Urgent: Files Reverting to Older Versions on OneDrive

Anonymous
2024-05-25T06:34:20+00:00

Dear Microsoft Support,

I am experiencing an issue where many of my recently used files on OneDrive have reverted to older versions over the past few months. It is only today that I have discovered this issue. I access OneDrive on two PCs, my phone, and frequently online at work.

Typically, I notice a file has been overwritten with an older version when I check the version history and see two entries with the exact same date and time. Often, the overwritten version’s file size matches that of an older version from a few entries back on the list. There is no consistency in the dates and times when this issue occurs. It seems to be happening randomly. I've found that this has occurred with hundred's of my files.

This problem has been very frustrating and has significantly undermined my confidence in OneDrive. Could you please advise me if you're aware of any such issues and if you're working to resolve them. Also, can you please advise me as to how I can prevent this from happening in the future?

Thank you for your assistance.

Regards,

Michael

Edit: Further to the above, I've also discovered that OneDrive doesn't sync automatically between my PC and Laptop when I make changes to files. I have to quit and then re-start OneDrive on the other computer in order for it to sync and receive the updated file. It also doesn't automatically sync when I attempt to restore to a previous version. In order for it to update the file back to the pervious version I have to quit and re-start OneDrive (or possibly just pause and resume syncing, which I never tried).

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-02-08T11:52:25+00:00

    What happens in my case is if you have a second device for example a laptop as well as a desktop both using the one account cloud to synchronise between the devices One of which you may not use quite so often and it would appear in my case that my laptop used less frequently which instead when opening up and updating your latest data from the most updated desktop data, it went into reverse in which the less frequent device over writes with the data a few days old or even longer in my case 4 months

    This was the only assumption that I could come up with why it happened to me, …and this also happened during the autumn …and it would appear from the posts I have read since that Microsoft have not taken any steps to clear this mess up.

    They are quite happy to keep reminding you about taking up their subscriptions and not doing a thing to give the safest best protection to its customers data,

    For an organisation as big as this, it’s really quite a disgusting attitude.

    I now use a different backup programme altogether certainly not Microsoft to back up on a hard disk once a week to safeguard any other disasters

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-02-08T06:13:36+00:00

    I've had the same problem this week - first time it has happened to me. Files which I work on daily suddenly reverted to saves done five weeks ago. Because I work on them daily I did spot what had happened, but I am left wondering if there is anything else I may have changed where that change is now lost. Not impressed.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-02-06T14:21:48+00:00

    Just had this problem for the first time. Many files deleted (found in recycle bin) and others reverted to an earlier date.

    Lost lots of updates to Excel files.

    Total loss of confidence in OneDrive

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-02-02T17:13:36+00:00

    Same problem. So far only one file, I think. If OneDrive can't be trusted for cloud backup, that pretty much destroys the whole concept. With several people reporting this, it sounds like a SERIOUS problem.

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  5. Anonymous
    2025-01-25T00:22:50+00:00

    I've just noticed that OneDrive has made a mess of my files too, after booting up a second laptop which synced to the same OneDrive as my regular PC, but which I hadn't used in a few months.

    There's a number of files I modified on the 1st January 2025 which have reverted to a version from October 2024 (OneDrive still shows them as modified 1st Jan, but their content is from Oct 2024).

    I also have files which have been recently modified, but OneDrive online are now reporting the current version is October 2024, and which is the old document. If I then go to the version prior to that, which OneDrive reports is from 2021, it's giving me the document I updated a few days ago.

    What a mess, honestly lost all confidence in OneDrive after this.

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