How to delete One Drive home tab file access links

Question

I deleted files from my One Drive. I emptied the recycle bin. I cleared the cache and refreshed the browser. the links to the delted files persist in the home folder.

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

If you haven't already, you can try unlinking and relinking your OneDrive account, or resetting it. "Unlink and re-link OneDrive" https://support.microsoft.com/office/unlink-and-re-link-onedrive-3c4680bf-cc36-4204-9ca5-e7b24cdd23ea

If issue persists, please provide more details about the issue.

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Click "Add comment" to let me know.

Regards,

John J.D.

Answer 2

To delete the access links to files in your OneDrive home folder that persist after you've deleted the files and emptied the recycle bin, you may need to ensure that there are no hidden or temporary files causing the issue. Here are some steps you can take:

1. Check for Hidden Files: Sometimes, hidden files can cause links to appear even after the original files are deleted. To check for hidden files:
   • Open File Explorer.
   • Go to the View tab and check the box for "Hidden items".
   • Look for any hidden files in your OneDrive folder and delete them if they are not needed.
2. Clear the Office Document Cache: If there are temporary Office files that are still syncing, you can clear the Office document cache:
   • Close any open Office files.
   • Clear the Office document cache by following the instructions in the Microsoft support documentation.
3. Remove Temporary Files: If there are temporary files that are causing the sync status to be incorrect, you can search for and remove them:
   • Search for temporary Office files and delete them if they are not necessary.
4. Restart OneDrive: Sometimes, simply restarting the OneDrive application can refresh the links and remove any stale references.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider checking if there are any specific settings or configurations in OneDrive that might be retaining these links.

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References:

• The OneDrive sync status icon incorrectly shows "syncing" in File Explorer