OneDrive for Business Known Folder Move fails before setup completes for school PCs: Fix Guide

When you try to redirect the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders to OneDrive for Business on a school-managed PC using Known Folder Move, the setup often fails before it finishes. This typically happens because Group Policy settings or Windows 11/10 default folder permissions block the move process. This article explains the specific technical causes and provides a step-by-step guide to resolve the failure on school PCs.

Why Known Folder Move Fails on School PCs Before Setup Completes

Known Folder Move is a OneDrive feature that redirects the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders to OneDrive storage. On school-managed PCs, the process often fails before the final step because of two common root causes. First, IT administrators may have enabled Group Policy settings that explicitly block Known Folder Move. Second, Windows security policies on school devices often restrict the user account from creating symbolic links, which is a required operation during the folder redirection process.

When the move fails, OneDrive displays an error message such as “Sorry, OneDrive can’t sync your folder” or “We couldn’t move your folder.” The setup wizard may close immediately or hang at a percentage without completing. The failure occurs because the OneDrive client checks for both Group Policy permissions and local security rights before it attempts to move the folders. If either check fails, the operation stops before any files are transferred.

School PCs are typically joined to an Active Directory domain or Azure Active Directory tenant. This means local settings are overridden by Group Policy Objects from the school’s server. Even if the student has local administrator rights, the domain-level policy can still block Known Folder Move. The fix requires either adjusting the Group Policy or modifying the local security policy on the specific machine.

Steps to Fix Known Folder Move Failure on School PCs

Follow these steps in order. You need administrative access to the school PC. If you do not have local admin rights, contact your IT department to apply the policy changes described below.

1. Check Group Policy for Known Folder Move restrictions
   Press Windows key + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > OneDrive. Locate the policy named “Prevent users from moving Windows known folders.” If it is set to Enabled, double-click it and set it to Disabled or Not Configured. Click OK and close the Group Policy Editor. Then open a command prompt as administrator and run gpupdate /force to apply the change immediately.
2. Verify the user account has the Create symbolic links right
   Press Windows key + R, type secpol.msc, and press Enter. Navigate to Local Policies > User Rights Assignment. In the right pane, double-click “Create symbolic links.” Ensure the student user account or the group “Users” is listed. If not, click Add User or Group, type the student’s username, and click OK. Click OK to close the policy. Close the Local Security Policy window.
3. Restart the OneDrive client
   Right-click the OneDrive cloud icon in the system tray and select Settings. Under the General tab, scroll to “Stop OneDrive” and click it. Wait 10 seconds, then open OneDrive from the Start menu. Sign in again if prompted.
4. Restart Known Folder Move from OneDrive settings
   Right-click the OneDrive cloud icon and select Settings. Go to the Sync and backup tab. Click Manage backup. You will see the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders listed. Click Start backup next to the folder that failed. OneDrive will attempt the move again.
5. Monitor the move progress
   After clicking Start backup, a progress bar appears. The move may take several minutes depending on the folder size. Do not close OneDrive or shut down the PC during this time. When the move completes, you see a green checkmark next to each folder in the Manage backup window.

Alternative Method: Use a PowerShell Script to Enable Known Folder Move

If the Group Policy Editor is not available on your school PC edition, use PowerShell to set the required registry keys. Open PowerShell as administrator and run the following commands:

1. Disable the policy block
   Run: New-Item -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\OneDrive" -Force then Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\OneDrive" -Name "KFMBlockOptIn" -Value 0 -Type DWord. This sets the registry value that mirrors the Disabled Group Policy setting.
2. Grant the Create symbolic links right
   Run: secedit /export /cfg C:\secpol.cfg. Open C:\secpol.cfg in Notepad. Find the line SeCreateSymbolicLinkPrivilege =. Add the student username or S-1-5-32-545 for the Users group. Save the file. Then run secedit /configure /db secedit.sdb /cfg C:\secpol.cfg /areas USER_RIGHTS. Restart the PC.

If Known Folder Move Still Fails After the Main Fix

OneDrive shows error 0x80070005 Access Denied

This error means the user account does not have full control over the Desktop, Documents, or Pictures folders. Right-click the folder in File Explorer, select Properties > Security tab. Click Edit, select the user account, and check Full Control under Allow. Click Apply and OK. Then retry Known Folder Move from OneDrive settings.

OneDrive says the folder is already synced to another location

This happens when the folder is redirected to a network drive or another cloud sync service. Open File Explorer, right-click the Desktop, Documents, or Pictures folder, and select Properties > Location tab. Ensure the path points to the local user folder, for example C:\Users\studentname\Documents. If it points to a network path, click Restore Default, then Apply. Restart OneDrive and try Known Folder Move again.

OneDrive fails silently without any error message

Open Event Viewer by pressing Windows key + R, typing eventvwr.msc, and pressing Enter. Navigate to Windows Logs > Application. Look for events from source “OneDrive” with Event ID 100 or 101. These events contain the specific reason for the failure. Common causes include disk space shortage or file name length exceeding 400 characters. Free up disk space or rename long file paths, then retry Known Folder Move.

Known Folder Move vs Manual Folder Redirection: Key Differences

Item	Known Folder Move (OneDrive)	Manual Folder Redirection (Group Policy)
Setup method	User-initiated from OneDrive client	IT-admin deployed via Group Policy
Permissions required	User must have Create symbolic links right	No special user right needed; admin deploys via policy
Folder location after move	OneDrive folder under user profile	Any network or local path defined by admin
Recovery if PC is lost	Files restored from OneDrive web	Files remain on network share; no cloud backup by default
Best for school PCs	Students can back up personal files to cloud	Centralized management of student data

Known Folder Move is ideal for school PCs because it gives students access to their files from any device and provides automatic backup to the cloud. Manual folder redirection through Group Policy offers more control for IT but does not include cloud sync unless combined with OneDrive.

After fixing the Known Folder Move failure, students can now back up their Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders to OneDrive for Business. Next, consider enabling Files On-Demand in OneDrive settings to save local disk space while keeping all files accessible. As an advanced tip, ask your IT department to deploy the OneDrive Known Folder Move policy via Group Policy with the setting “Silently move Windows known folders to OneDrive” to automate this process for all school PCs.