Fixing OneDrive Sync Issues in AVD RemoteApp: A Real-World Solution

 

Introduction

Welcome back to sachin-tech.com! After a hiatus, I’m excited to dive into a technical challenge we recently resolved with Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) RemoteApp. As more organizations adopt AVD for seamless app delivery, ensuring smooth user experiences is critical. Today, I’ll share how we tackled a persistent OneDrive sync issue encountered while using AVD RemoteApp.

The Problem

We faced a situation where files downloaded using a client application hosted on AVD RemoteApp weren’t syncing back to OneDrive. Despite following Microsoft’s recommendations outlined in their official documentation, the issue remained unresolved. This was a significant roadblock for end users relying on AVD for their workflows.

Initial Steps Taken

Microsoft’s guidelines for optimizing OneDrive on AVD include various configurations to ensure compatibility and performance. We meticulously implemented the recommended settings, which included:

1. Enabling Files On-Demand.
2. Configuring Known Folder Move.
3. Adjusting Group Policy settings as needed for virtualized environments.

Despite these efforts, syncing remained problematic for files downloaded directly from the client application running in AVD RemoteApp. It became evident that additional adjustments were required.

Root Cause Analysis

After thorough troubleshooting, we identified that the issue stemmed from a missing configuration in the user’s OneDrive environment. Specifically, the Active Directory Authentication Library (ADAL) support needed to be explicitly enabled at the user level. Without this setting, OneDrive was unable to fully integrate authentication and sync functionality within the AVD RemoteApp environment.

The Solution

To address this, we implemented the following registry change for the affected users:

New-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\OneDrive" -Name "EnableADAL" -Value 1 -PropertyType DWORD

You can use an AD Group Policy to apply the following user-specific GPO, which can be pushed via Intune or traditional Group Policy, and restart OneDrive to apply the changes.

Validation and Results

After applying this fix, we conducted extensive testing:

• Files downloaded via AVD RemoteApp were successfully syncing to OneDrive.
• Users reported no further sync delays or errors.

This registry adjustment effectively bridged the gap left by the default configuration, ensuring a seamless experience for our users.

Closing Thoughts

This case highlights the importance of combining Microsoft’s official recommendations with environment-specific tweaks to achieve optimal results. If you’re encountering similar OneDrive sync issues with AVD RemoteApp, I hope this solution proves helpful.

I’m thrilled to be back to blogging and would love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or experiences with AVD. Feel free to share your challenges or solutions in the comments below. Until next time, happy troubleshooting!