Microsoft acknowledges the OneDrive Internet shortcut error, and an update is coming

Have you experienced the puzzling situation where your Microsoft OneDrive shared folders are now only internet shortcuts on Windows 11? If so, then know that this strange bug has confused numerous people, causing them to ponder if it was due to an update or some unknown error.

Microsoft is aware of the problem and is working to solve it, so patience is required on official Microsoft Office forums; a Microsoft agent detailed that the Redmond-based tech giant knows about the problem and is actively looking to fix it.

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This appears to be a known issue currently affecting OneDrive shared folders. Users from different regions have reported the same issue beginning approximately June 2024. We’ve summarized the main points of our current situation in this issue, you can review them at your convenience:

1-> Impact Summary:

Many customers worldwide have reported that their OneDrive shared folders have become inaccessible as regular file folders in File Explorer and instead appear as internet shortcuts. The reported issues include:

• Shared Folder Visibility – Users can see shared folders in a web browser, but these folders appear as link files (.URL) in File Explorer, which open the OneDrive website rather than displaying the folder contents.
• Synchronization Issues – Shared folders are not syncing properly with OneDrive on the desktop. Attempts to add these folders to “My Files” result in creating internet shortcuts instead of actual folders.
• Access and Sync Problems – Users are unable to sync shared folders with their local devices, resulting in workflow disruptions and inability to access files offline.

2-> Latest Update:

This issue may be due to an internal error affecting data synchronization and handling within the OneDrive service. Microsoft has acknowledged the problem and is actively working on a resolution.

• Efforts are underway to restore proper access to affected shared folders. Initial steps include investigating the issue’s root cause and implementing fixes to ensure shared folders appear correctly as file folders in File Explorer.
• A comprehensive analysis is being conducted to determine the exact cause of the issue. Preliminary findings suggest a possible misconfiguration or recent update affecting shared folder handling and synchronization processes.

3- > Current Status:

• Some users have reported temporary workarounds, such as accessing shared folders directly via  OneDrive web interface -<onedrive.live.com>
• Microsoft internal engineers are closely monitoring the service and implementing fixes to ensure stability and proper synchronization of shared folders.

We fully understand the inconvenience and disruption caused by this issue. Our team is actively addressing it and working hard to fix it as soon as possible. We are still gathering and monitoring many cases and thread behaviors, so we can always follow up with any new updates or fixes that come up.

Microsoft

If you don’t know what to do for now, you can try a couple of solutions: firstly, there is a discovered solution where the user can directly download files from the shared folder if they have permission to do so. It might not be very sophisticated, but at least it works.

Secondly, one could try different cloud storage services as an interim remedy. Remember, these aren’t official fixes, so proceed with caution.

As annoying as it is, Microsoft is working on a fix for the OneDrive internet shortcut bug, so an update will be released soon.