we have fix to onedrive shortcut on file explorer

Anonymous
2025-02-25T12:33:20+00:00

we found out that when I browse folders in MS Excel or Word, I can see the folder and it is not displayed as a placeholder. Therefore we copied the path of the last opened file from onedrive in MS Excel https://d.docs.live.net/.../foldres... etc. and mapped it as a network folder, then access via the explorer works. What do you think?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-02-26T19:46:30+00:00

    I tried this, and based on some very limited testing it seems to work!

    Here's a bit more info on what I did (Windows 11, 24H2):

    • As Krupička Lukáš described above, open a Microsoft app like Word or Excel, click on "open" and view the list of files recently opened. Find a file that is in the shared OneDrive folder you want to access. Right-click on the file and click on "Copy path to clipboard"
    • Open Windows Explorer (from the Start menu you can search for "File Explorer"), and navigate to your computer name. It should display you devices and drives, and any network locations you may have.
    • Click on "..." on the taskbar, and select "Map Network Drive"
    • In the "What network folder would you like to map?" window that comes up, click on "Connect to a Web site that you can use to store your documents and pictures." This will open a wizard that will help you create a shortcut to OneDrive. Click Next.
    • Click on "Choose a custom network location" and click Next.
    • In the "Specify the location of your website", paste (cntrl-v) the path that you copied in the first step above. (Mine started with https://d.docs.live.net/...)  You may have to trim items off the end of the path if you want the link to go to a higher level in the directory structure than the path you copied. Click Next. It may ask you to enter the credentials of the OneDrive account the folder was shared with, and it will ask you to provide a name for the shortcut.
    • When finished this should create a Network Location shortcut that you can see in Explorer under your computer. You can use it from Explorer or from within applications to browse to locate files.

    Compared to the way OneDrive used to work with shared folders, it's pretty sluggish. I assume this is because the folder isn't mirrored locally and synched back to the server. This probably also means it will be more fragile in terms on network connection issues, etc. But for me, at least this gives me a somewhat clumsy way to get running again.

    Thanks to Krupička Lukáš for the idea!

    Jason

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-02-26T21:56:43+00:00

    Hi Zain.M - MSFT!!

    I wanted to share my finding regarding this issue:

    I tried a reversed sharing between accounts and it worked!!

    Instead of sharing from the main account where we have all the information, i shared a folder from the previous "destination" account to the previous "sending" account and it worked!! This won't solve my problem, but maybe it can help someone to mitigate their issues with this problem.

    I also noticed that on the accounts that have NO "Search" on options the sharing experience is different from the accounts that HAVE "Search" on options, and i now think the accounts that have NO "Search" on options are the NEW ones, keep reading...

    About the versioning, i wondered if the OneDrive site had any kind of version, so i investigated the page source and i found different versioning between the accounts, here are some examples:

    Account currently sending the shared folder:
    https://res-1.cdn.office.net/files/odsp-web-prod_2025-02-07.009/odclightspeedwebpack.manifest/plt.listviewdataprefetch.js https://res-1.cdn.office.net/files/odsp-web-prod_2025-02-07.009/odclightspeedwebpack.manifest/186.js

    Account currently receiving the shared folder and not working as it should: https://res-1.cdn.office.net/files/odsp-web-prod_2025-02-14.011/odclightspeedwebpack.manifest/plt.listviewdataprefetch.js
    https://res-1.cdn.office.net/files/odsp-web-prod_2025-02-14.011/odclightspeedwebpack.manifest/188.js

    Notice the different versioning? I think this is what is causing the issues:
    1. Folder sharing between same versions - WORKS

    2. Folder sharing from new version to old version - WORKS3. Folder sharing from old version to new version - DOESN'T WORK

    I really hope this is useful to help fix the issues!!

    I posted more here:

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/folders-shared-with-me-are-syncing-as-internet/6abc9383-6072-4562-b4fa-370c4ea8ce49?page=52 https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/onedrive-shared-folders-are-now-a-url-shortcut-i/9cf793c2-c66a-4ebd-b740-2e8485831266?page=52

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-02-27T09:25:18+00:00

    Just to add - on top of the dreaded URL shortcuts, this update broke some scripts I am using to deal with Live Photos that call OneDrive API. So, digging deeper, it seems that the root cause that no-one from Microsoft is willing to admit is that they're migrating users from the old OneDrive backend (API endpoint https://api.onedrive.com/v1.0/ ) to a new SharePoint backend (like OneDrive for Business is using, API https://my.microsoftpersonalcontent.com/_api/v2.1/ ). You can see these links i.e. in browser developer tab when using OneDrive, but for now it does seem to correlate to the missing/present "Search" in settings indeed.

    I just wish they'd migrate whole family subscription at once, this is beyond user unfriendly.

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-03-21T12:50:58+00:00

    This is a workaround, not a fix. Since the "Map to drive" functionality will break any links, it isn't a very good one.

    Microsoft just has to get its sheet together on this one.

    We know the problem is that they are migrating accounts from one backend to another.

    The problem occurs when the account SHARING a folder is on the new backend and the account RECEIVING shared folder is on the old backend.

    They have said "we're trying to accelerate the migrations so that they are done faster and no one has this "differing backend" problem.

    Everyone who HAS the problem should:

    • tell Microsoft "Look, we know we have the problem, so here is my MSA, so you can queue it to be done FIRST in the queue"
    • Use Microsoft support on X or any other DIRECT method you have of telling them this.
    • Don't bother with anything really technical here as Microsoft isn't listening and there is a 90% chance you'll get bogus info.

    If we do that, and Microsoft takes our advice as IMPORTANT customers, everyone who has the problem will get it fixed, and everyone else can still wait as long as it takes to migrate the backends.

    Really, Microsoft, though... you're seriously telling us that it takes from AT LEAST June of 2024 until now to get all the accounts migrated? Seems unlikely.

    If you want another, maybe more staightforward workaround, just click on the shared URL. file. That will take you to the OneDrive site. From there, find the file you want to open, and click the three dots ... After that, click on "Open" and then "Open in App".

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  5. Anonymous
    2025-02-26T09:17:33+00:00

    Hi, Krupička Lukáš

    Thanks for posting in the community. 

    The shared folder in OneDrive becomes .Internet shortcut is indeed a long-standing problem. Recently, more users may be affected due to some updates.

    We are glad that your efforts have brought some good results, which may help other users refer to this method to reduce the impact on work and life.

    According to your description, you seem to copy the path (cloud address) of the last opened file through OneDrive in the Office application, and then map the address as a network folder and access it through Explorer.

    We are on the same side as the users and we are also waiting for this issue to be resolved. We welcome any suggestions that may help users solve their problems.

    Thank you again for your careful observation and hard work!

    Best Regards,  Zain.M - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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