Recent Discussions
OneDrive sync causes workflow inefficiencies and UX issues in Microsoft 365 and File Explorer
I would like to describe some workflow issues caused by the current integration between OneDrive, Windows, File Explorer, and Microsoft 365 apps. I understand that OneDrive is designed to synchronize files across devices, but in some scenarios the current behavior creates unnecessary delays, especially with slow internet connections or large synchronization queues. 1. Exported Microsoft 365 files are not immediately available in the selected OneDrive folder When exporting a Microsoft 365 file, for example exporting a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint document to PDF, the user can select a OneDrive-synced folder as the destination. However, the exported file is not always immediately visible or accessible in that folder through Windows File Explorer. From the user’s perspective, it seems that the file is first saved into a temporary or internal Microsoft 365/OneDrive staging location, then uploaded to OneDrive, and only later appears in the actual synced folder through the normal synchronization process. The issue is not that the file is never stored locally, but that it is not immediately available in the location explicitly selected by the user. This creates practical problems. After exporting a PDF, I may need to quickly locate it in File Explorer to copy it elsewhere, attach it, upload it to another platform, or use it in a web tool to merge it with other PDFs. However, even though I selected a OneDrive folder as the destination, the file may not be available there right away. A related issue is that Microsoft 365 or Windows may open the exported file through a browser or web link instead of opening the local file directly. This can trigger login prompts, open the web version of Office, and interrupt the expected desktop workflow. Expected behavior: When saving or exporting a file to a OneDrive-synced folder, the file should become immediately visible and accessible in the selected folder in File Explorer, while OneDrive continues uploading or syncing it in the background. If the user selected a local OneDrive path, Microsoft 365 should prioritize the local file workflow and avoid redirecting to the browser unless explicitly requested. 2. File duplication inside OneDrive should use both cloud-side copy and local optimization Another issue occurs when duplicating or copying a file that is already stored in OneDrive, especially within the same OneDrive account. Currently, the process may behave like a traditional local copy: the file is downloaded if needed, copied locally, and then uploaded again as a new file. This is inefficient when OneDrive already has the source file in the cloud and the operation is simply a copy within the same account. Ideally, OneDrive should combine two optimizations: Perform a cloud-side copy when possible, so the duplicated file appears quickly in OneDrive online and on other devices. Reuse the local cache when available, so the current device does not unnecessarily download and re-upload the same data. This would make copied files appear faster on other devices as online-only placeholders, ready to be downloaded later if the user opens them or marks them as available offline. The other device should not have to wait for the first computer to download, copy, re-upload, and then synchronize the change. Expected behavior: When copying or duplicating a OneDrive file within the same account, OneDrive should use a cloud-side copy whenever possible, while also reusing local data when available. The copied file should appear quickly across devices as an online-available item, without forcing a redundant download, local copy, upload, and synchronization cycle. 3. OneDrive does not dynamically prioritize files the user needs immediately A third issue appears when OneDrive has a large backlog of pending synchronization changes, especially after using another computer. In this situation, OneDrive seems to follow its own synchronization order, even if the user opens a specific folder or tries to access a specific file urgently. For example, if there are hundreds or thousands of pending changes, and I need one specific document, that file may remain unavailable until OneDrive reaches it in the queue. Even when I navigate directly to the folder or attempt to open the file, OneDrive does not seem to move that item to the top of the sync priority. Expected behavior: OneDrive should dynamically adjust synchronization priority based on user activity. If the user opens a folder, selects a file, or attempts to open a cloud-only item, that file and its immediate dependencies should be prioritized over the general sync queue. Summary of requested improvements I believe these issues could be improved with smarter local and cloud prioritization: Exported or saved files should become immediately visible in the OneDrive folder selected by the user. Microsoft 365 should avoid opening exported files through a browser when the local file workflow is expected. Copying files within the same OneDrive account should use cloud-side copy operations when possible. Local file data should be reused to avoid unnecessary download and upload cycles. Copied files should appear quickly on other devices as online-available placeholders. OneDrive should prioritize files and folders the user is actively trying to access. Is this behavior expected, or are there settings to make OneDrive prioritize local file availability, cloud-side copy operations, and currently accessed files more intelligently?
