Stuck in "Sync Pending" when doing direct xfer of files from WIN11 cabled to S25

Question

Stuck in "Sync Pending" when doing direct xfer of files from WIN11 cabled to S25

Alan C 20

Cabled the S25 to Win11Pro desktop and put MP3 files on the phone via File Explorer (no cloud involved). Files don't show up in phones "My Files" or in search with Musicolet. Desktop File Explorer shows folders/files transferred, but all are stuck in "Sync Pending". Pausing One Drive didn't help. Tried uninstalling One Drive but got a root system error.

I did find one post here which seemed to be helpful and it said to use Link To Windows, but had no info on how that helped or what it would do with the problem files/folders or how to transfer new ones.

I know very little about phones and less about One Drive.

"Beginner Level" help would be much appreciated!

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Answer accepted by question author

Thomas4-N 20,615 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Alan C,

The Sync Pending status suggests you are copying files to the wireless Link to Windows phone entry, not through the USB connection.

Please try a direct USB transfer:

Unlock the Samsung phone.
Open the USB notification and select File transfer / Android Auto or MTP.
In File Explorer, open This PC.
Select the phone listed under This PC, then copy the files into its internal storage.

Do not use the separate phone entry in File Explorer’s navigation pane. That entry belongs to Phone Link, while the USB device appears under This PC. If the phone does not appear under This PC, try another data-capable USB cable or port.

Alan C 20 Reputation points

2026-08-05T17:01:37.5933333+00:00

Thomas, thank you for your reply and assistance. This turned out to be the key info:
Do not use the separate phone entry in File Explorer’s navigation pane. That entry belongs to Phone Link, while the USB device appears under This PC

I, in fact, was using the S25 standalone entry in File Explore, NOT the one under This PC. Everything worked perfectly and quickly.

The odd thing is that both S25 locations seem to be pointing to the same areas on the phone. What I see on the Phonelink side echoes what I see on the "My PC" side. The difference is that on the S25 side, things are still stuck in "Sync Pending" status. If I try to delete a and can't be deleted (error msg: Cloud operation was unsuccessful)..
Alan C 20 Reputation points

2026-08-05T17:02:47.9266667+00:00

Thomas, thank you for your reply and assistance. This turned out to be the key info: Do not use the separate phone entry in File Explorer’s navigation pane. That entry belongs to Phone Link, while the USB device appears under This PC

I, in fact, was using the S25 standalone entry in File Explore, NOT the one under This PC. Everything worked perfectly and quickly.

The odd thing is that both S25 locations seem to be pointing to the same areas on the phone. What I see on the Phonelink side echoes what I see on the "My PC" side. The difference is that on the S25 side, things are still stuck in "Sync Pending" status. If I try to delete a and can't be deleted (error msg: Cloud operation was unsuccessful)..
Thomas4-N 20,615 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-06T07:02:01.92+00:00
Hello Alan C,

I’m glad the USB transfer is now working correctly.

Both S25 entries show the same phone storage, but through different connections. The S25 under This PC uses the USB/MTP connection, while the other S25 entry accesses the same folders wirelessly through Link to Windows.

The items showing Sync pending are failed wireless-transfer entries. The Cloud operation was unsuccessful message means that the wireless view cannot complete the deletion, so I would not keep retrying it there.

To clear those entries safely:

Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices > Manage devices.

Turn off Show mobile device in File Explorer.

Open C:\Users\<your username>\CrossDevice and delete the unwanted local copies.
Alan C 20 Reputation points

2026-08-06T16:00:41.99+00:00

Thank you. I got there another way.

On the phone, I opened Link to Windows and flushed everything. Connected back to the PC and was able to delete the truant files/folders without any problem. All's Good now --- thank you!!

4 additional answers

Your answer

Alan C 20 Reputation points

2026-08-05T17:01:37.5933333+00:00

Thomas, thank you for your reply and assistance. This turned out to be the key info:
Do not use the separate phone entry in File Explorer’s navigation pane. That entry belongs to Phone Link, while the USB device appears under This PC

I, in fact, was using the S25 standalone entry in File Explore, NOT the one under This PC. Everything worked perfectly and quickly.

The odd thing is that both S25 locations seem to be pointing to the same areas on the phone. What I see on the Phonelink side echoes what I see on the "My PC" side. The difference is that on the S25 side, things are still stuck in "Sync Pending" status. If I try to delete a and can't be deleted (error msg: Cloud operation was unsuccessful)..
Alan C 20 Reputation points

2026-08-05T17:02:47.9266667+00:00

Thomas, thank you for your reply and assistance. This turned out to be the key info: Do not use the separate phone entry in File Explorer’s navigation pane. That entry belongs to Phone Link, while the USB device appears under This PC

I, in fact, was using the S25 standalone entry in File Explore, NOT the one under This PC. Everything worked perfectly and quickly.

The odd thing is that both S25 locations seem to be pointing to the same areas on the phone. What I see on the Phonelink side echoes what I see on the "My PC" side. The difference is that on the S25 side, things are still stuck in "Sync Pending" status. If I try to delete a and can't be deleted (error msg: Cloud operation was unsuccessful)..
Thomas4-N 20,615 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-06T07:02:01.92+00:00

Hello Alan C,

I’m glad the USB transfer is now working correctly.

