Forum Discussion
Onedrive Web search : "Location" column always shows "My Files" for folders path
reproducible bug in the OneDrive web search results
Summary:
the "Location" column systematically displays "My Files" for folders, regardless of their actual location in the directory tree. This does not affect files — files correctly display their real path in the same column.
Expected behavior:
The "Location" column should display the actual parent path of the folder (e.g. My Files > Subfolder A > Subfolder B ...).
Actual behavior:
The "Location" column displays "My Files" for every folder result, regardless of where the folder actually sits in the hierarchy.
Note: The same search correctly shows the real path for files inside those same folders. The issue is exclusive to folder-type results.
Environment:
- Account type: Personal
- Reproducible: Yes, 100% consistently
Impact:
This makes it impossible to disambiguate between folders with the same name located in different parts of the tree when using search.
Please let me know if additional information or screenshots would help.
Thank you.
2 Replies
Yeah, I’ve noticed the same thing. In OneDrive web search, the “Location” column often just shows “My Files” instead of the actual folder path, especially for folders. It seems like a limitation of the current web interface rather than something on the user side. One workaround is to open the item and check its full path from there, or use the desktop app where the folder structure is shown more clearly. Hopefully Microsoft improves this in future updates because it can get confusing when you’re dealing with lots of folders.
When two folders share the same name but exist in different locations (e.g., Documents > Projects > Archive vs. Pictures > 2024 > Archive), the search results make them indistinguishable. Users cannot tell which folder is which without clicking into each one.
Until Microsoft fixes this:
- Look at the file results — If a file inside the folder appears in search, its location column will show the correct path, indirectly revealing the folder's location.
- Use the breadcrumb — Click on a folder result, then look at the navigation bar at the top of OneDrive to see its actual path.
- Use OneDrive sync + File Explorer — Search locally through File Explorer (if you sync folders) where the path column works correctly for folders.
Hope that helps clarify things a bit🙂
