Folders Shared with me are syncing as internet shortcut in OneDrive on Windows PC

Anonymous
2024-06-08T04:53:55+00:00

Hi. I had some folders shared from different users in my OneDrive account. I had added the folders to my OneDrive with Add Shortcut to OneDrive button from Shared folders in cloud. The account is logged into a windows pc and every files including the folders shared with my were syncing fine until yesterday. Yesterday night the shared folders were completely removed from the Windows pc and folders are replaced with internet shortcut. This is such a big mess. I have tried unlinking the account and linking it back, changing the location of OneDrive on my windows pc and tried to get a new folder shared to my account and adding it to OneDrive. Nothing works so far. OneDrive has a big part in my daily activities. Please help me resolve this.

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Anonymous
2025-03-13T06:07:22+00:00

Here is the statement from the Microsoft OneDrive product group (Redmond USA) about the OneDrive Personal problem:

***This is related to a backend migration we are doing and unfortunately, we don’t fully support syncing shared folders in the case where one user has migrated and the other has not. We’re doing everything possible to accelerate things so that it can be resolved as soon as possible for users of the feature. When the accounts are migrated, there is automated logic that makes them go back to a syncing folder within several days.***I have heard, that shared Folder issue is gone.
The best thing is: WAIT and do nothing

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-03-24T23:09:50+00:00

    Tired of waiting for a solution from Microsoft, I solved my problem by purchasing a Synology NAS. The amount spent annually with Microsoft will be spent in a single payment. Now I have a shared cloud with everyone on the team, emails on all devices, versioning, backup, recycle bin, VPN, creation of shared links with clients and suppliers, with expiration date and totally secure, without spending a penny more per year. Single payment. Good luck to those who will continue with the dark side of the force.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-03-24T18:47:25+00:00

    I've figured it out....

    Based on my experience I am not so sure because where both accounts are migrated, the shortcuts have become shared folders again. All by themselves. Where I do have an issue is that this problem manifested in the first place and then the total mess that whether coincidence or not has happened in parallel with migration.

    Emails to say that sharing permissions have been removed by the account holder - but that's me across all the accounts, and I didn't remove anything.

    Some shared folders have disappeared apart from to the account doing the sharing - in which I can see that the permissions are still in place - and no matter what I do to share them again, they don't return either as a folder or shortcut.

    The Personal vault mess described above.

    The chronically slow sync speed on a symmetrical fibre connection (Gigabit up and down).

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-03-24T17:45:42+00:00

    The moving target that is the OneDrive migration mess continues.

    In File Explorer, without me doing anything, I now have a folder (not a shortcut) called Personal-Vault-XXXXX where XXXXX is the name of the computer. This folder has no additional security on it and simply opens when selected. Double U Tee Eff (since MS turns the three letter acronym to **** if I write it). At least in the web client I only have Personal Vault, not a synced copy of Personal Vault-XXXXX confirming that this is a PC issue as implied by the folder name.

    Remaining in File Explorer, I still have the usual shortcut called Personal Vault, which when I select it correctly prompts me for MFA and then opens a new File Explorer window with all the sub folders in the vault. Even when unlocked however, it shows the red X (locked).

    When I try to delete folder Personal Vault-XXXXX there is a long pause and then a message saying words to the effect of 'there is a problem accessing this folder. Try later'.

    The computer has been on all day since rebooting to try and solve the issues. OneDrive reports 'downloading 3.7MB of 3.7MB at 0.0 KB/s' as it has all day. This might be connected with the Personal Vault locking after seconds despite being set to lock after one hour.

    I just pray my Personal Vault contents are all still present; since many are confidential, I don't have local backup. I will now download the folders from the web client and see.

    What a shambles.

    [Edited to add that on a symmetrical gigabit fibre to the home connection with Cat 6 Ethernet from the router to the computer, and with all other network activity paused, the download is running at between 70KB/s and 200 KB/s. Unbelievable. I have 34GB to take a local copy of.]

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