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onedrive sync?

charlotte terry 0 Reputation points
2026-05-22T20:55:03.5233333+00:00

Onedrive did some sort of sync on my computer now all of my files on my hard drive documents folder are gone! Some of the files I am looking for are not on the onedrive either. I try to open some spreadsheets from Excel and it says location not found.... I did a search on my hard drive and one drive and can not find my files I had spent many hours working on.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows
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Answer recommended by moderator

Xavier-D 9,095 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-05-23T02:45:27.3166667+00:00

Hello charlotte terry

I’m sorry to hear your files are no longer appearing where you expect them.

This can happen if OneDrive folder backup or sync changes the location of the Documents folder, or if files were moved, deleted, or are only available online.

Here are what you can try to search for your files:

  • Sign in to the OneDrive website and search for the missing files there first, as this is the main location where synced files are stored.
  • Check the OneDrive Recycle bin and the Windows Recycle Bin to see if the files can be restored.
  • In File Explorer, look under OneDrive Personal and check the Documents folder, as backed-up files may now be stored there instead of the original local Documents path.
  • Open the OneDrive cloud icon in the taskbar, go to Help & Settings > Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup, and confirm whether Documents is being backed up to OneDrive.
  • If the files are found online but not fully downloaded on the PC, right-click the needed files or folders and choose Always keep on this device.
  • If many files changed at once and you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you may be able to use Restore your OneDrive to roll the account back to an earlier point within the supported restore window.

I hope you this information help. Feel free reply back to this post and update me on this issue, I'll be happy to help.

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  1. charlotte terry 0 Reputation points
    2026-05-22T21:03:43.88+00:00

    I am so mad

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