OneDrive error - You're already syncing a shortcut to a folder from this shared library

David Schrag 376 Reputation points
2020-12-14T14:32:45.493+00:00

I had to reset Windows 10 on my Azure AD-joined computer, after which I upgraded from 1909 to 20H2. I now have OneDrive Build 20.201.1005.0009. Since then, I've had trouble reconnecting to all the SharePoint folders I was syncing with. For example, I'm a member of a Team with multiple channels. I was able to sync with the Files directory in one channel, but now when I try to sync the files in the General channel, I get an error: "Sorry, we can't sync this folder. You're already syncing a shortcut to a folder from this shared library." I haven't been able to find any documentation on this error. When I look at the Account tab in OneDrive, the channel that I am syncing with doesn't show up, so I can't stop syncing that channel in an attempt to get the new one.

If I click "Add shortcut to OneDrive" instead of "Sync" in the SharePoint interface, I get "Sorry, we can't create a shortcut to General because you already have one to a folder inside it. Do you want to replace that shortcut with General?" [Note: As far as I know, I did not have a shortcut to a folder inside General.] I clicked the Replace button, and that put a shortcut to the SharePoint library inside my OneDrive folder. That's not what I wanted -- I wanted the traditional separation between my personal OneDrive folders and my company's SharePoint libraries.

I see that the "Add shortcut to OneDrive" option is a relatively new feature that has been rolled out to our tenant. Was it intended to replace the SharePoint library sync function, or should we be able to use both simultaneously?

SharePoint Server
SharePoint Server
A family of Microsoft on-premises document management and storage systems.
2,231 questions
OneDrive Management
OneDrive Management
OneDrive: A Microsoft file hosting and synchronization service.Management: The act or process of organizing, handling, directing or controlling something.
1,137 questions
Accepted answer
  1. David Schrag 376 Reputation points
    2020-12-14T14:50:05.5+00:00

    Update: After removing the newly-created shortcut from OneDrive, I was able to use the Sync feature in SharePoint.

    25 people found this answer helpful.

8 additional answers

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  1. Joel Duinkerke 1 Reputation point
    2020-12-29T01:47:53.503+00:00

    Worked for me too. Thanks for sharing.

    0 comments
  2. Brian Davidson 1 Reputation point
    2021-02-05T23:15:15.703+00:00

    I'm troubleshooting a client computer with the same error, but I don't see any "shortcut" or believe that was used. Where would I find the shortcut to delete it, and any advice if there is no shortcut? Thank you.

  3. Charlie 81 Reputation points
    2021-02-11T00:30:19.173+00:00

    I had this issue, believe it was caused by a recent Windows update. Resolved by signing out of OneDrive and signing back in.

    0 comments
  4. Joost van der Linden 71 Reputation points
    2024-03-26T11:05:27.87+00:00

    I noticed that when you open Developer Tools from your browser and watch the Network trace, the moment you get the error upon adding the shortcut, you will notice an error message popping up. The details of the server response actually points you to the location where the shortcut resides in OneDrive.

    In my case, the end user managed a shortcut to be put in a sub folder quite deep and not on top-level.

    0 comments