OneDrive shared folders are now links, not folders! How do I fix this?

Anonymous
2025-03-04T11:55:09+00:00

I have a number of folders shared with me by other OneDrive users. I've added these to My Files to appear alongside the folders on my OneDrive account. Up until yesterday, they appeared as folders on my PC, alongside the other folders which belong to my OneDrive account. Now these folders that are shared with me are appearing as shortcut links instead of folders on my PC.

This has happened to 3 different PCs which are all connected to the same OneDrive account. I have uninstalled OneDrive, cleared the cache, etc. and reinstalled on one PC, but the problem remains. I've removed shared folders, had them unshared by the owner, reshared back to me, and then added again to My Files, but this didn't work either.

How do I fix this?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-04-17T21:17:16+00:00

    Hi all,

    I just want to loop in into this post.

    I am sharing a folder within my household within a payed family account.

    Since a few weeks (not sure when this started) we are having this issue now.

    I tried to create a new shared folder on an other account and share with me, but this resulted in the same "link folder" issue.

    Both pc's are running on an up to date windows 11

    OneDrive version: Build 25.056.0324.0003 (ARM64)

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-04-17T00:36:01+00:00

    Please advise when this will be fixed!! I've never had an issue until this week. I am PISSED as well. The .url shortcut files are awful to work from and do not work efficiently for our team.

    Build 25.056.0324.0003

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-04-16T15:46:30+00:00

    Not much comfort that this will be solved soon but found this which probably explains why some people have commented here that it started working again: "The most recent update comes from a Neowin article published on March 7, 2025. According to this report, Microsoft has confirmed that the issue with OneDrive shared folders appearing as internet shortcut links is tied to an ongoing backend migration process. During this migration, if one user’s account has been updated while another’s has not, the shared folder won’t function as a fully synced folder in File Explorer. Instead, it appears as a web shortcut that requires accessing via a browser.

    Microsoft’s response explained that once both parties’ accounts are migrated, an automatic mechanism should convert these shortcuts back to properly synced folders within a few days. However, they have not provided a specific timeline for the complete migration and final fix. Other community posts also indicate that this problem has been ongoing for several months, with Microsoft reiterating that they are actively working to speed up the migration process."

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-04-16T15:01:24+00:00

    Never had an issue until today. I am PISSED. I use this for work and can no longer access folders that I need. The account manager is definitely not a techie and this is going to blow her brains.

    Build 25.056.0324.0003

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  5. Anonymous
    2025-04-16T09:32:15+00:00

    Please can you advise when this will be sorted or what the alternative will be for one drive then?

    This is an absolute mess and headache - we have 15 users... you can just imagine the frustration we have to deal with not being able to share and sync from local folders.

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