Folders Shared with me are syncing as internet shortcut in OneDrive on Windows PC

Hello PradeepSG,

Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

From your description, sorry to hear that you have experienced some issues with OneDrive shared folders. Recently we have received a lot of reports similar to yours and have confirmed this problem is related to a bug in OneDrive sharing folder feature. For now, unfortunately, we have to say there's no workaround yet.

We completely understand your opinion and needs for this feature. Sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced, and we'll keep to the latest progress for this issue from Microsoft. Once resolved we'll get you informed.

Thanks for your patience and understanding. Should any uncertainties arise subsequently, please feel free to seek assistance once again.

Best Regards,

William.Y | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Hi,

Yesterday, I tried to access my OneDrive desktop app, and suddenly the shared folders became links to the web version of OneDrive instead of being available locally. I have been working this way for the past three years, and without any change on my part, they turned into links.

I have tried to remove the app and disconnect it a few times, but nothing helps. I couldn't find any guide or solution to my issue. This situation is preventing me from working efficiently.

Could you please assist me in resolving this issue?

Thank you,
Nadav.

Dear Nadav,

Good day!!

Apologies for the inconvenience caused and please don’t worry, let’s work together on your concern and move towards a resolution path.

I understand your concern and since you mentioned the synced shared folders became the links to the web version of OneDrive, where re-installing the OneDrive sync client and re-connecting didn’t fix the issue, I would like to confirm whether you have cleared the OneDrive setup folder in the Windows AppData before re-installing the OneDrive sync client.

If not, I would like to suggest you try the following steps and check the outcome:

Step 1: Click on the OneDrive icon in the task bar> Help & Settings> Settings> Account> Make sure to unlink any Office 365 account connected to OneDrive sync including personal OneDrive. (please proceed with the next step if you are having trouble with step 1).

Step 2: Quit OneDrive sync client> Uninstall the OneDrive sync client (Turn off, disable, or uninstall OneDrive - Microsoft Support)

Step 3: Open the File Explorer> C drive> Users> Folder with the user profile having the problem> AppData> Local> OneDrive> Move the Cache folder to Desktop> Go back to Local folder path> Go to Microsoft folder> OneDrive> Move the setup folder to the desktop location or rename it.

Step 4: Go to the Control Panel> User Accounts> Credential Manager> Windows Credentials> Remove/Delete identities related to OneDrive.

Step 5: Restart the PC> Install the OneDrive sync client (OneDrive release notes - Microsoft Support – download and install the latest Production version)> Open the OneDrive sync client and setup your Office 365 account and shared folders to see the outcome.

If the same problem persists, we are sorry and I believe the problem should be further investigated by the related development team, where they can collect the fiddler logs while reproducing the problem and perform the further investigation.

So, I request you to connect with your IT admin of your organization (How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support) and raise a new service request from the Microsoft 365 admin center so that the related development team will connect with you and investigate the issue further.

Reference: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn

Note: We apologize for redirecting you to related development support team because the moderators in this community are limited with the resource for further investigation and to get a quick resolution to your problem, we requested it.

Appreciate your patience and understanding. Have a great day!!

Best Regards,

Sophia

Hi Sophia, thank you for the answser.
i followed all the steps and it doesn't seem to change anything. the folders still act as links. i tried it on another pc that we share the same folders. it didn't (the link folder) apply on his old folders but when he tries to open a new folder it appears as links aswell and not localy