OneDrive: Where to find those Files that were Shared with you

by @cdsmythe | Sep 30, 2020 | Office 365, OneDrive

Our staff are so much more familiar now with using OneDrive but some still search their emails to find the links to Shared Files and Folders.

With OneDrive you can sync files that have been shared with you to File Explorer in the same way that you can sync files from SharePoint and Microsoft Teams.

Here’s how.

Using your Web browser login to Microsoft OneDrive

Click the Shared link, then Shared with You

OneDrive Shared with You

Double Click the Folder icon for the Folder of Shared Files you want to Sync in File Explorer (in my case the folder below is named “Shared”)

The Folder will open in a new browser tab and you will now see the Sync option on the Menu bar.

Click Sync and that Shared Folder will now be available in File Explorer (Win) or Finder (Mac).

OneDrive shared files sync file explorer

How to solve – OneDrive Folders Synced but Status shows Syncing

by @cdsmythe | Jul 25, 2019 | Office 365, OneDrive

I’ve just had a Staff member move all her documents to OneDrive for Business, install the Mobile App, accessed from File Explorer and from her web browser. She loves it – no more clunky VPN to access files on our server. #winning

BUT – she experienced an issue where OneDrive told her all her files were up-to-date, but some of the Folders in File Explorer continued to show the Status of syncing. Annoying – Yes. Casting doubt on the whole syncing situation – Yes. We had to resolve this.

Naturally we searched for solutions – found and tried several, until the following one worked for us. Thanks to a solution provided by David Lodge here – we were able to delete the hidden temporary files which were causing the friction for her.

Some hidden temporary files in those OneDrive folders were causing File Explorer to display the Syncing status – my assumption is that those temp files weren’t being synced to the cloud – because the staff member was looking at her documents and comparing she could see her files in the cloud and in File Explorer.

How to solve – OneDrive Folders Synced but Status shows Syncing

The solution was to change File Explorer Folder Options view settings so those hidden temporary and system files could be seen and removed.

How to Temporarily change the Folder view options as follows (Windows 10):

In File Explorer ribbon click: View Tab > Options > Change folder and search options
In the Folder options window open the View Tab
Select the radio button for “Show hidden files, folders, and drives“
Uncheck the box that shows “Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)“
Click OK
Browse through each folder still syncing in File Explorer and remove all locked/corrupted temp files and the folder will show as synced
Reverse the folder options selected above when done.