July 2024 OneDrive Client Disk Space Bug + Workaround/Fix

Upon testing out our latest build of Windows 11 I’ve identified an issue with the latest July Cumulative Update (2024-07 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 23H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5040442)) and the latest OneDrive client.

The Problem

The latest update causes windows to think ‘cloud files’ are actually downloaded to the device, causing disk space to become full very quickly. Despite having Files on Demand switched on, the OS still thinks each file has been downloaded when in reality its still cloud only. This will become a big problem if multiple users are logging onto the same PC’s as their entire OneDrive libraries will be synced locally (or at least windows will think it is).

Testing

************

Update 12/08/2024

After a teams call with Microsoft showing the issue they confirmed their is a problem but not quite sure with what yet. Upon further testing I completely removed OneDrive from the affected PC’s and re-installed from the Microsoft website (OneDrive release notes – Microsoft Support) This appeared to fix the issue, despite being the exact same release as before. I have added an updated script below to automate uninstalling and re-installing from the Microsoft Website. (No Winget) 

************

************

Update 15/08/2024

After another call with Microsoft, they have confirmed it is an issue with the July Update not the Onedrive Client and that they are working on a fix for it, but no ETA. I’ve installed the 2024-08 update but the issue still persists. My workaround fix also works for the August update.

************

Upon testing I had two identical PC’s one with the July update and one without. the latter was working as expected, the former had the bug/issue.

Working

OS Build: 22631.2861

OneDrive Build: 24.151.0728.0003

Not Working

OS Build: 22631.3880

OneDrive Build: 24.146.0721.0003

It appears when a device has the July 24 update, the OneDrive client is changed to 24.146.0721.0003 which I believe is causing the problem.

The Solution / Workaround

I’ve reported the issue to Microsoft so hopefully a fix is implemented soon, however the fix/workaround i have found is to upgrade the OneDrive client. I’ve have created a script below which does the following;

• Uninstalls OneDrive Client (instantly frees up the space)
• Installs latest version of OneDrive using winget (24.151.0728.003)
• Runs Onedrive
• Run GPUpdate
• Prompts user for reboot

Updated Script (Without Winget) – Change the “$ReleaseVer” variable to the release you wish to install

## Copyright 2024 - Liam-Robinson.co.uk ##

# PowerShell Script to Completely Remove OneDrive and Re-Install it from a Microsoft Website

#Change this Release number to the FULL current release number on here https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/onedrive-release-notes-845dcf18-f921-435e-bf28-4e24b95e5fc0?ui=en-us&rs=en-gb&ad=gb

$ReleaseVer = "24.151.0728.0003"

# Step 1: Completely Remove OneDrive from the System

# Stop OneDrive if it is running
Write-Output "Stopping OneDrive process if running..."
Stop-Process -Name "OneDrive" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Uninstall OneDrive for the current user
Write-Output "Uninstalling OneDrive for the current user..."
$OneDrivePath = "$env:SystemRoot\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe"
if (Test-Path $OneDrivePath) {
    Start-Process $OneDrivePath "/uninstall /Allusers" -NoNewWindow -Wait
} else {
    $OneDrivePath = "$env:SystemRoot\System32\OneDriveSetup.exe"
    if (Test-Path $OneDrivePath) {
        Start-Process $OneDrivePath "/uninstall /Allusers" -NoNewWindow -Wait
    } else {
        Write-Output "OneDriveSetup.exe not found."
    }
}

# Remove leftover files and directories
Write-Output "Removing OneDrive leftover files and directories..."
Remove-Item "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\OneDrive" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item "$env:ProgramData\Microsoft OneDrive" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\OneDrive" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneDrive" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\OneDrive" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Remove OneDrive from Registry
Write-Output "Removing OneDrive registry entries..."
Remove-Item "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\OneDrive" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\OneDrive" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\OneDrive" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\OneDrive" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Clean up the OneDrive scheduled tasks
Write-Output "Cleaning up OneDrive scheduled tasks..."
Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object {$_.TaskName -like "*OneDrive*"} | Unregister-ScheduledTask -Confirm:$false

# Step 2: Install OneDrive from the OneDrive release page

# Set the download link
$OneDriveInstallerURL = "https://oneclient.sfx.ms/Win/Installers/$ReleaseVer/amd64/OneDriveSetup.exe"

# Set the download path
$InstallerPath = "$env:TEMP\OneDriveSetup.exe"

# Download the installer
Write-Output "Downloading OneDrive installer..."
try {
    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $OneDriveInstallerURL -OutFile $InstallerPath -ErrorAction Stop
    Write-Output "OneDrive installer downloaded successfully."
} catch {
    Write-Output "Failed to download OneDrive installer. Exiting script."
    Exit 1
}

