuck in the “uploading” state?

When you mentioned earlier that you deleted the files multiple times and even removed the app, could you help confirm a bit more detail for me? Specifically, where were you deleting the files from, and which app did you uninstall?

In the meantime, you can try clearing the stored credentials on your Mac: please make sure you quit all Microsoft apps. Then open Keychain Access. In the search box at the top right, search for the following keywords one by one: OneDrive, Office, ADAL, MS / Microsoft

For each item that appears, right-click on it, choose Delete, and confirm. Once that’s done, restart OneDrive/Excel and sign in again to see if the upload issue clears.

Looking forward to your reply.
Anonymous

2026-06-29T10:17:39.4766667+00:00

Good day @Anonymous,

Have you had a chance to check the replies provided? Any update would be appreciated.