Moving files out of unlinked, unsynced and disabled onedrive
I am out of storage space on my PC -Windows 11 and get reminders of that everyday. To help solve that problem I would like to move MyDocuments (a huge file) to Drive D. Here is the potential problem. I unlinked, unsynced and removed OneDrive in 2020, or so I thought. I still see the OneDrive symbol in Microsoft Explorer above the line from Drive C and other drives. Most of my files are accessible in Drive C, but not MyDocuments, Desktop, and some others. They can only be opened thru OneDrive. This always puzzled me, but since all my files are accessible to me, I haven't worried about it. Now I'm concerned that OneDrive still has its tentacles around some of my files. MyDocuments and Desktop are being updated, but my files in the cloud are seriously out of date. What does that tell me? If they are still tied to OneDrive somehow, does that complicate the removal of those files to Drive D?
Storage full but only 1% used
I am not an IT high knowledge. Can use programs but don't always understand how tings work. I have onedrive with 1TB storage. I am wanting to use the account for backup of my files on laptop. When I look at Manage my storage it says 1% in use but when I try to place folders/files onto onedrive it says not enough space. I cannot understand this. I've tried emptying the recycling bin but cannot seem to be able to delete anything - either in one go or individual files. Instructions say "Delete in Navigation Bar" but not on my screen! Can anyone help me please?Problem with Docusign inn
Hello, I have been using Microsoft 365 Family with Word Online and OneDrive for a long time, and the "Request Signature" feature worked perfectly until the last three months. Now, every time I click Request Signature, I receive the following error: "We couldn't connect to the ‘{0}’ catalog server for this add-in." I found your announcement about the retirement of the Legacy DocuSign for SharePoint integration, and I'm trying to determine whether this is the cause of the issue. My questions are: Is Microsoft 365 Family still supported for the Request Signature feature in Word Online? Do I need to migrate to Microsoft 365 Business to continue using this feature? If so, which Microsoft 365 Business plan do you recommend, and will my current DocuSign account continue to work after the migration? I have already cleared my browser cache, signed out and back in, and tested different browsers, but the issue persists. Thank you for your assistance.Problem with OneDrive-Docusign
Hello, I have been using Microsoft 365 Family with Word Online and OneDrive for a long time, and the "Request Signature" feature worked perfectly until recently. Now, every time I click Request Signature, I receive the following error: "We couldn't connect to the '{0}' catalog server for this add-in." I found your announcement about the retirement of the Legacy DocuSign for SharePoint integration, and I'm trying to determine whether this is the cause of the issue. My questions are: Is Microsoft 365 Family still supported for the Request Signature feature in Word Online? Do I need to migrate to Microsoft 365 Business to continue using this feature? If so, which Microsoft 365 Business plan do you recommend, and will my current DocuSign account continue to work after the migration? I have already cleared my browser cache, signed out and back in, and tested different browsers, but the issue persists. Thank you for your assistance.Please help, OneDrive sync and missing/deleted work files
I have OneDrive installed on both my PC and laptop because I use OneNote sometimes. The other day while I was on my PC, OneDrive randomly decided to sync my laptop and PC, I think, and all my files from my laptop were on my PC. This is a big problem because my PC is for personal use and laptop for work. Then I deleted some files thinking they were still on my laptop anyways. But today when I opened my laptop, all of my work files were gone. My desktop was just my PC desktop. I need help because the work files were really really important and I'm freaking out. Why would OneDrive do this? They are separate, I don't want them synced. Please help. Can I recover them?
onedrive sync issues
Hi We use OneDrive for Business and need a solution for sharing files and folders among a team while maintaining proper access permissions. Currently, each team member's Desktop and Documents folders are synced with their own personal OneDrive for Business account. In addition, we have a separate common OneDrive account that has been added to all team members' PCs, and all team members have Owner permissions on that account. When a user creates a folder or saves a file in the shared OneDrive location, it is actually being created under the common OneDrive account, not in the user's personal OneDrive. While this allows everyone to access the same files, we frequently experience synchronization conflicts and sync issues between users. What is the Microsoft-recommended approach for this type of collaboration? Is using a common OneDrive account with multiple owners a supported best practice, or should we instead use a SharePoint document library (or another Microsoft 365 solution) for shared team files, permissions, and reliable synchronization? ThanksOneDrive free up space catastrophic failure?
