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.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows

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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
    2025-03-25T09:48:45+00:00

    There is the problem. Finding an other solution is not just about any cloud solution. If you are hit by this problem it is because you are doing collaboration across users. Any alternative has to make this both possible, and easy!

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-03-25T11:31:02+00:00

    Hi there

    I share your pain and waited patiently since end Feb. A few days ago, I noticed that my folders in FILES online looked different (each shared folder under FILES had 2 shortcut entries listed) triggering me to realise that changes were afoot. However, neither of these appeared to be working, ie they did not sync to my Finder version (the .url version remained).

    So, (having copied all my files onto an external drive a few weeks ago - I trusted non-one), I did the following for ONE folder (just to test my theory):

    • I deleted both shortcut entries in FILES online .
    • I deleted the .url version in FINDER
    • I created a new shortcut link for a small folder under the SHARED folder online so I now had a new link under FILES. I waited a few minutes and voila! it was synching down to my FINDER onedrive folder.

    After a celebratory drink (hic!), I did some test updates in a document that had just synced, it updated online, I then checked the online files of the person who shared the file with me in the first place, then checked their FINDER version. I then did he reverse to ensure all updates worked in both directions. Success!

    So, then I then did the process carefully again for other folders, checking as I went along. Success!

    2 days in and all seems to be in working order. I can also advise, that the syncing from one FINDER file update to the shared FINDER file (ie FINDER -> online - > online -> FINDER) is so much faster than before.....lightning fast.

    So, although frustrating, hang in there peeps.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-03-25T13:42:57+00:00

    Hi all

    I read (but I can't find where) that you can differentiate the version of the OneDrive online in the Settings/Option menu if the last line is Restore (= latest version) or Search (= old version). Personally I have an M365 Family and out of 5 active subscriptions, the master is in old version and the other 4 in new version. Only the master station poses the problem of shortcuts in windows explorer.

    Paradoxically I can sort by [date taken] the photos in the main subscription and it's not possible for the other subscriptions, I'm afraid that this feature will disappear in the new versions.

    Can you check which version you would have?

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-03-25T16:37:26+00:00

    I'm sure this has been posted before, but this has saved me a lot of headache until the problem is fixed.

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/we-have-fix-to-onedrive-shortcut-on-file-explorer/f1cc520d-4954-499d-b80c-75133ee8da69

    You map your OneDrive shared folder as a network folder.

    Takes 3 minutes to set up and your computer treats it as a local folder.

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