OneDrive – Shared folders can no longer sync locally since yesterday

Anonymous
2025-03-06T21:28:30+00:00

I have been experiencing an issue with the synchronization of shared OneDrive folders that started yesterday. Until now, I could successfully add shared folders to my OneDrive and have them sync locally, but now the folder is only appearing as a shortcut/link and is no longer treated as a regular folder in my OneDrive storage.

Problem:

  • Until yesterday, I could add shared folders to my OneDrive folder, and they would automatically sync so I could use the files directly on my PC.
  • Since yesterday, the shared folder is now only appearing as a link/shortcut, and it is not syncing locally.
  • The folder remains visible as an online link in the OneDrive Explorer, but I can't use it as a normal folder.
  • This affects all shared folders, both from external users and internal ones.
  • This change occurred suddenly on March 5, 2025, and was not present before.

What I have tried:

  1. Added the folder for synchronization again: This results in a link, not an actual sync.
  2. Updated the OneDrive client: I have installed the latest version of OneDrive, but the problem persists.
  3. Reinstalled OneDrive: I uninstalled and reinstalled OneDrive to fix any potential issues, but the problem remains.
  4. Cleared cache and stored credentials: This did not resolve the issue either.
  5. Checked the settings for a solution: I have reviewed all relevant options, but haven’t found a solution.

Questions:

  1. Was this feature intentionally changed by Microsoft, or is this a bug?
  2. Is there any way to reverse this change or make shared folders sync locally again like before?
  3. Is it possible to sync shared folders without the online link appearing?
  4. What steps should I take to resolve this issue?

Additional Information:

  • I am using OneDrive for Personal and syncing multiple folders from different users.
  • The files are still available online, but I am no longer able to use them offline as I did before.

I would greatly appreciate your assistance in resolving this issue. Thank you for your support!

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-03-17T09:08:35+00:00

    Been facing this issue as well. Its seriously a huge problem. Is there a different solution for the same? I will stop using it

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-03-16T05:35:41+00:00

    Starting to wonder what the legal recourse would be for this. They are advertising a service they are not providing, which here in AU is considered highly illegal.

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    5 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2025-03-15T14:22:01+00:00

    I am experiencing the same issue. Both on macOS and Windows 11. This is breaking my workflow.

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    4 people found this answer helpful.
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  4. Anonymous
    2025-03-13T14:42:08+00:00

    I regret to see this event unfold, but I have seen before how a problem is handled by Microsoft, such as this onea few years back about tags in OneDrive. It appeared that the ability to create tags for photos in OneDrive suddenly disappeared. Moderators chimed in as well as people relaying results from calling Microsoft that "they are aware of the issue," that "engineers were deployed," that "Microsoft understands the concern," and that "the problem would be soon resolved." It never happened. I recommended to people that for those where tags were important, to pick a date (I suggested the start of the next month from my comment) where if it was not resolved, to find another service or in-house solution. That day came and went, and no solution at the time was provided. I checked in 6mo later and still no solution.

    Microsoft is a large company with vast resources and intelligent people. Professional development goes through a development environment, then testing and finally provisions for rollback. They would not deploy a change to the entire user population in one go. If they didn't follow due process, then you would wonder if you should rely on them in the future for your cloud storage.

    This sort of thing is unlikely to happen by chance. Dropbox has been shared cloud files on the desktop without flaw, and I'm sure it is a simple thing that Microsoft can handle. I wonder if this is how they get people either to stop using the feature to free up their resources or to pay a premium without having to announce it. We just renewed our M365 subscription for a 38% increase (CPI here was 2.4% for 2024) and today received a notice telling us Skype calls and Publisher are being cancelled (so reduced value) and now no more inclusion of shared folders with File Explorer.

    I would recommend you adopt the same approach that I recommended with the tags issue. Pick a date after which you will search for a new service and move your files. You could wait indefinitely, wasting time. The longer it goes, the more solid the demonstration that your files are in an unreliable place if they don't follow best practices. (It's a shared folder this time—what's next?) For some, this is not too critical, so they'll wait a couple months; others need this now and will pick the end of the month at most.

    I have to now deal with a client who just signed up their business and asks me for help with secure file storage. What do I tell them?

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  5. Anonymous
    2025-03-13T12:37:51+00:00

    Can you please define "certain period of time"?

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