Summary

A memory leak is a type of leak that occurs when a program incorrectly manages memory allocation in such a way that it does not releases the memory being used that it no longer needs. There are various signs that can indicate that a memory leak is occurring such as:

  • Computer/programs not responding entirely.
  • Programs won’t close or open correctly.
  • Computer completely shuts down.
  • 1 or 2 monitors wont display properly or at all.

It is uncertain as to why these leaks happen, but we are monitoring the occurrence. We believe the main culprit is the OneDrive client. However, here are a few steps you can follow to restore your computer to working order.




Submitting a Ticket

Before continuing with the solution, you need to submit a ticket to helpdesk stating the problem you are having and provide your OneDrive client version. This is to further monitor the occurrences of memory leak issues happening within the organization.

  • To find your version number do the following steps below.

                    1. Right click the OneDrive icon on your taskbar, on the lower right of the screen.

                    2. Select Settings, from the three dots on the right

                    3. Click on About tab, and add the build number into your ticket.

 



Solution

  1. Open Task Manager by pressing CTRL + Shift + Esc on your keyboard.
  2. Click on the Performance tab. 
  3. Then click Memory.
  4. If you notice that your Committed memory (marked in red) is high (approx. 30-32GB) and your Main memory, marked in black, is low (approx. 2-3GB), then you may be experiencing a memory leak.


To fix this problem you will need restart your machine following the steps below.

  1. In Task Manager, click on the Processes tab.
  2. Scroll down the processes until you find Windows Explorer (or click W repeatedly until you find it)
  3. Right click on Windows Explorer, then select Restart.
  4. Go back to Performance tab and monitor the memory usage of your machine.

If you notice that the problem persists and find the Committed memory going up in usage, then you will need to Restart your computer entirely.

  • Window > Power > Restart.



Note: After restarting Windows Explorer, the OneDrive client will no longer be open. Open OneDrive from the start menu to continue syncing your OneDrive and SharePoint libraries.