OneDrive shared folders in File Explorer

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Something happened in the wee hours of this morning where OneDrive folders that are being shared with me are no longer accessible through File Explorer. They are only accessible through an Internet Shortcut. This means that any programs and/or scripts that I have written that have previously accessed files in these shared folders no longer work. Things were working fine until sometime after 6:30 am (EST) this morning. (I have a scheduled task that ran successfully at 6:30 but failed at 7:30 – and every hour since because the folder is not available).

This happens on 2 PC’s with different OneDrive accounts where the same folder is shared from a 3rd OneDrive account. Both of the affected PC’s are running Windows 11 24H2 one of them the Pro version the other the Home version.

I’ve tried un-sharing and re-sharing the folders and confirmed that the option to “Always keep on this device” is set. But so far I haven’t been able to get the folders to appear as anything but Internet shortcuts.

A google search on the issue returned a couple of hits on the Microsoft Community forum. It appears that this is a known issue for over a year. Obviously it hasn’t been an issue for me until today so I’m trying to figure out what changed between 6:30 am and 7:30 am. There are only 2 entries in the System Event Log but those were the usual changing the BITS service from Demand Start to auto start and vice versa. I haven’t been able to find anything in other event logs either.

Has anyone else had this issue and found a way around it? Any help would be much appreciated.

Mike

 

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It would appear that the onedrive executable was updated at 7:01 am this morning. No log of the update appears in event viewer.
Is it possible to revert to an earlier version of onedrive.exe?

Mike

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Noticing the same issues for the past 2 days with multiple accounts. In addition, one specific shared folder that it is not even showing on OneDrive through the browser anymore.

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See if this helps? We were just chatting about this-

Why have my files moved to OneDrive?

Why do some Windows folders, like My Documents, move to OneDrive, seemingly without permission or warning.

As an intro to:

Outlook PST files and OneDrive

Why does moving Documents to OneDrive (a so-called “Backup”) stop Outlook from working with PST files

Master Documents with OneDrive

Is there a way to use Microsoft Word’s “Master Document” feature with OneDrive?  No, but only because Microsoft won’t fix it.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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Thank you Susan. Unfortunately after reviewing those links I couldn’t find anything that helped. All folders that are shared with my OneDrive account continue to appear as Internet shortcuts instead of Folders in File Explorer.

I did some more testing this morning and found that if I try sharing a new folder from any of the 3 accounts then they don’t appear in File Explorer at all, not even as Internet Shortcuts. If I log in to the OneDrive Account online I see the new folder listed and can access the files in it. But nothing in File Explorer.

 

 

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OneDrive sync suddenly failing. Yes, this just happened to our Strata shared folders on Sunday February 23rd. We have a master Strata PC with a folder tree of all our strata documents which we share to specific councilors so they can update files, add files, and generally work with the OneDrive files synced down to their local PCs.

This is SUDDENLY broken and our whole workflow is completely disrupted. We are not that experienced with reporting issues to Microsoft Support. I have written a complaint into the OneDrive Feedback link, but have no idea if that feedback will make it to HIGH priority.

I have used OneDrive for years and loved our ability to keep our master database of files and folders up-to-date through OneDrive’s backup and sync functionality.

I had just bought a new desktop PC and upgraded it to Windows 24H2 on December 21, 2024. I only had one tiny issue with Malwarebytes that they had a fix for. OneDrive was working perfectly as always until Sunday morning Feb 23, 2025 when I noticed all my local PC folders for the Shared master PC were missing. We are desperately trying to figure out how to work around this problem.

Please add me to your list of people having this problem. AskWoody may be able to apply more pressure get this fixed from Microsoft than little old me.

I am an active reader of the AskWoody newsletter and I knew about Susan Bradley’s continued warnings to hold off upgrading to 24H2, but because I bought this new PC, I thought I would start out with the most current Windows 11 offered. I am not sure if this OneDrive serious problem is only part of 24H2, but if it is, I now wish I taken Susan’s advice.

I will be reading your newsletter anxiously to see if a fix from Microsoft is announced.
Thanks for your tireless Windows Windows incites and articles.

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I’m not seeing issues here https://portal.office.com/servicestatus

but I do see “investigating” here https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/fixes-or-workarounds-for-recent-issues-in-onedrive-36110213-f3f6-490d-8cb7-3833539def0b

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/how-to-open-onedrive-shared-folders-in-file/3ca379e1-6109-42d9-93f6-60e072492dc8

Review this

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/add-and-sync-shared-folders-to-onedrive-for-home-8a63cd47-1526-4cd8-bd09-ee3f9bfc1504#bkmk_shortcuts

 

OneDrive shared folders shortcuts showing up as Internet Shortcuts

Issue

Some OneDrive shared folders shortcuts located in your My Files folder may show up as .url internet shortcuts instead of actual folders.

