Blank icon overlay for synced folders and files?

Question

You can see the actual icons behind the overlay. Also when I first load the contents of the folder the correct icons show. I'm assuming this is the green/yellow dot to show sync status. This started happening after upgrading Office from 2013 to 2016.

Ideas on how to fix it?

Answer 1

This fix from MS seems to have worked, but after applying it Explorer performance was abysmal and I had to reboot.

You can download the automatic utility or follow the steps below:

Easy fix 20152

Important Follow the steps in this section carefully. Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Before you modify it, back up the registry for restoration in case problems occur.

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require you to reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be resolved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

If you want to have OneDrive icon overlays take priority over other applications, consider the following workarounds.

Workaround 1: Update the registry

Update the registry to give priority to OneDrive for Business. Priority is based on the alphabetical order of the entries. Use this workaround if you want to enable OneDrive for Business to show its icon overlays. This workaround will suppress other icon overlays from other programs, and some programs in future updates may re-suppress OneDrive for Business icon overlays.

To update the registry, follow these steps:

1. Open registry editor.

   Windows 10: In the search box on your task bar, type regedit.exe, and then press Enter. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.
   Windows 8 and 8.1: Swipe in from the right side of the screen, and then tap Search. Or, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, and then click Search. In the search box, type regedit.exe, and then press Enter. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.
   Windows 7: Click Start, type regedit.exe in the search box, and then press Enter. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.

2. Move to the following folder, and then expand it:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellIconOverlayIdentifiers

3. Rename the following registry keys. To do this, right-click the folder, select Rename, and then rename the folder. When you rename the folder, add two spaces at the beginning of the name.

   Note You may have to add more than one spaaaaaace to the beginning of the folder name depending whether other icon overlay providers have added leading spaces to their icon overlay names.

   

   Note In this example, represents two spaces in the renamed folder name.

4. On the View menu, click Refresh to verify that the renamed keys now appear at the top of the list.
5. Exit Registry Editor, and then restart your computer.

Workaround 2: Uninstall unused applications

Consider uninstalling applications that heavily use icon overlays that you aren’t using. This workaround will unregister the icon overlays that are used by those applications and could enable OneDrive for Business to display icon overlays again. You may have to restart your computer after you uninstall the applications for the icon overlays to reappear.