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Onedrive files disappearing on Mac

Emily H 0 Reputation points
2025-08-01T14:01:02.49+00:00

I have recently transferred from a HP laptop,, to an iPad, to a Mac (long story). I was able to transfer all my one drive files over successfully but whenever I edit something on my Mac it saves but I cannot find it in the folder where I saved it. Where can I find it and how do I stop this happening/ move it back?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For education | MacOS
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  1. Palcouk 2,906 Reputation points
    2025-08-01T14:16:13.2566667+00:00

    You dont transfer anything.

    On the Mac you uninstall any other MS Office version including any trials, then access the MS Account used in the purchase of o365 and install o365

    On the iPad you only have o365 web browser access

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  2. Tammy-Ng 5,510 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-08-01T14:35:50.15+00:00

    Dear Emily H
    Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A Forum and thank you for reaching out to share your issue.

    Regarding your question, I understand you’re experiencing difficulties where, after editing a file on your Mac, it saves but you cannot locate it in the expected folder. This happened after transferring all your OneDrive files from an HP laptop to an iPad and then to a Mac.

    Based on research, the change in the OneDrive folder location on macOS is by design starting from macOS 12.1 and later. The OneDrive folder is now located at:

    ~/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive

    This change ensures compatibility with Apple’s file management system and improves sync performance.
    -Recommended Steps to Resolve the Issue:
    Always save files directly to the OneDrive folder in Cloud Storage (avoid using old aliases).

    Update OneDrive to the latest version.
    -Check sync settings:

    • Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the menu bar → Help & Settings → Preferences → Account → confirm the correct folder is selected.

    If the issue persists, unlink and relink your account:

    • OneDrive → Help & Settings → Preferences → Unlink this Mac, then sign in again.

    Keep files available offline:

    • In Finder, right-click the folder → select Always Keep on This Device.
      -Check Version History
      Go to https://onedrive.live.com and sign in.
    • Locate the file using search or by browsing the OneDrive folder (current default path: Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive).
    • Right-click the file → select Version History.
    • Review previous versions, including timestamps and editors.
    • Choose Restore to revert or download to save a copy.

    I hope this helps clarify your situation and guides you toward recovering access. If anything is unclear or you need help with the next step, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I'm here to support you through the process.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".   

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

  3. Stefan Blom 323.8K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-08-04T15:03:15.8+00:00

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