If you try to open the folder shortcut, it opens as a webpage (and you may be asked to sign in) instead of a folder.

Status

We are aware of the issue and are working on resolving it. The .url internet shortcuts will automatically convert back to a folder when the issue is resolved.

You can still access the shared folder content, but it will be via OneDrive.com

 

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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The same happened to me. In my case, I think it’s related to Windows 11 updating from 23H2 to 24H2. Still looking for a way out…

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Not related to windows version. I am still on 23H2 but with the same issue, and it occured randomly overnight on both of my laptops with the same onedrive account without any software updates, so it’s a server issue with onedrive accounts…

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Same issue here and it is very frustrating. Did not notice it until 3/1/2025 and had hoped a few days and PC restarts would resolve it. No such luck. Time to try and figure out how to get to Microsoft Support. Do not want to use the online version of Excel with all the work I have to do.

 

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I started having this issue morning of 2/28/25. My folder was there, I was working out of it in my File Explorer and then suddenly it gave me a popup error

“Location is not available”

“C:\Users\OneDrive <folder name reference> is unavailable. If the location is on this PC, make sure the device or drive is connected or the disc is inserted, and then try again. If the location is on a network, make sure you are connected to the network or internet, and then try again. If the location still can’t be found, it might have been moved or deleted.”

My permission had not been changed to the folder, it was not moved and I was/am connected to the network. My OneDrive app is running and says “Your files are synced”. When I log into my OneDrive account online, I can see the folder in my Shared tab as well as in My Files tab. The folder under My Files has an “up and to the right” arrow depicting a shortcut icon.

The “sync” button doesn’t show above any longer, no matter which folder I click on. If I select on one of MY folders, the options above are: “Share, Delete, Move to, Copy to, Download, Rename, and Create album from folder”. If I select the shared folder my options are “Share, Remove, Download, Rename”

Like others, I have tried removing the shortcut and adding it back while logged into OneDrive online. I have tried going to the app settings under Account and Choose Folders. In the window with the list of folders to “choose what you want to be available in your “OneDrive folder” the shared folder is not included in the list.  It’s like it doesn’t exist, even though I can see it in my online account.

In my File Explorer under OneDrive, I can see all my folders on OneDrive, including the shared folder, although it is only a URL shortcut link. I’ve tried selecting “Always keep on this device” as well as turning that off, neither make a difference. I also noticed the shared folder does not give the option to “Pin to Quick access” or Pin to Start” options.

Just trying to give as many details as possible to help in getting Microsoft what the issue really is. Like everyone else has stated, this is causing extreme disruption in workflow and keeping the integrity of files shared between multiple people and defeats the whole purpose of using OneDrive for that solution. It was working flawlessly until last week, so obviously it can work again we just need someone to take a serious look at what might have changed in their programming to cause the issue.

Please keep my in the loop on any updates.

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JUST MAYBE Microsoft may have suddenly fix it – my shared fold tree has become visible in File Manager again as of today March 3, 2025 at 10:33am Pacific time.

UPDATE – Suddenly without any MS updates being applied, my OneDrive syncing of our shared folder tree is WORKING AGAIN. See the attached snip below.   Today, March 3, 2025 about 10:33am pacific time, our shared folder tree is again shown in File Manager on both my PCs (Win11 24H2). Before the failure on February 22, 2025, the header shared folder used to be called “Documents 1”, but now is called “Documents – ‘s files”.

I will be the happiest guy if this syncing of our shared data tree stays in effect since this is the way OneDrive has worked for us for many years.

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I had one account that mysteriously fixed like that, but others are still not working. It seems pretty certain this is all tied to MS having two different web versions of OneDrive at the same time.

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I was so excited reading your update, but so far mine is still not working. Been a long day of work arounds as I can now no longer save directly into the Shared Folder from my desktop applications and have to save duplicates to then copy over to folder online. Ugh!!!!

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From the 07-Mar-2025 Neowin article Microsoft finally has update on OneDrive shared folders turning to internet shortcut links:

It has nearly been ten months with no fix in sight still for the issue. However, Microsoft finally has another update on it thanks to a response from the Microsoft OneDrive product group, and it is supposedly due to a backend migration issue that the tech giant is currently still performing.

However, it does not give any specific clue as to when this migration phase will be completed, though Microsoft is trying to “speed things up”: The message reads:

“This is related to a backend migration we are currently doing. Unfortunately, we do not fully support syncing shared folders when one user has migrated and the other has not . We are doing everything possible to speed things up so that the issue can be resolved as quickly as possible for users of the feature. When the accounts are migrated, there is an automatic logic that ensures that they return to a synced folder within a few days.”

