Faulty 'Recent' document list in OneDrive, File Explorer and Microsoft 365

Anonymous
2023-12-04T11:38:15+00:00

I understand there is a bug that engineers are working on and that this 'bug' is a big worry for many of us, ie. I'm seeing a 'Recent' list (shows in my File Explorer and on OneDrive) which includes documents that I did not open recently, and gives wrong dates of when opened. My Microsoft 365 Word files are synced to OneDrive. I use Windows 11.

I came across an additional worry concerning this today. I opened my Microsoft 365 Word and found the faulty 'Recent' list there, too. I clicked on the latest item on the list (which I had, in fact, opened yesterday via Explorer), and I got a message warning me that the file was a potential security risk. This is the main file of a novel I am working on and am doing editing each day. I find I can still open the document via File Explorer with no such warning and the document did seem ok when I opened it this way, but is it safe to do so? I have a deadline to finish my editing and need assurance there is no security problem and that this 'Recent' list problem will soon be rectified.

I have only noticed the wrong 'Recent' list in the past week or two, but there are other threads about this, one I have seen goes back to October with people telling of this same issue. In a later thread (in November) we were told it's a known bug that is currently being investigated. Please can I have an update on when it is likely to be fixed. Meanwhile, are our files safe to continue accessing and working on?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-12-04T12:12:24+00:00

    Greetings! I am Ajibola, eager to assist you with confidence and assertiveness. I guarantee to provide you with exceptional support.

    This issue is caused by a bug in the OneDrive sync app that affects the Recent list in File Explorer, OneDrive, and Office apps. The bug causes the Recent list to show incorrect or outdated information about the files that you have opened or synced with OneDrive. The bug does not affect the actual files or their contents, only the information displayed in the Recent list.

    Microsoft is aware of this issue and is working on a fix. However, there is no official timeline for when the fix will be available.

    If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to ask. I'm here to help!

    Give back to the Community. Help the next person with this issue by indicating if this reply solved your problem. Click Yes or No below.

    Kind regards.

    Ajibola.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-12-09T12:51:42+00:00

    Thank you for your reply. I hope it will be fixed soon. My 'Recent' list currently shows 54 files, only two of which were opened recently. I see in another thread that some users have found that turning off the option for 'show files from office.com' rectifies it, but it doesn't for me.

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-01-02T14:02:59+00:00

    Hi Ajibola

    Does the bug falsely show that a file has been saved to OneDrive?

    I had a Word file I was working on in the Android Word app for a month. It showed 'saved' to OneDrive on the 13th December 2023. When I tried to open it on the 14th December 2023 I got the message saying it cannot be opened as it may have been 'moved, renamed or deleted' none of which happened.

    It has vanished. OneDrive support have checked my file history and they say it was never on OneDrive! I literally worked on it every day and my edits were saved the next time I opened it.

    I always opened it from the Recent list.

    I don't understand how it could have been accessible for a month, and save my edits, and then not exist.

    I've looked everywhere and it has vanished. I just wondered if the bug can show that a file has been saved recently but basically it's lying. And if it wasn't saved to OneDrive, where was it saved to?

    Any suggestions?

    Many thanks

    Bryony

    PS I only have one OneDrive Personal Account

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-01-09T04:05:33+00:00

    I do not know if this helps, but I also have had docs not being recalled from OneDrive when using Word 'Recent' docs. I started getting "Sorry, We couldn't find your file....." messages from the Word recent list.

    What I do instead is go to File Explorer which is among your major apps and open it. Click on the OneDrive listing on the left-hand side of the window. That should give you a listing of all folders from OneDrive. Click on the folder which contains your documents. If your documents are saved there, you should be able to recall them to the desktop.

    This worked for me, and I hope it helps you.

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-03-19T01:23:03+00:00

    Is there any fix to this yet?

    I have had the same problem for several months. Until recently I was logged into both a business OneDrive account and my personal OneDrive. The recent files and "recommended" lists included files from the business OneDrive which I had never opened belonging to someone else in the organisation. This seems a potential breach of internal security or privacy. I am no longer with that organisation and have disconnected from its OneDrive (which no longer is in use) but have some of its files still showing as recent as well as a seemingly random set of files from my own OwnDrive.

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