OneDrive deleted local files and started syncing old files !

Anonymous
2020-04-03T18:14:49+00:00

Hi,

OneDrive has suddenly deleted files in local folders that was not synced with OneDrive.

I installed OneDrive a while ago on my work computer and copied a lot of different files including Visual Studio projects to the OneDriver folder.

Later found out that OneDrive was causing problems for the Visual Studio projects and even though I had marked all folders to also be kept locally it wasn't working correctly.

So I moved all of the Visual Studio projects and several other folders back to the original location to make sure I had them locally.

Time goes by, and today when I turn on my computer I notice a lot of old files have been synced to my Desktop which is synced using OneDrive.

Then I also realize that the files that I moved out of the OneDrive synced folders have suddenly appeared again and old versions from back when I initially copied the folders are being synced again.

When I look at the local folder that is NOT synced with OneDrive, many of the files are gone - just like that - GONE.

There is no way to get the files back and all my recent work is lost.

I have looked in the online Recycle Bin and the Second stage recycle bin and none of the files are there (since they were never in OneDrive but only locally).

It seems like OneDrive has reverted the old actions of when I moved the files to the local folder and now old versions from back then are being synced.

This is completely unacceptable.

I have lost all my recent work.

How do I get my local files that has now been deleted by OneDrive but which was not synced with OneDrive back?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-08-13T13:39:08+00:00

    This literally happend to me minutes ago and I went online to check for answers.

    All my files that I saved just yesterday were replaced by their versions from June on all my platforms. Basically I just lost all my work from the last few monts. They were extremely important files.

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-08-13T19:50:22+00:00

    I was on Google Apps for years and then one day decided to drink the Microsoft cool-aid that they were selling at a conference I went to.  I saw all this great flashy stuff that would be great if it actually worked.  Office 365 reminds me of one of those Hollywood western towns where everything is a façade but there is nothing behind it. Now with things like this happening its worse.  Behind the façade isnt just nothing there are pools of lava that will destroy your business and possibly your career.  Office 365 is not only incompetent its dangerous.

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-08-18T18:52:40+00:00

    This just happened to me this morning. I unsynced OneDrive two weeks ago because I prefer to save my files locally and back them up every so often. This morning, a Windows update automatically synced me back to OneDrive and then deleted ALL my local files. The OneDrive files are back but saved from two weeks ago.

    I have lost two weeks of work. Of course, Microsoft support will only point fingers. I can't believe this could happen.

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-08-18T19:36:24+00:00

    Ok, I figured out that this was as simple as opening the "Recycle Bin" app. All my local files were there. WHY DID ONE DRIVE AUTOMATICALLY SYNC AND THEN MOVE MY FILES TO THE RECYCLE BIN. 

    If there is a setting for this, why is this the default setting?

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  5. Anonymous
    2020-08-23T03:33:39+00:00

    Similar issue here too. :( -

    1. I changed a laptop, created a new local user admin, copied all files to new local folders. Used my existing signon (i.e. Microsoft Account email) to OneDrive; deleted unnecessary 'old files' from OneDrive ("got message: ugh you deleted etc... 30 days to recover..") - and cleaned up/reset the old laptop for someone else to use..
    2. Updated mine to Windows 10 1909 - about a month ago or so. ALL IS WELL!
    3. Then a couple of days ago I got a Microsoft message that I'm ready for Windows 10 2004 update! - I did read with alarm all hassles users had experienced with 2004 update...
    4. I  felt BRAVE... and went ahead... The update worked!  BUT somehow my old user was primary local user and associated with all new and old files... and my new local user had only its 'newly arranged files'.

    ...I'm not a geek but 'somewhat knowledgeable user'... How in the earth I can merge local user onedrives and associate them with current local user? 

    What to do??? ;( - Would I be better off switching camp from Microsoft and One Drive to another suite & cloud service?

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