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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.5487 * Firefox v136.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.25010.11-1.1.25010.7 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.2.7.167-1.0.5160 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783

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My shared folders turned into shortcuts too.

As a super user I am intrigued to investigate this and found that a shared folder within a single family package allows file explorer sync but not between 2 different family packages -possibly because one has been migrated and the other not.

What an inconvenience to to try work with Excel Online as there are so many features missing and “default date format” that are simply unavailable.

I hope this helps someone

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This morning when I opened File Explorer the shared folders are once again accessible directly instead of via an Internet shortcut.

Checking the date on the OneDrive.exe file shows 3/15/25 so that happened a few days ago. Its possible things have been working for those few days and I didn’t notice or else something changed on the backend since Saturday.

Hopefully it sticks – I didn’t change anything.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Alex5723

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You didn’t but Microsoft finished their back end migration that was causing the issue in the first place.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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Microsoft has fixed shared folders a couple of days ago

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Exactly the same issue is appearing at 2 accounts I have shared folders. Shortcuts to web have replaced folders in OneDrive for desktop.

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They should automatically change back since MS fixed the issue. Give it a day or two and let us know.

cheers, Paul

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We are sitting with the same issue, where folders were shared and suddenly changed to internet shortcuts.

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In Will Fastie’s Column on OneDrive in the 3/24 email:

My Microsoft Surface suddenly started displaying the same desktop as my Lenovo laptop.  I don’t want that either – the two computers are used for different purposes – as Will’s are.

I also discovered that Desktop had been turned on in OneDrive’s back on both computers.  When I turned Desktop off, most of the icons on both desktops disappeared!  That was not the action I intended.  Searching different Desktop folders on my Lenovo, in Users turned up nothing.  The disappeared icons were just gone.  Some were shortcuts to internet sites, that were also still ‘Favorites’ in Edge, so I got those back by copying the address from Edge.  But I’m having to manually rebuild the rest.  Bummer.  I guess that’s one way to clean out my desktop.

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Susan Bradley wrote:

You didn’t but Microsoft finished their back end migration that was causing the issue in the first place.

Where do you see that “Microsoft finished their back end migration”?  We are still seeing the same problem.

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This problem is still frustrating us here at our Strata.  Luckily, as Treasurer, my 2 PCs (both signed into my same Microsoft account) continues to be back to syncing correctly and mapping to real folders under my existing OneDrive tree as I reported back in my March 3rd post.

However, our Secretary’s new laptop PC trying to “Add shortcut to My Files” to the same shared folder is still just getting an internet link instead of the real replicated folder tree on her PC.

I cannot understand how Microsoft can break this fundamental sharing functionality that I and all of you have used and trusted for years.  If this continues for much longer, I am considering converting the whole master shared database of folders to Google Drive and using the “Google Drive for Desktop” sync tool to do our sharing on each of our councillor’s PCs.

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We have exactly same problem as everyone is describing here….team of 5 sharing files on Onedrive, have been using for 8 years with zero problems, suddenly end of Feb the folders turned to web links and we had to use docs like excel online…nightmare. we are now looking to change to Dropbox or another alternative due to MS apparent lack of urgency to fix this

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Still having the same problem.  Outlook.exe date April 5, 2025. 

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Mine is working again. I checked every week. Deleted the old shortcut (hyperlink) in my files and then recreate the link again from the folders shared with me by clicking “Add shortcut to my files”.

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Back in mid-February, I had reported this same disruptive sudden loss of OneDrive syncing of our master shared folder into our local PCs folder structure. We are a Strata Condo council with one central PC containing our database of folders and files under it’s OneDrive Documents folder. Myself (Treasurer) and 2 other councilors had the master database of folders shared and linked into our own local PC OneDrive folder tree. Suddenly, in mid-February, we all lost the OneDrive syncing. I opened a Microsoft Support ticket about this OneDrive failure and got a friendly reply that a Microsoft support person would phone me soon. However, before I got any phone call from Microsoft Support, suddenly within a week, the syncing on my PC was working again, but not on our Secretary’s PC until now.

It has taken about 3 months for OneDrive on the Secretary’s PC to suddenly start syncing again.  All of the folders in the shared master folder are once again visible in File Explorer.

Thus, as others have reported, this OneDrive failure probably has to do with some kind of Microsoft backend migration of OneDrive accounts to a new platform.

Just one other tip I’ve learned from researching this problem. Our councilors all have generic gmail addresses just used for email conversations, but these addresses are NOT the email addresses for their Microsoft accounts. In order for the receiving user to link a shared folder shortcut into their local OneDrive folder tree, the user sharing the folder must share to the email address of the receiver’s Microsoft account.

 

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