Show hidden files and folders in one drive on my Ipad

Alfred Samuel 0 Reputation points
2026-08-27T14:25:38.4266667+00:00

I have the one drive app on my IPad Pro. It shows some but not all one drive folders files and photos i know to be in one drive that I can normally see when I look at one drive on my pc at home. I’m traveling and I want to unhide hidden files photos and folders in one drive here on my iPad while traveling. Please help.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | Other | iOS
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  1. Diana Mariz 10,910 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-27T16:50:35.55+00:00

    Hi Alfred,

    As per checking, this is a limitation with the of OneDrive app on iPad. Hidden files and folders are synced to OneDrive, but the iPad app does not have any option to display items marked with the Windows “hidden” attribute. Which is the reason why you see them on your PC but not on your iPad, and the only way to make them visible across devices is to remove the hidden attribute on your PC before syncing.

    After that, they'll appear normally in OneDrive on iPad and web version. Therefore, the ability of showing hidden files is not about syncing, its more about iPad app not supporting hidden files visibility

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-27T14:25:54.3966667+00:00

    OneDrive on iPad does not have a supported “show hidden files/folders” setting in the provided guidance. For files or folders that appear on a PC but not on the iPad, use these supported checks:

    1. Search on the OneDrive website first.
      • Sign in to OneDrive on the web.
      • Use Search everything at the top.
      • Search by filename, but also try descriptions, tags, dates, and places.
      • Note: files in Personal Vault do not appear in search results.
    2. Check the Recycle bin on the OneDrive website.
      • If the item is there, select it and choose Restore.
    3. On the iPad, search local storage through the Files app.
      • If the file was saved outside OneDrive or has not synced yet, it may only be visible there.
    4. Reset the OneDrive iOS app if files are not being found.
      • In OneDrive, go to Profile > Settings > Account.
      • If more than one account is configured, select the account.
      • Select Reset.
    5. If reset does not help, reinstall the app.
      • Uninstall the OneDrive app.
      • Restart the device.
      • Reinstall OneDrive from the App Store.
    6. If the missing items are photos, check whether they were never uploaded from the device.
      • On iOS, if photos are optimized for iCloud, they are not stored on the device and cannot be uploaded to OneDrive.
      • To disable that, go to Settings > iCloud > Photos and clear Optimize Storage.
    7. If the issue is only with unexpected or missing photos in Memories or On This Day, review camera upload source folders.
      • In OneDrive, select Me > Settings > Camera upload > Organise by source.
      • Check which folders are included or excluded.

    If files still are not found after search, recycle bin, reset, and reinstall, support agents cannot access the files directly. For technical support on a personal account, use Contact Microsoft Support from the support page, or open the OneDrive app and gently shake the device.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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