Rename Issue in Onedrive

Hello, Amr Shemais

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Sorry for this unwanted experience in OneDrive. Here are some workarounds you can try to resolve the issue:

Quick fixes (do these first)

A. Verify ownership & source

• In the OneDrive mobile app, open the file’s Details (tap the ⋯ menu → Details).
• Check Owner and Location:
  • If it says Shared or shows a SharePoint/Teams site, you may not have edit rights; you won’t be able to rename/move/delete there.
  • If it’s a shortcut, Details will show “Shortcut to” with the original location.
• If you don’t own it or it’s a shortcut, tap Copy (or Save a copy) and copy it to a folder under My files that you own. Then rename the copied file.

B. Fix the name (remove disallowed characters)

On OneDrive for Web (preferred because it validates names immediately):

• Sign in at https://onedrive.live.com.
• Navigate to the file’s folder.
• Rename to something like: 2 العقود الادارية.pdf (remove the space before .pdf) Avoid these anywhere in the name: * : < > ? / \ | " # % ~ and leading/trailing spaces.
• If the file is in Shared, open the source library (the link in Details) and rename there.

If web won’t let you rename, try Download from the web (open the file → top bar Download) and then upload the corrected file name back into My files.

C. Force the mobile app to re-sync

• Update OneDrive to the latest version
• In OneDrive mobile: Settings → Advanced → Clear cache (Android) or Reset cache (iOS).
• Sign out of OneDrive app → wait 30–60 seconds → Sign in again.
• Recheck the file status under My files.

If it still blocks actions

D. Confirm permissions

• In Details → Permissions, make sure you have Can edit.
• If it’s Can view only, you won’t be able to rename/move/delete. Ask the owner for edit permission or copy the file to your own OneDrive.

E. Check whether it’s a shortcut

• If Details shows Shortcut, you cannot rename/delete it from My files.
• To remove: go to My files → locate the shortcut → ⋯ → Remove shortcut. Then operate on the original file in the source.

F. Make it available offline (then try download)

• Tap the file’s ⋯ → Make available offline; wait for the checkmark.
• Try Open in another app (PDF viewer) → Save/Export a local copy if OneDrive’s Download still fails.

G. Try the direct download link

• On OneDrive web, open the file, then use Download (this issues a direct ?download=1 call).
• If you see “might have been moved or deleted”, the item likely sits in a library you don’t own or your access changed. Copy from the source or request access.

Hope this helps. Feel free to get back if you have other question.

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Hi Amr Shemais,

It has been a while and I am writing to see how things are going with this issue.  

Have you had a chance to check the replies provided?  

Any update would be appreciated.