As early as 2024, numerous users began reporting an issue with OneDrive’s shared folders, where the shared folder would inexplicably transform into a shortcut, rendering it inaccessible to those it was shared with. Instead of opening the intended folder, clicking the shortcut would initiate a redirect to an unintended location.
Although this issue has persisted for an extended period, Microsoft only recently released a dedicated support page explaining the root cause. The problem also affects some users attempting to access stored files via File Explorer.
According to Microsoft, the underlying cause stems from an ongoing backend migration of OneDrive. However, while some users have already been migrated, others remain on the older infrastructure, leading to inconsistencies. It is important to note that this migration is entirely controlled by Microsoft, and users have no ability to influence or expedite the process.
For users whose migration is incomplete, shared folders appear as shortcuts, preventing normal access. What is particularly frustrating is that despite this issue persisting for nearly a year, Microsoft has only now acknowledged and addressed it publicly—a clear indication of how poorly the OneDrive team has handled the situation.
Microsoft has not provided a concrete solution, only stating that a fix is in progress. If users encounter shared links that result in inaccessible shortcuts, they may try accessing the folder via the OneDrive web version. If the issue persists on the web interface, an alternative approach is to save the shared folder to OneDrive and then attempt to access it through File Explorer.
User testing suggests that OneDrive’s web version is generally unaffected, allowing users to download files directly from the shared folder before syncing or re-uploading them to OneDrive for seamless access across devices.
Given that OneDrive now serves over 250 million users, the fact that such a critical issue has remained unresolved for nearly a year is a remarkable failure on Microsoft’s part. At the very least, these migration issues should have been anticipated, and all users should have been transitioned within the shortest timeframe possible to prevent such widespread disruption.
