Mac Onedrive app: shared folders don't appear in Finder any more, and files seem to be online only.

For those using OneDrive on a Mac, I have a solution. Basically, I just started from scratch.

Open your OneDrive via a web browser and log out (this is just to be safe but likely don't need to). For an extra step, un-share the drive you normally connect to and then re-share it. Again, I'm not sure this needs to be done, but this is what I started with in finding this solution.

You will need to unlink your Mac from the OneDrive. Open OneDrive and click the gear icon in the upper right hand corner. Select Preferences/Account the click on 'Unlink this Mac.' Then delete the OneDrive app as well as any associated files it has with it. If you have an App Remover tool, that should do the trick. If not, search for OneDrive in Finder to find these files.

Next, go into the App Store and download the OneDrive app for Mac. Once installed, open the app, log in and follow the prompts like you are setting up OneDrive for the first time. It should then log in to your account and begin the sync process.

I'm no IT expert, but my theory was there was an update or a fix made which didn't work with all the associated files of OneDrive. It essentially got confused and defaulted to the website. I have no way of knowing but at least this process got me back up and running. Been working for the past several days on my iMac and MacBook Pro. For you Windows users, I don't know all the issues that's going on, but maybe try the same process.

Best of luck.

I have been tagging MS on social media. They responded today.

First response:

“Thanks for sending us a direct message. We understand the sentiments regarding this issue with OneDrive shared folders has been for you and many others. Just to inform you, this problem with OneDrive has already been reported and is being investigated by the team. While we do not have a specific timeline for a fix at this moment, please be assured that our team is doing their best to have it sorted as soon as possible. To further assist you, we recommend continuing to access your files via OneDrive for web.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work towards a solution.”

Follow up from me:

“We would appreciate a public acknowledgment and a commitment for a date by which the timeline will be announced. We are unable to make informed business decisions without this information. The missing functionality is a material feature of OneDrive of which we are being deprived.”

Their response:

“We appreciate you getting back to us, and we understand the importance of this functionality for your business operations. Apologies for any inconvenience this has caused. To help you keep track of any updates regarding this matter, you may refer to this article: https://msft.it/6017qrxLt. Please be advised that our team is working diligently to get this issue resolved as soon as possible, as we don't have a timeline yet of when it will be resolved. Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated.”

My response:

“Thanks. This is also an issue on MacOS. The link that you provided only shows it as an issue for Windows. Also, it does not list the date of discovery like the other problems.”

Awaiting further from them.

I have been experiencing the same problem since the beginning of March 2025! This issue has persisted for more than 8 months, and Microsoft is unable to resolve it at all! I have attempted to download the files from the shared folder to my local Mac, but the download does not work either!

After 8 months of waiting, I switched to Google Drive today, enough is enough!

Same issue. Just occurred today, after working for 8+ years. I have a family folder that my wife and I share ALL our personal details in.

This morning the sidebar link in my finder said "original location of folder not found", and I couldn't find the folder in the OneDrive location either. I went through all the steps I could find online, from updating, uninstalling, restarting, unlinking, doing the "show package contents", and even going so far as to have her remove sharing of the folder and resharing it.

Just restating, this issue just occurred for me TODAY, Feb 25th, 2025. I'm on the Mac Sequoia 15.3.1, and the most recent version of the standalone OneDrive app.

Quite frankly, disastrous for workflow and efficiency. Very disappointed in Microsoft for this issue persisting for such a long time with no resolution (over 9 months since it was reported?!).