Hi, I recently did "free up space" on my Pixel 9. I had to do it 3 times because of the amount of pictures and it only allows to delete a certain amount each time. Now some of my pictures are NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. Not on my phone, not on OneDrive. More specifically, 2 albums that are very important to me and I spent countless hours making. They are not in any trash either. Is there any hope to get my pictures back ? Thanks.
Sort by Name not proper for numbered files.
Just trying to understand the logic of OneDrive's "Sort by Name" when it comes to numbers. Take a look at the below. "9-26" shouldn't be coming before "9-3". The number 26 should be perceived as after 3. I cannot honestly say I've seen that issue with other storage services.
URGENT: Tenant Linked & New Licenses Active, Need Manual Sync Triggered (Ticket #2606160040010375)
Hello Community Managers and Microsoft Moderators, I am writing to request an urgent escalation to a Data Protection and Billing Supervisor regarding our open case: TicketID#2606160040010375 for our nonprofit, R. Fathers M.A.D., Inc. Our legacy grant subscription lapsed on May 27, and we purchased our new active subscription on June 15—a lapse of exactly 19 days. Current Status: The Data Protection Team has successfully linked our accounts. Our new June 15 subscription is confirmed Active in our Billing dashboard. All new licenses have been successfully assigned to our active users. Frontline support ran an eDiscovery search that came back empty because the metadata indexing pointers were severed during the grant decommissioning. Because we acted within the initial 30-day window, our data sits well within the 90-day retention threshold. We have completed 100% of the front-end setup steps on our end. We need a Community Manager to internally flag TicketID#2606160040010375 so a Tier-3 engineer can manually trigger the backend data re-index. This will reconnect our intact SharePoint and OneDrive files to our newly mapped user profiles. Our nonprofit operations are completely halted until this sync is pushed. Thank you for your immediate help.
OneDrive stuck on "signing in"
Hi, I'm trying to use Onedrive and Onenote, but it seems to be really terrible 50% of the time. Sometimes when I log on my pc, it says I have to log in, and in doing so, is stuck on a "signing in" loop, until it says some error code about me not having an internet connection. Here's what I've tried: 1. Close and open Onedrive 2. Removing auth from the pc and adding it again 3. Reinstalling Onedrive 4. Change Wi-Fi 5. Do a /reset in Windows run AND cmd 6. Update drivers 7. Install the newest Onedrive from the website 8. Try the app-version found in Windows Store What am I supposed to do? I don't want to restart my pc every time it doesn't work, that's a terrible fix.Outlook attachments and OneDrive recent files
In Outlook Web App and the new Outlook app, the Add Attachment button displays 3 Suggested files and allows you to browse OneDrive. When you choose OneDrive, it displays a list of Recent files. What criteria is used to determine the list of suggested and recent files? I've seen very random behaviour. Sometimes, I'll open a document in SharePoint Online and when I try to attach it to an Outlook emial, it appears in the Suggested files list and the Recent files straight away. Other times it only shows up after I reload the browser tab. It's more likely to show up as one of the 3 suggested files, without needing a refresh. However I've also had it show up under OneDrive Recent files only. It doesn't appear to detect new files uploaded to SharePoint Online or OneDrive. For example, I download a PDF from another website and save it to a folder on my computer that syncs back to SharePoint Online. I then want to email this PDF to someone, but it's not available from the Outlook attachments button. I need to open the file before it shows up under the Outlook attachments button. It would be much more useful if Outlook picked up on files I recently created as well as opened.
I cannot sync Samsung Gallery with OneDrive
I recently changed my password to outlook and since then my photos sync between gallery and onedrive stopped working. It says I need to sign in again. I did so, I got logged in with the work flow and then I can see only half empty screen asking for permissions between Samsung account and Microsoft. I cant proceed or do anything else than just close the app. It's galaxy S25 ultra, 8.5 one UI. Checked on my other device and it's exactly the same. Screenshot is here: https://imgur.com/a/D87FNP3
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