- 7
Jul
Error 0x8007016A: The Cloud File provider is not running
Sometimes when you are trying to remove folders from OneDrive you will receive the error
Error 0x8007016A: The Cloud File provider is not running
Annoyingly the error will appear even after the folder is un-linked from OneDrive and even when you try to delete it from an admin account or the command line.
The error is often caused when the folder you are trying to delete still has cloud-linked files inside it (or a sub-directory). You need to remove all files from the folder and sub-folders first, then delete the folders. A quick way to achieve this is with the “del” command from the command-line.
The
del command skips the Recycle Bin and removes every file inside the folder you point it at, including any files that exist only on this PC. Several readers have lost files by running it in the wrong place. Before you start:
- Check the folder path character by character. Never run it on your Desktop, Documents, Pictures or your user profile folder (C:\Users\YourName).
- Only use it on the specific, un-linked OneDrive folder that is giving the error.
- Back up anything you want to keep first, or copy the folder to a safe location.
- If you have already deleted files by mistake, stop and check the Recycle Bin on the OneDrive website (onedrive.live.com or your Microsoft 365 OneDrive), where deleted items can often be restored for a limited time.
If you are unsure, contact us and we will help.
1. First browse to the problematic OneDrive directory. (IMPORTANT! Don’t forget this step or you might delete the wrong stuff):
> cd "C:\users\MyUsername\My OneDrive Folder\My Problematic Folder"
2. Then use the del command to clean-out all the files:
> del *.* /S /Q
The *.* tells the command to delete all files. The /S switch tells it to look inside all sub-directories under the current directory. Finally the /Q switch suppresses the “Y/N” prompt so you don’t have to confirm every file.
Once the command completes, return to Windows Explorer and you should be able to delete the problematic folders.
Hope this helps
Need a hand? Lennox IT provides IT support for businesses in Derby, Nottingham and across the East Midlands. Get in touch or see our IT support plans.
Last reviewed: October 2026.
hi so i get this error when i try to delete a this pc shortcut does that mean i gotta delete all the one drive stuff in my whole pc manualy before i can remove it
0x8007016A
The code above was originally a page I planned to check out later because I was in a hurry to a doctor’s appointment. Now, I can’t delete the bloody thing. It’s quite annoying.
Any ideas or suggestions? Thank you, Eric Paul
Thank you very much for this post. I have finally been able to get rid of an unlinked onedrive folder through this solution.
I accidentally deleted all the files on my desktop… Any way to recover them?