OneDrive automatically deleting files from OneDrive folder

Same issues here; OneDrive deleting files and folders. Fortunately, the deleted items appear to be in the Recycle Bin, but haven't checked this rigorously. I use Onedrive across a couple Win10 PCs, and a iPhone and iPad, and I'm betting the issue is something to do with cross platform synchronization where the local files on some devices can be quite old, and OneDrive somehow cannot resolve which versions of the folders and files are the newest. I have received the message (in the past), mentioned in prior emails in this string, of the mass deletion of files, but of today's file and folder deletions, I received no notice, which is disturbing and also requires Microsoft's investigation.

This anomaly is embarrassing and does require a fix.

>I use Onedrive across a couple Win10 PCs, and a iPhone and iPad, and I'm betting the issue is something to do with cross platform synchronization where the local files on some devices can be quite old, and OneDrive somehow cannot resolve which versions of the folders and files are the newest. I

That is exactly the problem I encounter nearly every week. When I commission laptops for my main client, I logon using my Office 365 account and synchronise my OneDrive. I often don't logon to that laptop again for months. When I do, it can often restore long deleted files and get multiple conflicts on edited files. Fortunately, if you spot this, you can logon to OneDrive on the web and undo those changes.

I also use Dropbox and Google Drive in a similar way and these problems never occur. They simply have better version tracking mechanisms.

For me it was a laptop and desktop.  Its most likely a synch issue. MS engineer kept stating Onedrive does not delete files. Semantics. I delete a file on laptop and when synch works it deletes it on desktop.  I believe agent does not see files and decides to delete them, then replicate deletes everywhere else. I have stopped using it. Totally unreliable.  The engineer even kept trying to redifine the definition of cloud storage. LOL if it does not redundantly store then its a recycle bin 🙀

>Its most likely a synch issue.

It most certainly is. As an occasional programmer, I have pondered on what kind of algorithms are needed for a synchronisation system. I came to the conclusion that a database has be maintained separate to the folders and files themselves which tracks all the changes made - forever. This database is stored in the cloud with maybe a local copy. Only with this tracking data can a computer that's turned on after a long time work out what the current state is. I had a folder called "Commands" in my OneDrive that I deleted well over a year ago. It re-appears if I logon to an old computer. Google Drive and Dropbox appears to keep a tracking record that this folder was deleted on such-an-such a date. And if an old computer powers up where it has a copy of that folder, to delete it - not restore it back - which is what OneDrive does.

A solution working for me is NOT to synchronize files, instead map to onedrive and access files directly in the cloud rather than on the local hard drive.

To map to your onedrive, map to https://d.docs.live.net/YOURONEDRIVEID

See https://www.****/articles/map-onedrive-network-drive

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