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
    2025-01-02T19:47:20+00:00

    Sounds like I am just now having this problem as well. I was so worried it was a virus or malware. But my software quarantined a couple things after scanning and it did nothing to stop the files showing up on “recent.” I can get it to stop showing up by unchecking the one for office.com but is it safe? I mean it’s not a virus that another computer could get from the OneDrive, right?

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-01-03T05:55:44+00:00

    Hi Joe W005, the problem we all encountered is a Microsoft Office software bug. Don't worry. It is not a virus although it is very annoying. Like the other users in this thread, I suffered with the issue for almost a week before an update from Microsoft fixed it automatically.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-03-05T14:34:04+00:00

    We are having this issue with our workplace office/onedrive. When someone opens their 'home' page for file explorer, it indicates a series of onedrive files that no one has opened but says that a different coworker has edited it (this did not happen). Even if we filter by the filetype we want, that filter doesn't stay if you close the window and open. Been two years, anyone have tips?

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-05-12T09:40:55+00:00

    I have same / similar issue.

    I use OneDrive to "sync" some SharePoint folders to my local machine, and if anybody modifies the file in share point it is synchronized to local machine and shows in "Recent List" in all Office app ... it is so annoying that I loose track of the actual file I was working ...

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