# Install OneDrive with a timeout (e.g., 300 seconds)
Write-Output "Installing OneDrive..."
$timeout = 300  # seconds
$sw = [System.Diagnostics.Stopwatch]::StartNew()

try {
    $process = Start-Process -FilePath $InstallerPath -ArgumentList "/allusers" -NoNewWindow -PassThru
    while (!$process.HasExited -and $sw.Elapsed.TotalSeconds -lt $timeout) {
        Start-Sleep -Seconds 5
    }
    if (!$process.HasExited) {
        Write-Output "OneDrive installation is taking too long. Killing the process..."
        $process.Kill()
        Exit 1
    }
    Write-Output "OneDrive installation completed."
} catch {
    Write-Output "OneDrive installation failed to start or complete. Exiting script."
    Exit 1
}

# Wait to ensure installation completes
Start-Sleep -Seconds 20

# Step 3: Check if OneDrive is Installed and Launch

# Possible locations for OneDrive executable
$PossiblePaths = @(
    "$env:ProgramFiles\Microsoft OneDrive\OneDrive.exe",
    "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\OneDrive\OneDrive.exe",
    "$env:ProgramFiles(x86)\Microsoft OneDrive\OneDrive.exe"
)

# Attempt to find and launch OneDrive
$OneDriveExecutable = $PossiblePaths | Where-Object { Test-Path $_ } | Select-Object -First 1

if ($OneDriveExecutable) {
    Write-Output "OneDrive installed successfully. Launching OneDrive..."
    try {
        Start-Process $OneDriveExecutable -NoNewWindow
        Write-Output "OneDrive client launched successfully."
    } catch {
        Write-Output "Failed to launch OneDrive client. Exiting script."
        Exit 1
    }
} else {
    Write-Output "OneDrive executable not found after installation. Exiting script."
    Exit 1
}

# Clean up installer file
Remove-Item $InstallerPath -Force

# Step 4: Success Message

Write-Output "OneDrive installation and launch completed successfully."
Write-Output "Success Code: 0"

Script Download

#   ___ _          ___               ___      _           
# / __(_)_  __   /___\_ __   ___   /   \_ __(_)_   _____ 
# / _\ | \ \/ /  //  // '_ \ / _ \ / /\ / '__| \ \ / / _ \
#/ /   | |>  <  / \_//| | | |  __// /_//| |  | |\ V /  __/
#\/    |_/_/\_\ \___/ |_| |_|\___/___,' |_|  |_| \_/ \___|
#                                                         
# Copyright 2024 - Liam-Robinson.co.uk
#
#The purpose of this script is to remove the broken onedrive client caused by July 2024 Windows Update and install a know working version until an official fix is implemented.

# Uninstall OneDrive
Write-Host "Uninstalling OneDrive..." -ForegroundColor Green
winget uninstall --name "Microsoft OneDrive" --source winget --silent --nowarn

Start-Sleep -Seconds 10 # Wait to ensure uninstallation completes

# Install the latest version of OneDrive using winget
Write-Host "Installing the latest version of OneDrive using winget..." -ForegroundColor Green
winget install --name "Microsoft OneDrive" --source winget --silent --custom "/allusers /silent"
Start-Sleep -Seconds 30 # Wait to ensure installation completes

# Function to check if OneDrive executable exists and launch it
function Launch-OneDrive {
    $paths = @(
        "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\OneDrive\OneDrive.exe",
        "$env:PROGRAMFILES\Microsoft OneDrive\OneDrive.exe",
        "$env:PROGRAMFILES(X86)\Microsoft OneDrive\OneDrive.exe"
    )

    foreach ($path in $paths) {
        if (Test-Path $path) {
            Write-Host "Launching OneDrive from $path..." -ForegroundColor Green
            Start-Process $path
            return
        }
    }

    Write-Host "OneDrive executable not found in any expected location." -ForegroundColor Red
}

# Launch OneDrive
Write-Host "Launching Onedrive..." -ForegroundColor Green
Launch-OneDrive

Write-Host "OneDrive installation and launch process complete." -ForegroundColor Green

#GPupdate (if using silently configure sroup policy)
Invoke-Expression "gpupdate /force"

# Ask user if they want to reboot
Write-Host "Install complete. Do you wish to reboot? Y/N?" -ForegroundColor Yellow
$response = Read-Host

if ($response -eq 'Y' -or $response -eq 'y') {
    Write-Host "Rebooting system..." -ForegroundColor Green
    Restart-Computer -Force
} else {
    Write-Host "Reboot cancelled. Please restart your system manually if necessary." -ForegroundColor Yellow
}

Once the client has installed it should go back to version 24.151.0728.003 and the issue will no longer persist.

Liam Robinson

#EdTech Network Manager, experienced in Microsoft 365, Server 2019, Intune, SCCM and anything inbetween.