OneDrive automatically deleting files from OneDrive folder

Anonymous
2018-05-22T21:43:34+00:00

The OneDrive forum appears to have been locked, so I am trying this one.

I moved some large files (photos) to my OneDrive folder to share between PCs and left them synchronising.  When I came back to check on their progress, the files had disappeared from the PCs.  Looking at the OneDrive window it shows them being added to Onedrive then mysteriously being removed a few minutes later.  What on earth is going on?    I tried Ctrl & Z to see if it could undo the removal.  The files looked as if they were being restored - but just disappeared again.  It's a good job I noticed, otherwise I could have lost these files forever.  I can't afford to have my important files just disappearing like that.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Files, folders, and storage

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-12-17T14:05:36+00:00

    Hi, I have now had my problem resolved (fingers crossed). The answer, hopefully, was exactly what was posted by someone earlier in this thread. I downloaded the comments and sent them to my computer technician and he agreed and resolved the problem. It was all to do with me having my laptop mirrored on to a new computer rather than through data transfer and OneDrive couldn't recognise them as separate devices so went in to melt down and deleted all the entries that I had saved, going either to the OneDrive recycle bin or my device recycle bin! It was to do with having the same serial number on the two machines, just as the earlier post had stated. Hope this helps, I feel your pain, it's been a nightmare to sort out and I've had to restore everything from the bins. I'm hoping I haven't lost anything through the OneDrive bin as things only stay there for 30 days I think.

    Can you please share the resolution steps?

    Thanks!

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-12-07T04:49:52+00:00

    Yes, this is also what we have seen but it is the PDFs that are deleted. We have reset OneDrive, re-installed it but still experiencing the same problem.

    Very frustrating since more than one person works on these folders. I will look into doing it through Teams.

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-11-29T17:34:07+00:00

    I have just had a popup on my MacBook Pro saying Bitdefender is downloading 1 file do I want to block this application or allow the download, FROM ONE DRIVE!!!!!!

    What is OneDrive doing monitoring ANYTHING except its own status on my Mac.

    I had just told Bitdefender to run a scan so the first thing it does is an update.

    I am flabbergasted at the high handed way Microsoft behaves I gave up with Windows 10 due to the constant forced updates. I turn my SurfacePro on & it spends an hour sorting its self out & updating often with several reboots. I only use it about once a month now for my accounts. I use my mac for everything else because I can just turn it on & be working in 10 seconds.

    I expect a Microsoft tech reply to this post with an explanation of what OneDrive is doing & instructions on how to alter settings so it no longer snoops on anything else, I have it purely as a cloud storage as part of Office 365 & I wouldn’t have that if I didn’t need it for work. Storage & Sync ONLY PLEASE.

    At least it seems to have stopped deleting great swathes of files now, but I'm never going to trust a Microsoft product ever again.

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-11-27T22:57:47+00:00

    Greg,

        thanks for your response.  I had completely forgotten that OneDrive had it s own recycle bin and, fortunately, the files were there.  It is just as well I looked as another file I had added to OneDrive was also in there and could also have gone missing.

    I have no interest on files on demand, especially as the internet connection can be somewhat slow and unreliable.  I use OneDrive to synchronise important files between two PCs and a laptop and to have an online backup in case of catastrophic failure.  When it is OneDrive that causes the catastrophic failure - then it is really frustrating!

    For this reason, our PCs are set to NOT to use Files on Demand and save on This PC only.  

    It is worrying that OneDrive has seen fit to delete these files on its own accord.  I shall keep my eyes on the OneDrive recycle bin from now on.

    It seems that every new release of Windows 10 includes disastrous new features.  I see that I have also lost the ability to share photos on one PC with the other.  No doubt that will take another few hours to try to get sorted out...

    BR

    I find it to be irresponsible for this service not to work correctly.  It just "screwed me over" again without my permission, for the 3rd time.

    Who is going to pay for my lost information?  Certainly not them.

    Software companies have a responsibilty to not screw over the users of their services.

    Microsoft refuses to do that.

    --Scott R. Turk

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  5. Anonymous
    2020-11-20T18:28:31+00:00

    >Interesting that this thread started a year and a half ago and there doesn't appear to be a clear solution. I'm running in to the same problem and actually have spent some time trying to isolate the problem since it's not happening in every single situation.

    Ohh OneDrive really hasn't improved much in that time :-( All my clients have a shared IT account on there and I occasionally I logon many months, sometimes years. I did that just last night to a laptop that I probably last logged onto about a year ago.

    OneDrive merrily starting restoring long deleted files and folders. I know it does this now so before logging onto *any* old computer, I run a PowerShell script that backs up my OneDrive to a network folder. I then let OneDrive cock everything up. Watching as long deleted files are restored back. Often a bit of a trip down memory lane. When it's finished, I run a reverse PowerShell script to restore the backup to what it should be.

    I stand by my observation that OneDrive's core algorithms over "latest version"/whatever are fundamentally flawed. Never had this problem with Google Drive or Dropbox.

    I have two BIG gripes with M365 - one is OneDrive and the other is the total lack of recognition that there are 3rd party editing apps out there that users may want to open documents direct from SharePoint.

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