Forum Discussion
Windows One Drive shared folder suddenly become shortcut instead of folders
Hi,
I am having an issue that I need help with. I have my One Drive account for several years. I have my main account signed in on my laptop. I have 4 other users sharing their folder with edit access to my main account. I add them as short cut to my main account. In the past, on my laptop, they function as folders. Meaning, I can move, delete, add files and they essentially function as a folder. Now, all my shared folder from my other users suddenly becomes short cut. When I open the folder, it brings me to the browser for me to sign in and view them. This never happened before and I am not sure what caused it. Please help.
Edit Update: I am able to fix this by logging into One Drive with my other user account. Seems like not all accounts are affected only some. I know its not a fixed but at least a temporary solution. The problem seems to be on Microsoft side and I hope they fixed it soon or else I will be going to Google Drive.
Update 2: This issue was ongoing since June 7, 2024. As of today, June 19, 2024 it still has not been fixed. Also, one of the Always on device folder on my laptop start deleting stuff on its own. I had to disble the always on device to get it to stop. Great job Microsoft, the most valueable company in the world. I think I will be moving to Google Drive.
CAN you pleasee fix this!
or I'll be forced to work with some other platform for sharing folders!!!It's March 2025 already and you (Microsoft) still have not fixed the problem that you found in June 2024. Something is really wrong with Microsoft.
You should have source control and I suppose you use Git. You should be able to trace back who did that and how to revert back.
Can't you employ qualified software engineers?
When you found out the cause, you should fire the person(s) responsible for this chaos!
Same problem with OneDrive here. Shared folders became internet shortcuts suddenly without any action from me! The online app does not give you the option to download the online folders as proper desktop folders in desktop OneDrive.
This is going on for a week
Hello Guys, are there any updates on this problem?
Hi Everyone - this issue hit me today, in Feb 2025, some 8 or 9 months since this thread was created. How is it that MS haven't fixed this issue? Does anyone know of a fix. I want to be able to see and navigate a shared folder in File Explorer where it opens the acual Word/Excel apps, rather than the cloud/online versions.
What a disaster. Had a call with MS tech support who were clueless and didn't even seem to know this was an issue for people.
I posted related this issue one of my work account in September 2024 and also contacted customer care regarding this issue. No proper answer from their side. From Feb 26 2025, this problem occurred in all of my shared files. I don't think microsoft is taking this as a issue. Planning to change the cloud service if this issue is not resolved😬
Hello Guys, are there any updates on this problem?
I faced this problem since last week on 5 devices "not all of them related in one drive account" and we tried a lot of solutions, nothing worked with us!Please if there is anyone can help me.
- Ok Guys, after 3 months, I've found a solution!
the problem comes from the account itself. So you need to create another account (in our case we used the email address removed for privacy reasons from our company). Log off the previous user and log in with the new one. Then go to the main account you can share again the folders you need with this new user. On the new user profile (online) you click on the "add a shortucut to this folder to my files" and magic, it will create a regular folder in windows explorer like before.
In our case only one computer out of 3 was affected by that, but since yesterday everything works pefectly fine now!!!
Microsoft are aware of the problem and "are working on it"... 3 months with nothing, really poor customer service.
But at least we can work again with one drive normaly
Good luck.Do I create another account with OneDrive and pay another fee, or add another user onto the account I currently have already?
I'm not sure that works for a personal user though - I don't think we can create additional users under a personal account.
Hi! I wrote a long reply to your post which doesn't seem to have been saved (but if it turns up, ignore the following!).
I have exactly the same problem which only appeared this week. I am trying to follow your workaround but I'm struggling to follow some of the steps. Can you help?
Let's suppose that I am User 1 and User X has shared a OneDrive folder with me. It shows up in my online account, I click to add to MyFiles but it only appears as a shortcut in File Explorer. Now let's turn to your workaround. I should log out of User 1 and create another account (User 2) and log into that online. Then do I share User X's folder from User 1 to User 2 (and is that possible)? Assuming that works, wouldn't I need to remain logged in as User 2 in order to access it fully? I still need access to the normal User 1 folders in order to continue to work. Does this make any sense, and if so can you help? Thank you!
Hello,
We've had the problem again this week. We did our fix again today and it does work.
So let's recap Following your logic:
"I should log out of User 1 and create another account (User 2) and log into that online" Correct
You also have to log in as User 2 on your computer, on the bottom right, where you have the cloud.
Then User X shars the folder to user 2.
when logged in as User 2, click on "add a shortucut to this folder to my files". and Voila!
"Assuming that works, wouldn't I need to remain logged in as User 2 in order to access it fully?" YES
"I still need access to the normal User 1 folders in order to continue to work" then you can just share all the content you need from User 1 to User 2. That will allow you to work normaly.
Hope this helps, good luck!
I am having the same problem and would like to try your workaround but I can't entirely follow it. Let's call my current account User 1. Someone else (User X) is sharing a folder with me which currently only appears as a shortcut, rather than a fully accessible folder in File Explorer. I follow that you have to log out from your original (User 1) account, create a new one (User 2) and log in online with that account, then 'add shortcut etc' (as above). What do you do from there? User 2 will have no folders - does (and can?) User 1 share the User X shared folder with User 2? But then you will have to remain logged in as User 2 when accessing the shared contents, whereas I need to use the shared contents when I am User 1. Help! Does this make any sense?! Thank you!
No. I'm starting to think they think it's a feature not a bug. I've been learning to work around this disaster unfortunately
ScottHuish What is the workaround? I decided to cancel my Onedrive and go with Google Drive.
- Same problem. Hope this gets fixed.
Same problem here, for Months. Is Microsoft sleeping?
- Now, after more than 3 weeks, still nothing! it's unbelivable.
We are not even able to sync new folders, it is impossible to have them as regular folders, we can just create these stupid links that open internet pages...
