OneDrive shortcuts to shared drive makes OneDrive back up every file in said shared folder

When using OneDrive, if you create a shortcut to a folder in a SharePoint Online document library, you cannot sync that folder if it is already set as a shortcut. This behavior is by design, meaning that you cannot use both the Sync and Add shortcut to My files features simultaneously for the same document library. Consequently, if you are experiencing issues with OneDrive backing up every file in the shared folder linked via a shortcut, it is likely due to this limitation.

To resolve the issue of not being able to remove the shortcut without deleting the shared folder, you can try the following methods:

1. Remove the shortcut from the OneDrive folder:
   • Open the OneDrive folder on your device.
   • Locate the shortcut folder (indicated by a small link icon).
   • Right-click the shortcut folder and select Delete.
   • If you cannot delete it, pause syncing in the OneDrive sync app and try again.
2. Remove the shortcut from the OneDrive site:
   • Sign in to your Microsoft 365 account and select OneDrive from the app launcher.
   • Go to My files and find the shortcut folder.
   • Right-click the folder or select the three dots icon next to it, then select Remove.
   • Again, if you cannot remove it, pause syncing and try again.

Resolving these issues should help improve your OneDrive performance and productivity.

References:

• You can't sync a shared folder that's set as a shortcut in OneDrive sync app
• You can't sync a shared folder that's set as a shortcut in OneDrive sync app
• The OneDrive sync status icon incorrectly shows "syncing" in File Explorer

Dear @Rich Chevalier,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

My deepest apologies for the issue you’re experiencing with OneDrive. I completely understand how frustrating and disruptive this persistent problem with OneDrive shortcuts to shared folders can be, especially when it affects your workflow and productivity. I truly appreciate the time and effort you’ve taken to investigate the issue on your end.

I attempted to reproduce the behavior in our test environment; however, I was able to delete the shared folder shortcut without any issues. This may be because the folder I tested contained fewer files, so it may not accurately reflect the scale or complexity of your scenario.

As a forum moderator, I genuinely wish I could access your environment or perform deeper technical diagnostics to resolve this directly for you. Unfortunately, our capabilities here are limited to providing general guidance and user-level troubleshooting steps.

From my research, this behavior occurs because OneDrive treats the “shortcut” as a synced local folder. When that local shortcut folder is deleted, OneDrive interprets it as an instruction to delete the associated data and attempts to sync that deletion back to the cloud, affecting the original shared location.

Given the severity and potential data impact of this issue, I recommend that the Global Admin in your organization create a service request with Microsoft Support. A technical support engineer can perform a remote session to investigate the situation, verify the backend configurations, and run any necessary synchronization tools to resolve the problem. If the issue requires further attention, they can escalate it to a specialized team for deeper analysis. Ask The Global Admin in your organization to create a service request with Microsoft support to get advanced technical assistance and diagnostics. For detailed instructions on how to get support, please refer to Get support - Microsoft 365 admin. If you don't know who your IT administrator is, please refer to this article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support 

For additional assistance, use this link to find the appropriate contact number: Global Customer Service phone numbers - Microsoft Support 

I truly hope you get your issue resolved swiftly. Please know that even though I can't directly intervene, directing you to the correct, specialized support is the most effective help I can provide from my position. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I'm looking forward to your reply. Wishing you a smooth and swift resolution ahead.

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