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
    2018-11-20T06:45:34+00:00

    I have lost all Onedrive/skydrive files.  they are not there inside Recycle Bin folder too.

    I need help on this issue. Without users permission how can they delete the files which were using Free stortage area on cloud?

    need assistance here

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-12-02T20:27:04+00:00

    The synchronisation algorithm in OneDrive is IMO fundamentally broken. If OneDrive undeletes or worse deletes files because I happen to logon to a computer that I've not logged onto for ages, I will scream. 

    This has now happened so many times and on so many computers that I know it's not something I'm doing wrong. It's a basic flaw in the algorithm. Goes something like this:

    1. Logon to a computer with OneDrive synchronised but haven't logged onto for a few weeks or months
    2. This computer assumes totally incorrectly that it's the master version and proceeds to synchronise the cloud copy back to itself

    This effectively replaces newer versions of files with old versions, deletes new files and restores deleted files!!

    This is clearly happening all the time that I'm amazed there aren't posts screaming about it to be fixed. It's a horrible bug/design error. I also have DropBox on Google Drive synchronised on the same computers and they have never done anything similar - one can only assume that their algorithms are better written.

    You prove this is the case with OneDrive in Office 365 because fortunately Microsoft have implemented a restore back in time function - primarily to cater for WannaCry virus attacks where all your files get corrupted. Happened yesterday - 3:47pm I logged onto a laptop that's been off for a month or so. There are multiple entries in the restore window where OneDrive has done the above all within a minute. I've just restored OneDrive back to that point in time.

    Whether this is the cause of the problem in this topic is unclear but I do stand by my observation that OneDrive is fundamentally flawed.

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-12-02T20:34:42+00:00

    Ohh and the restore function isn't perfect either. I've just restored back to a point in time on the web but my local copy is showing the old version. There should be a file called Gather-CriticalFiles.ps1 here: https://i.imgur.com/YLkL3sH.png

    This was one of the files that OneDrive incorrectly deleted when I logged onto an old computer. It's there in the web interface: https://i.imgur.com/jggvAyY.png

    If I wait long enough, I guess the OneDrive app might decide to resync it but I've been here before - I know that if I pause and unpause the sync, it'll appear. This dialog is fibbing: https://i.imgur.com/CbPECIE.png

    There you go, pause and unpause and all the restore changes reveal themselves: https://i.imgur.com/PTPNY80.png

    So the restore function is incomplete as well - it might restore the files but it doesn't trigger the local OneDrive client to resynchronise the restored files. Ho hum...

    I really try to like Microsoft having been a Microsoft engineer for many years but OneDrive beggars belief sometimes.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-12-04T04:32:54+00:00

    This has been happening for some time, at first i thought I had deleted a folder but it is now clear that Onedrive is broken as i have had several folders that have just disappeared.  I suspect the windows onedrive app so will be unistalling and backing up everything that is left

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  5. Anonymous
    2019-01-02T16:44:21+00:00

    Came into the office and found that OneDrive Personal had randomly deleted about 50 files (from many different directories and folders, on the 25th of December, luckily I was able to restore them. Is there a log or audit trail where I can find out why it decided to delete these?

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