Shared OneDrive Folders Converting to Web Links

Hello everyone,

I’m reaching out to see if others are experiencing a similar problem. My wife and I have been using a Microsoft 365 Family subscription for several years, utilizing both individual and shared folders via OneDrive to manage our files seamlessly.

Recently, we’ve encountered a disruptive issue: the shared folders my wife accesses on her device have transformed into internet shortcuts (.url files) within File Explorer, and the synchronization has ceased entirely. This change has significantly disrupted our collaborative workflow.

After researching, it appears this is not an isolated incident. Multiple users have reported similar problems where shared folders in OneDrive convert to web links, preventing local syncing. Discussions on Microsoft Community forums and Reddit highlight that this issue has persisted for over a year, particularly affecting users on different OneDrive platforms or during backend migrations.

References:

• Microsoft Community: Issue with OneDrive Desktop App – Shared Folders Became Web Linksanswers.microsoft.com+12answers.microsoft.com+12answers.microsoft.com+12
• Reddit Discussion: OneDrive Shared Folders Converted to Web Linksreddit.com
• Microsoft Learn: OneDrive Shared Folders Converted to Web-Links, Unable to Restore Local Accesslearn.microsoft.com

Given the ongoing nature of this issue and the lack of a definitive solution, we’re considering transitioning to an alternative cloud storage service like Google Drive to ensure uninterrupted collaboration.

Has anyone found a reliable workaround or received updates from Microsoft regarding a fix? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,

Johannes