Microsoft OneDrive file sync apps for Windows, Mac broken for 10 months
- Reference: 1744668546
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/04/14/microsoft_onedrive_file_sync_apps_broken/
- Source link:
Ten months on, with no real fix and only vague noises from Microsoft, it looks as though Redmond may have forgotten about the matter.
OneDrive users on both OSes [1]complained that their shared folders no longer [2]appeared in their local OneDrive directories and had instead been replaced with .url files linking to OneDrive's web interface. The change effectively broke offline access and syncing, with users reporting the issue to Microsoft through community forums and support channels.
[3]
The Windows maker acknowledged the problem as a known bug and told users it was under investigation, but offered no immediate fix beyond suggesting they wait.
[4]
[5]
"We are in the process of gathering certain information and launching an active investigation," a Microsoft representative said early in the thread. "Although we are aware of the issue, it always takes some time to fix the problem."
And yes, it's been a while — especially for users still staring at broken shared folders and .url shortcuts instead of synced content.
[6]
Microsoft's last statement in the Answers thread was back in June, but user complaints haven't slowed. One of the most recent? A [7]sarcastic thank-you to Redmond for nearly a year without a fix.
Meanwhile, reports continue to stack up on the Microsoft Feedback Portal. One user shared a response from OneDrive support acknowledging the bug and pointing to changes in how shared folders are handled. A Microsoft MVP who followed up with Redmond said the issue is tied to a backend migration that's still in progress — and syncing won't return to normal until that's complete.
The culprit appears to be OneDrive's "shortcut" model for shared folders, which swaps out traditional sync for a web-only link. It's a migration — just not the kind users were hoping for.
[8]M365 Family users wake up to notice 'Your subscription expired'
[9]Microsoft ducks politico questions on Copilot bundling and lack of consent
[10]Copilot for Microsoft 365 might boost productivity if you survive the compliance minefield
[11]Microsoft total recalls Recall totally to Copilot+ PCs
Another user [12]quoted Microsoft as saying: "We don't fully support syncing shared folders in the case where one user has migrated and the other has not. We're doing everything possible to accelerate things so that it can be resolved as soon as possible for users of the feature. When the accounts are migrated, there is automated logic that makes them go back to a syncing folder within several days."
They are too busy cramming Copilot into everything to fix a showstopper bug that they caused
Given this particular OneDrive error has been going on for ten months, that's one slow migration, and users aren't happy.
"They are too busy [13]cramming Copilot into everything to fix a showstopper bug that they caused," one remarked. "Small business users should just give up on this," another said, reflecting a growing sense that Microsoft 365 Family and personal accounts are bearing the brunt of the problem — while enterprise users seem unaffected. "Microsoft don't care."
[14]
Plenty of workarounds have been suggested, but the reader who brought this issue to our attention shared that none of them have worked. Others have reported temporary success, but not a permanent solution.
Given this is a problem that likely affects a decent number of El Reg readers, we've reached out to Microsoft to get some answers beyond what's been said already, but haven't heard back yet. We'll keep pressing for one and will update this story if we hear back. ®
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[1] https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/idea/f5169dfd-5427-ef11-8ee8-6045bdafcd41
[2] https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/mac-onedrive-app-shared-folders-dont-appear-in/a9e0ef94-63a6-4522-94a2-9cac9fffd111?page=1
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z_3Zyl6-MsYpXT5Ifr1qtQAAAYw&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z_3Zyl6-MsYpXT5Ifr1qtQAAAYw&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z_3Zyl6-MsYpXT5Ifr1qtQAAAYw&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z_3Zyl6-MsYpXT5Ifr1qtQAAAYw&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/mac-onedrive-app-shared-folders-dont-appear-in/a9e0ef94-63a6-4522-94a2-9cac9fffd111?page=18
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/10/not_just_you_microsoft_365/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/21/microsoft_365_hikes/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/04/copilot_microsoft_365_compliance/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/11/microsoft_windows_recall/
[12] https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/folders-shared-with-me-are-syncing-as-internet/6abc9383-6072-4562-b4fa-370c4ea8ce49?page=41
[13] https://forums.theregister.com/forum/all/2023/05/10/microsoft_copilot_ai/
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z_3Zyl6-MsYpXT5Ifr1qtQAAAYw&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Why should Microsoft care?
if it's broken, if you lose your files, it's not like most people have any alternative.
There's no real competition to desktop Windows or Office for most users. Yes, I know Linux, Google and Apple are there, but for most home and office users, it is a Microsoft world, and Microsoft owns that world as a monopolist.
The Android OneDrive app keeps turning off Camera Backup and re-enabling the useless Memories feature. I've reported it again and again for 2 years but no chane to app, no response from Microsoft.
Dear Microsoft:
Have you tried rebooting the OneDrive servers?
Did you do it three times?
Fucks sake
Onedrive/sharepoint sync is already unreliable. I’ve got one customer who had to stop using it because it just kept failing to sync.
Even now, there are always sync errors. Multiple people editing the same file doesn’t always work. It’s just, as usual, typical Microsoft.
Re: Fucks sake
"Even now, there are always sync errors. Multiple people editing the same file doesn’t always work. It’s just, as usual, typical Microsoft."
Are that many entities in need of applications where multiple people are working on the same file? For CAD applications, I can see it as some projects are very involved and groups meet at the interfaces. For office applications? Too many cooks and all that. For a large project, I see a better approach of people working on "chapters" that slot into a master document with work on any one section accessible by one user at a time. It's that or somebody takes other's work and compiles it into a single document.
I see tons of "functionality" being implemented just because it can rather than for it being useful. The problem becomes when it doesn't work or has glitches, there's no workflow to do the job any other way. Companies are also fond of just dropping support when it no longer suits them to keep on supporting it.
How is it possible to release something when the major feature is fundamentally broken ?
Then again its. great advertisement for Co-pilot somehow.