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
    2025-05-11T02:30:36+00:00

    @DigitalAmoeba, nice job summarising that. Thank you for taking the time. It makes sense now what causes the delay. I can see it would be too complicated (and maybe violate privacy) to find the links someone has to adjust the links to someone else's storage as it gets shifted to a new server.

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-05-11T04:47:33+00:00

    I can appreciate that such a migration takes a while, but it's been months where this is not working properly. It's beyond frustrating especially if you pay for this service.

    Surely there is a project plan with a timeline when this is due to be completed that can be shared with the community.

    Also, in my case it seems like accounts that belong to the same 'Family'/subscription are not migrated at the same time. I just hope it was at least considered but technically not feasible.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-05-11T10:11:21+00:00

    You would certainly hope there to be a high level plan/timescales for such a migration!
    Although I wouldn't hold your breath for Microsoft (or most large companies) to provide such useful information 😢

    And I agree that if they could group backend migrations on linked Family Plans/Subscriptions that would likely really help reduce the amount of time most people were feeling this pain.

    For info: Today I tried creating a new OneDrive folder with files on the account I need the mapped share from, and then sharing with full Edit permissions. As KellyMissey on Pg 11 here had said that worked for them.
    But no joy and I just got a web URL to OneDrive, not a proper folder or sync within Windows 😢
    Although KellyMissey said they tried that multiple times till it worked. I've only tried one atm

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-05-14T17:41:45+00:00

    This issue actually started several YEARS ago, I first noticed it on some accounts before 2021. But it has become far more widespread. Last year (2024) MS claimed the problem was due to a back end migration, and all would be fixed, with the links to become local folders again. That explanation isn't too credible after multiple years. MS has barely acknowledged this problem and apparently has no solution in sight. Considering all the MS pressure to use OneDrive for "all of your storage", it would be nice if this core component worked, like Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, and other cloud storage providers.

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  5. Anonymous
    2025-05-15T04:56:08+00:00

    It looks to me like they have removed the shared folder "Sync" functionality from OneDrive. The Sync button is still present on Sharepoint but is missing from OneDrive.

    My conclusion is that MS have decided to remove a very critical function from OneDrive without actually announcing that they would be doing it. Looks like we will all need to move to Google Drive to get the necessary functionality of syncing and accessing a shared drive.

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