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The Onedrive search is not working properly.
I have a file called "Vegetarian moussaka recipe.docx" stored in Onedrive (created 9/4/26).
When I search for this word in the Onedrive.com website on my laptop (Windows11), or on my Onedrive phone app it is not found, even though if I look for it manually, by going to the folder on Onedrive.com, it is clearly there. When I do the same search in File Explorer on my laptop it does show the file.
An odd thing is that I then created a copy of the file, called: "Vegetarian moussaka recipe copy.docx", this is an exact copy and this one IS found, but not the original.
I have contacted Microsoft support about it, and sent recordings, data etc as requested, but they don't know the answer. They have just told me to use a "workaround" which is just to use the copied version of the file instead of the original.
Since then I've discovered another file this has happened with, called: "Tuscan chicken with beans.docx, created 9/5/26) this also doesn't show in the search in Onedrive.com but does show in a file explorer search. If I copy the file to my Desktop, without renaming it, it DOES show in the Onedrive.com search.
Interestingly, the similarity between this file and the other one (Vegetarian moussaka recipe.docx) is that I created both files on my computer (Windows 11) by copying text from an internet page. (But I tried recreating this just now by creating a test and that file behaves normally).
2 Replies
OneDrive's web and mobile search is currently unreliable, and the problem is often related to a file's specific metadata or indexing state, not the file name itself.
Your experiment with the copy proves this perfectly. The copy triggers a fresh indexing event, while the original file, for some reason, is "stuck" in a broken state in OneDrive's search index.
The fact that File Explorer on your laptop finds the file confirms it's not a problem with the file itself or with OneDrive syncing. The problem is with OneDrive's cloud-based search service on the website and mobile app .
It's a Known and Widespread Problem, Microsoft has acknowledged that the OneDrive online search service has been experiencing issues.
As a temporary workaround, copy the affected file (e.g., right-click → Copy, then Paste in the same folder). The copy will be searchable. Once Microsoft releases a permanent server-side fix, all original files should reappear in search automatically.
Bottom line, this is a Microsoft server-side bug, not your fault.
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This is depressing, but thanks very much for the reply!