Both S25 entries show the same phone storage, but through different connections. The S25 under This PC uses the USB/MTP connection, while the other S25 entry accesses the same folders wirelessly through Link to Windows.

The items showing Sync pending are failed wireless-transfer entries. The Cloud operation was unsuccessful message means that the wireless view cannot complete the deletion, so I would not keep retrying it there.

To clear those entries safely:

Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices > Manage devices.

Turn off Show mobile device in File Explorer.

Open C:\Users\<your username>\CrossDevice and delete the unwanted local copies.
Alan C 20 Reputation points

2026-08-06T16:00:41.99+00:00

Thank you. I got there another way.

On the phone, I opened Link to Windows and flushed everything. Connected back to the PC and was able to delete the truant files/folders without any problem. All's Good now --- thank you!!

Answer 1

Alan C 20

Thomas had the key -- I was putting files into the S25 Music folder as shown in File Explorer, not knowing that it was for PhoneLink. When I went to This PC/S25 the files move perfectly.

I was still stuck with the "sync pending" problem caused by copying into the S25 (Phonelink) area. On the phone, I opened Link to Windows and flushed everything. Connected back to the PC and was able to delete the truant files/folders without any problem. All's Good now --- thank you!!

0 comments

Answer 2

Thank you very much, I tried following the instructions and this is what I found:

#1 - The files/folders in question do not appear in the S25 "My Files" nor in Musicolet. When I cable the phone to the PC, the PC's File Explorer shows the phone's Internal Storage and Internal Storage/Music folders as both being "sync pending". The media files found in Internal Storage/Music will play on the PC.

#2 - USB Settings are now set as "USB Controlled by this device" (phone) and"Transferring FIles/Android Auto" is selected. I tried copying a 12.7MB file from the PC to the phone. The file showed as "sync pending" for about 30 seconds, then showed as complete. The test file also appears on the phone in My Files.

#3 - Closed File Explorer, reopened, and found the older items still in "sync pending" status. Refreshed view and same result.

#4 - No hidden files or TMP files.

#5 - The One Drive folder on the phone is the same as the one on the PC, with no suggestions that anything from the phone is involved. (I suspect I put One Drive on some time ago and just never set it up on the phone.

#6 - Same result; files/folders still stuck in "sync pending" on the phone

Answer 3

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84342768 0 Reputation points

2026-08-05T06:01:46.24+00:00

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Answer 4

The "Sync Pending" icon in File Explorer does not mean the files are syncing to the phone. In this scenario, it usually points to File Explorer showing an incorrect syncing status, or to hidden or temporary files in the folder view.

For a beginner-friendly path, use these steps in order:

Check whether the files are actually on the phone
- In File Explorer, open the S25 storage and go to the folder where the MP3 files were copied.
- If the files are listed there, the copy likely completed.
- If they still do not appear in the phone’s music apps, the issue may be with how the phone or app is reading them rather than with OneDrive.
Make sure the phone is connected in file transfer mode
- On Android phones, a cable connection can default to charging only.
- On the phone, swipe down from the top, tap the USB notification, and select File Transfer or Media Transfer Protocol (MTP).
- Then try copying one small MP3 file again and check whether it appears.
Refresh File Explorer
- Microsoft documents that File Explorer can incorrectly keep showing a syncing status because of a cached search index.
- Close and reopen the phone folder, or press F5 to refresh the window.
Check for hidden or temporary files if the status appears in a OneDrive folder on the PC
- In File Explorer, select View and enable Hidden items.
- If hidden or temporary files are present in the folder, remove ones that are not needed.
- If a .TMP file is involved, safer options are:
  - move it out of OneDrive,
  - rename it,
  - upload it manually to onedrive.com,
  - or delete it only if it is no longer in use.
- Deleting or renaming TMP files can cause data loss if an app is still using them.
If a folder in OneDrive shows "Sync pending" but no file is visible
- Create a new folder.
- Copy the files from the stuck folder into the new folder.
- Delete the old folder.
If File Explorer keeps showing incorrect syncing icons on Windows
- Open Start and search for Services.
- Open Services.
- Double-click Windows Search.
- Change Startup type to Disabled.
- In Service status, select Stop.
- Select OK.
- Refresh File Explorer and check whether the false syncing status disappears.
- If it does, reopen Services, set Windows Search back to Automatic (Delayed Start), then rebuild the index:
  - Open Start and search for Indexing Options.
  - Select Advanced > Rebuild.
- Rebuilding the index can take time.

About Link to Windows:

It is a separate feature for accessing and managing Android files through File Explorer after pairing the phone with the PC.
It requires:
- Android 11 or later,
- Link to Windows version 1.24072.258.0 or later,
- Windows 11.
It can browse, copy, move, rename, delete, and transfer files wirelessly.
It is not required just to copy MP3 files over a USB cable.

If the goal is simply to transfer music, the most relevant first fix is to confirm the S25 is in File Transfer/MTP mode and then retry with one test MP3 file.

Also note: one Microsoft Q&A answer specifically mentions that Samsung phones may no longer include a WMA codec. That affects WMA playback, not MP3 playback, so it does not explain this MP3 issue.

References: