How to fix error: unable to create file: OneDrive folder synchronization conflict in Git

What this error means

The "unable to create file: OneDrive folder synchronization conflict" error occurs when you have a Git repository located inside a folder that OneDrive is actively synchronizing. This creates a fundamental conflict between how Git and OneDrive handle file changes. When Git performs operations like `git fetch`, `git pull`, `git checkout`, or `git merge`, it rapidly updates many files in the `.git` directory and working tree. Git might update files dozens or hundreds of times in quick succession (once for every branch, commit object, or file). OneDrive detects these changes and tries to sync them to the cloud, but before the upload completes, Git overwrites the file again. OneDrive interprets this as a conflict and responds by either: - Creating duplicate "conflict" files with the computer name appended (e.g., `FETCH_HEAD-PCName.txt`) - Blocking Git from writing to files that are "in use" by the sync process - Corrupting the `.git` directory by partially syncing files This is a known incompatibility between Git's rapid file operations and cloud sync clients. The same issue can occur with Google Drive, Dropbox, and other sync services, but OneDrive on Windows is particularly problematic due to its deep integration with the operating system.

Typical symptoms

• Git commands fail with 'error: unable to create file' mentioning OneDrive or sync conflicts
• Duplicate files appear in the .git directory with your computer name appended
• OneDrive shows 'Looking for changes' indefinitely and stops syncing other files
• Git operations that worked before suddenly fail after enabling OneDrive sync
• FETCH_HEAD, index, or other .git files have conflict copies
• VS Code or other IDEs show the option to 'Initialize Repository' on an existing repo
• Git reports fatal errors about corrupted or missing objects in the repository
• OneDrive notification shows sync errors or conflicts for files in your repository

Common causes

1. Git repository is located inside a OneDrive-synced folder (Documents, Desktop, or custom sync folder)
2. OneDrive cannot keep up with Git's rapid file updates during fetch, pull, or checkout
3. OneDrive locks files for syncing while Git tries to write to them
4. OneDrive creates conflict copies when files change faster than it can sync
5. Windows file locking prevents Git from modifying files OneDrive is reading
6. OneDrive's 'Files On-Demand' feature interferes with Git accessing placeholder files
7. A Windows update changed OneDrive's sync behavior or corrupted existing repositories
8. Multiple devices syncing the same repository cause additional conflicts

How to fix "error: unable to create file: OneDrive folder synchronization conflict"

# Example: Move from OneDrive Documents to a local folder
Move-Item -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\OneDrive\Documents\my-project" -Destination "C:\Projects\my-project"

cd /c/Projects/my-project
git status

C:\
├── Projects\              # Your Git repositories (not synced)
│   ├── project-a\
│   └── project-b\
└── Users\YourName\
    └── OneDrive\         # Synced folder (no Git repos here)
        └── Documents\

git fetch origin
git pull origin main
git checkout feature-branch

# Note: There's no official CLI to pause OneDrive
# But you can stop the process temporarily
Stop-Process -Name "OneDrive" -Force

# Run your Git operations here

# Restart OneDrive
Start-Process "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\OneDrive\OneDrive.exe"

# List all conflict files
Get-ChildItem -Path ".git" -Recurse -Filter "*-*" | Where-Object { $_.Name -match "-[A-Za-z0-9]+\." }

# Or search by your computer name
Get-ChildItem -Path ".git" -Recurse | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*-$env:COMPUTERNAME*" }

# Find files with typical conflict patterns
find .git -name "*-*" -type f | grep -E "-(PC|DESKTOP|LAPTOP)"

# Preview what will be deleted
Get-ChildItem -Path ".git" -Recurse | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*-$env:COMPUTERNAME*" }

# Delete them (be careful!)
Get-ChildItem -Path ".git" -Recurse | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*-$env:COMPUTERNAME*" } | Remove-Item

git fsck
git status

# Show OneDrive status for files in .git
attrib .git\*

# Check for uncommitted work
git status
git stash list

# If you have changes, copy modified files manually
# or try to create a patch (may fail if repo is corrupted)
git diff > ~/my-changes.patch

# Rename the old folder
Rename-Item -Path "my-project" -NewName "my-project-corrupted"

cd /c/Projects
git clone https://github.com/username/my-project.git
cd my-project

# If you saved a patch
git apply ~/my-changes.patch

# Or manually copy files from the backup

Remove-Item -Path "my-project-corrupted" -Recurse -Force

# Keep working files in OneDrive, but .git folder elsewhere
git clone --separate-git-dir="C:/GitRepos/my-project.git" \
    https://github.com/username/my-project.git \
    "$HOME/OneDrive/Documents/my-project"

# Move .git to a non-synced location
mv .git /c/GitRepos/my-project.git

# Create a .git file pointing to the real location
echo "gitdir: C:/GitRepos/my-project.git" > .git

# Verify it works
git status

C:\GitRepos\                      # Not synced by OneDrive
└── my-project.git\               # The actual .git directory
    ├── objects\
    ├── refs\
    └── ...

C:\Users\YourName\OneDrive\Documents\
└── my-project\                   # Synced by OneDrive
    ├── .git                      # File containing: gitdir: C:/GitRepos/my-project.git
    ├── src\
    └── ...

Advanced notes

# Check repository health
git fsck --full

# Try to recover
git reflog  # See recent actions
git reset --hard HEAD~1  # Go back one commit if needed

# If objects are corrupted, re-fetch from remote
git fetch origin
git reset --hard origin/main

Frequently asked questions

What does "error: unable to create file: OneDrive folder synchronization conflict" mean?

The "unable to create file: OneDrive folder synchronization conflict" error occurs when you have a Git repository located inside a folder that OneDrive is actively synchronizing. This creates a fundamental conflict between how Git and OneDrive handle file changes. git directory and working tree.

How do I fix "error: unable to create file: OneDrive folder synchronization conflict"?

This error occurs when Git operations conflict with OneDrive's file synchronization on Windows. OneDrive creates duplicate files or blocks access when Git rapidly updates files during operations like fetch, pull, or checkout. The solution involves either moving repositories outside OneDrive or configuring sync settings to prevent conflicts.

What causes "error: unable to create file: OneDrive folder synchronization conflict"?

Git repository is located inside a OneDrive-synced folder (Documents, Desktop, or custom sync folder) OneDrive cannot keep up with Git's rapid file updates during fetch, pull, or checkout OneDrive locks files for syncing while Git tries to write to them

Is the "error: unable to create file: OneDrive folder synchronization conflict" error serious?

It is a medium-severity error — more of a blocker than a risk. The steps above resolve it.

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Official resources & further reading

• 📚Git Official Documentation
• 💬
  Git repository in OneDrive synced folder - Stack Overflow(Stack Overflow)
• 💬
  OneDrive is corrupting my Git repositories - Microsoft Community(Stack Overflow)
• 💬
  Git repos not working for folders on OneDrive - Microsoft Q&A(Stack Overflow)
• 📖
  OneDrive and Git - Don't Do It(Official Docs)
• 💬
  Never put git working dir on OneDrive - GitHub Gist(Stack Overflow)
• 📖
  Troubleshoot OneDrive for work or school sync issues - Microsoft(Official Docs)