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
    2025-04-17T02:36:26+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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  2. 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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  3. Anonymous
    2025-04-15T02:12:17+00:00

    Hello Dear User  Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

    I realize that you've encountered a problem with OneDrive shared folders and I understand how you feel.

    We take the situation you described very seriously. At present, Microsoft has confirmed that this is a known issue,

    Best Regards.  Lee-MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

    I truly hope that this issue is resolved soon since it has been an issue for a while. Would like notification when this issue is resolved.

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-04-15T01:18:14+00:00

    Also still waiting on a solution, it should NOT take 6+ weeks for this to be fixed!

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  5. Anonymous
    2025-04-15T01:05:32+00:00

    Solved in my case. After I followed these steps.

    Context: I use a M2 Macbook Air. Office 365 Family subscription. I am not the owner of the subscription, but a part of the family member. Someone in my 365 family shared some folders with me. I added those shared folders as links to my drive (in OneDrive online). They used to work fine as folders on my system, but for the last month or so, they used to show up as links, instead of folders on my system.

    Today I saw that OneDrive app received an update and was updated already 3 days ago on my system, but the issue persisted.

    OneDrive app version: 25.051.0317.0003

    Steps I followed to fix this:

    1. Synced my entire OneDrive with the cloud (screenshot below)Image
    2. Unlinked my account from my mac. Left-click OneDrive icon from menubar -> click gear icon (help & settings) -> click "Preferences" -> click "Accounts" -> click "Unlink this mac"
    3. Went to OneDrive online (using my browser -> onedrive.live.com) -> removed all folder shortcuts. Added them back. NOTE: This step may be redundant. I skipped this step before, but that did not solve it the last time. This could be because this is a crucial step, or that MSFT actually solved the issue with this recent update. I am clueless.
    4. Logged into OneDrive app again on my mac, and waited for the first time sync. Once the sync was done, everything was working fine.

    Hope this helps.

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