Share via

OneDrive (Desktop) same folder in Dual Boot is possible?

Paul 0 Reputation points
Nov 18, 2024, 11:37 AM

Hi everyone, I have a computer with Windows 10 and Windows 11 in Dual Boot. To avoid creating duplicates of my personal files and at the same time make them accessible from both OSes, I created a "D" partition in which I put the Documents/Downloads/Pictures/Music/Video folders, and in fact this way I can access/use/modify my files regardless of whether I am on Windows 10 or Windows 11.

For the same reason, instead of keeping my OneDrive folder in the C partition, I disconnected my account, moved the OneDrive folder to the D partition, reconnected my OneDrive account, and so far everything has been fine.

My problem is the following: the synchronization of my OneDrive files (changes, adding new files, etc.) works very well if I make changes/add new files, etc. ONLY on the computer in question. For example, if I edit file "A" while I'm on Windows 10, and then switch to Windows 11, I'll find the changes correctly synchronized in file "A", and vice versa. Instead, if I edit or add a file in my OneDrive folder from my phone or another computer, this happens: when I return to my PC with two OSes, everything is perfectly synchronized on the first OS I start (whether Win10 or Win11), but if I then switch to the other OS, I get a warning that the files in question cannot be synchronized because OneDrive "does not have the necessary permissions” (which is obviously not true, in fact I checked and confirm that the read/write permissions are active). The only way to make everything work again is to unlink OneDrive from my account on both OSes, and then connect it again.

I tried also symlinks/junction, but the problem remained the same.

So the question is:

is there a solution to be able to use OneDrive - Personal and OneDrive - Business profitably and efficiently on a computer with two OSes in Dual Boot (in my case Win10 and Win11) keeping the folder in the D partition, so as to share the files for both OSes (exactly as it happens without any problem for Documents / Downloads / Pictures / Music / Videos) without having to run into synchronization problems due to some anomaly in the permissions management?

If the answer is yes, I would be very grateful if you could explain to me how to do it; if the answer is no, it would be useful for as many users as possible to report this problem to Microsoft (I have already done so via Feedback Hub), since it is important for me to be able to use OneDrive, and if there was no solution for this problem, I would be forced to follow one of the two following hypotheses:

a) put the OneDrive folder in the C partition for both OSes, thus creating useless duplicates of all my files

b) give up Dual Boot and use only one OS

Windows
Windows
A family of Microsoft operating systems that run across personal computers, tablets, laptops, phones, internet of things devices, self-contained mixed reality headsets, large collaboration screens, and other devices.
5,548 questions
OneDrive
OneDrive
A Microsoft file hosting and synchronization service.
1,167 questions
0 comments No comments
{count} votes

Your answer

Answers can be marked as Accepted Answers by the question author, which helps users to know the answer solved the author's problem.