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
    2025-04-15T06:41:58+00:00

    Another of our accounts is now back working, so they are obviously working through a phased release. In that case, it needed a couple of steps to get it working correctly as I had deleted the links on OneDrive on the PC but they were there on OneDrive on the Web, so OneDrive for Windows was stuck trying to synchronise the changes around them. In this case, deleting the links to the shared folders both on My Files on the Web and on the PC, and then recreating them from the Web (or from the Android App) then worked correctly, and they are now synchronising correctly.

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-04-17T02:36:26+00:00

    This issue is persistent. It affected one of my devices first, then affected the other device. I don't even have links; I just lose the viewability of the folder to synchronize at all in the file system, lose all of the content, no link replaces it, and it's only available if I log in to onedrive.com

    Whatever has been done thus far to address this has made the issue worse.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-04-17T12:54:18+00:00

    I don't have any shared folders or links on my PC anymore, the shared folders just disappeared from my Windows Explorer. Just to clarify your steps, you went One Drive on Web, went to My Files, deleted the shortcut to the Shared Folder, then recreated the shortcut to your shared folder in My Files, (still on the Web), and it started syncing to your pc?

    Did you have to take any steps on your PC to be able to see the files?

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-04-21T15:12:19+00:00

    Any update on this?

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  5. Anonymous
    2025-04-22T04:10:32+00:00

    Still waiting. I'm considering migrating to another cloud storage provider. It's outrageous.

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