Whence this mysterious folder?

Question

Some file called "client accounts.xlsx" keeps appearing in my list of available files in Excel and that I thought I had deleted.

I'm trying to find out where it is located so I go to the only option I can think of "save a copy" it shows as being in a folder in my one drive (which folder doesn't exist as far as I can tell)

If I click on "browse" I get this save as window which again shows a folder on the Internet. No amount of searching will allow me to find this folder on my PC or one drive on the Internet. It's like a ghost folder.

Can someone tell me what's going on please?

Thanks

Answer 1

Hi CoachRWRWalker,,

Thanks for writing us back. Upon careful thoughts and analysis, it appears that the issue is more complex than what we usually discuss here in the community. The next step is to contact our experts from OneDrive support team so they can gather some logs on the issue and escalate this to their technical department. They will be the ones to assist you further with their advance tools.

To get in touch with them, you can click on this link: https://onedrive.live.com/?action=feedback.This will direct you to OneDrive, and a form will appear to email OneDrive support.

Briefly describe your issue and click Submit. Once you submit a ticket, a OneDrive representative will contact you within 24-48 hours via email for further assistance.

Thank you so much for bringing this issue to our attention. I'm convinced you will get efficient support by referring to this team.

Sincerely

Froilance T.

Microsoft moderator

Answer 2

Hi CoachRWRWalker,

  Thanks for writing us here in Microsoft Community.

It appears that you’re encountering a mysterious folder issue related to a file named **“**client accounts.xlsx” in Microsoft Excel. Let’s investigate this together.

I 'd like to ask you the following. 

1. Have you check and verified in OneDrive.com if this folder exists?
   • If it's not there anymore, this could be a cache file only.

Folder does not exist. This is the address of the file https://d.docs.live.net/e1e7641ff8b24501/My Files/Financial

1. Can you try to right click on the file, and check if you have an "Open file location" option?
   • If there is, that should lead you to the right location of the file on your PC.

That option does not exist

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Answer 3

Hi CoachRWRWalker,

Thanks for writing us here in Microsoft Community.

It appears that you’re encountering a mysterious folder issue related to a file named **“**client accounts.xlsx” in Microsoft Excel. Let’s investigate this together.

I 'd like to ask you the following. 

1. Have you check and verified in OneDrive.com if this folder exists?
   • If it's not there anymore, this could be a cache file only.
2. Can you try to right click on the file, and check if you have an "Open file location" option?
   • If there is, that should lead you to the right location of the file on your PC.

Here are some of our humble insights on your concern.

1. Ghost Folder:

• The presence of a file that you thought you had deleted could be due to a syncing issue or a cache issue.
• Sometimes, files might not sync correctly between your local device and OneDrive, leading to ghost files.
• Let’s explore some steps to address this:

2. Check OneDrive Sync:

• Open OneDrive settings on your computer.
• Ensure that all folders are set to sync.
• If the folder containing “client accounts.xlsx” is not syncing, try resyncing it.
• You can also clear the cache of your Excel application to remove any ghost files.

3. Check OneDrive Sync:

• Open OneDrive settings on your computer.
• Ensure that all folders are set to sync.
• If the folder containing “client accounts.xlsx” is not syncing, try resyncing it.
• You can also clear the cache of your Excel application to remove any ghost files.

4. Verify OneDrive Location:

• When you click on “Save a copy”, it shows the file being in a folder on your OneDrive.
• Double-check the folder structure in your OneDrive to see if the folder exists.
• If it doesn’t, there might be an issue with the metadata or sync status.

5. Browser Save As Window:

• The folder shown in the “Browse” window might be a virtual folder or a cached reference.
• It’s possible that the folder was deleted or moved, but the reference still exists.
• Try clearing your browser cache and then accessing OneDrive again.

6. Unlink OneDrive from Your Computer:

• If the issue is caused by an outdated cache for OneDrive, try to unlink your OneDrive account to check if the file would still persist. You can just relink it after to resync your files. Below are the steps.
  1. Click on the OneDrive cloud icon in your notification area to show the OneDrive pop-up.
  2. Select the  OneDrive Help and Settings  icon, then choose  Settings.
  3. Go to the Account  tab and select  Unlink this PC.

Please refer to this article for your reference: Unlink and re-link OneDrive - Microsoft Support

These are the initial steps we can perform for now, CoachRWRWalker! Let me know if you have question or clarifications and I would be more than happy to address it on my next response. 

Sincerely,  Froilance T.Microsoft Moderator