low-priority question: Microsoft OneDrive (for SharePoint) Finder extension unreliable (macOS 10.15.7)

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low-priority question: Microsoft OneDrive (for SharePoint) Finder extension unreliable (macOS 10.15.7)

I use OneDrive to connect to a SharePoint server through the Finder. The Finder extension provides status icons next to each file and folder in Finder, plus right-click menu items specific to OneDrive.

These features aren't always on, for some reason. I don't lose my connection to the SharePoint server, but the status icons and menu choices sometimes disappear. The Extensions System Preferences pane shows that the extension is "on" (i.e., there's a check in the checkbox) even if it appears to be off.

The fix is easy: turn off all Finder extensions, then turn on the OneDrive extension. Once the icons reappear, I turn on the other extensions.

That said, does anybody know why this happens, and how to prevent it?

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.13

Posted on May 8, 2021 1:52 PM

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Answer 1

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VikingOSX

Community+ 2024

Level 10

116,645 points

May 10, 2021 9:04 AM in response to LuigiBenetton

You have a number of active Finder Extensions and any one of these may collaterally impact the expected OneDrive behavior. I would start by disabling the Sophos Finder Scan extension and then reboot. Does the problem with Sharepoint and One Drive remain?

Are all of these Finder extensions of a current version that is stated to support later releases of Catalina?

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Answer 2

May 10, 2021 8:52 AM in response to Barney-15E

Hi Barney,

Thanks for taking time to guess at this. That said, I'm puzzled by your use of the term "hack" because, as far as I can tell, the macOS allows 3rd-party software to add features to the Finder. Also, the OneDrive menu bar icon does not disappear, so the app does not crash.

Maybe this screen shot of the macOS feature will better explain why I hesitate to use the term "hack" in this context:

Sometimes the icons and menu items work, sometimes only the menu items work, and sometimes neither one works.

If Apple supports this feature, should we say "they have to hack the Finder to display those badges" or is there another way to think about the issue?

FWIW, I've noticed this issue with SugarSync status icons in Finder as well, so I suspect there may be a long-standing issue with Finder Extensions.

Finally, I need to sign in periodically to regain access to SharePoint files (security protocol) though the loss of this Finder extension does not always coincide with SharePoint's "forced signouts" so...

Not sure what to think, but I appreciate any guesses/suggestions.

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Answer 3

Barney-15E

Level 10

116,506 points

May 8, 2021 2:11 PM in response to LuigiBenetton

My guess is since they have to hack the Finder to display those badges, it is crashing silently. When you enable it, see if you can find the process in Activity Monitor. Note the PID.

when it stops working, see if it is still in AM with same PID.

If the PID is different, it crashed and restarted. If it isn’t there, it crashed and failed to restart.

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Answer 4

May 15, 2021 4:55 AM in response to VikingOSX

Hi Viking OSX,

I haven't checked whether the extensions support Catalina, but they all do work, so I presume that's the case.

Also, I rebooted with only OneDrive and Sugarsync active. The OneDrive overlay was not available. Again, I cleared the checkboxes, then checked them again - overlays are active. Same old issue.

FWIW, I've had the same issue with other overlays going back years. (I don't remember how many.) Now, however, I need OneDrive for work. Fortunately, the fix remains quick and easy. That said, it would be good to prevent the issue from cropping up again, period.

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low-priority question: Microsoft OneDrive (for SharePoint) Finder extension unreliable (macOS 10.15.7)

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