[SOLVED] Stop Onedrive from restoring a folder?

[mraikes]

On a residential client's W10 computer, I copied some tools to the desktop, then deleted them when finished. In a few seconds, the deleted folder reappeared.

Onedrive restores the folder to the desktop each time I delete it. Even if I login to Onedrive online and delete the folder there, it temporarily vanishes from the computer and the online folder, but reappears in both after a short while.

It's as if Onedrive doesn't "see" the deletion from the computer or online. It only notices that a file that used to be there is now missing and it thinks it needs to be replaced.

I'm kind of at a loss for how to permanently delete this folder.

 

[Mick]

I think you need to delete the folder from within Onedrive and then immediately empty the Recycle Bin - but I wouldn't swear to it! Worth a try, though.

 

[Moltuae]

You could also try stopping the OneDrive process first, then delete both the local and online copies of the folder.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Syncing the desktop is a bad idea. Desktop is one of Windows’ special system folders. Syncing makes any folder a special folder. So you are altering system folder. I bet that is part of the issue.

 

[mraikes]

I think you need to delete the folder from within Onedrive and then immediately empty the Recycle Bin - but I wouldn't swear to it! Worth a try, though.

You could also try stopping the OneDrive process first, then delete both the local and online copies of the folder.

Just tried both of these, no joy. What I'm now wondering is whether the folder I created here has been duplicated (by OneDrive) on his second computer. And that somehow when I delete locally and online, that distant copy is not deleting but rather propagating back to the online and local (to me) system.

Now I notice that it isn't just deleting this folder, but even if i move it from the desktop to another location, it shortly reappears on the desktop while also remaining in in the moved-to location.

And there doesn't seem to be any granular control of what OneDrive syncs to tell it to ignore this one folder.

This all just reminds me how much I really do love Dropbox.

 

[nlinecomputers]

And there doesn't seem to be any granular control of what OneDrive syncs to tell it to ignore this one folder.

Of course there is. You can select folders in the OneDrive app much like you can in Dropbox.

 

[mraikes]

Syncing the desktop is a bad idea. Desktop is one of Windows’ special system folders. Syncing makes any folder a special folder. So you are altering system folder. I bet that is part of the issue.

You're probably right. And yet - people often have lots of important stuff on their desktop, just the kind of stuff that should be synced.

 

[nlinecomputers]

If you use Windows explorer you will probably find that you now have two desktop folders in his user profile. You may end up having to create a new profile to fix this mess.

 

[mraikes]

Of course there is. You can select folders in the OneDrive app much like you can in Dropbox.

I guess I'm not looking in the right place. In the app I can choose to hide specific synced folders from the local computer, but the folder still exists online in Onedrive, and presumably on any other synced computer. I don't see an option to say "don't sync this folder at all".

 

[mraikes]

If you use Windows explorer you will probably find that you now have two desktop folders in his user profile. You may end up having to create a new profile to fix this mess.

No, there's only one desktop folder in his user profile.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Click the OneDrive icon by the clock. Click More, Settings, Account. then choose folders under the sync section.

 

[mraikes]

Click the OneDrive icon by the clock. Click More, Settings, Account. then choose folders under the sync section.

That's where I was looking. Those options only hide/show the selected folder on the local system. Not remove it from Onedrive online, or presumably from other synced computers. And when I do hide it locally, if I then go online and try to delete it, it reappears online and reappears on the local machine again.

 

[nlinecomputers]

One drive only syncs ONE folder. The OneDrive folder. Every folder in Onedrive is under that folder. If the Desktop is being synced it is because it has been moved into the OneDrive folder. That why I say you now have two. Open Windows Explorer and check the location tab for the desktop. I bet you find it has been relocated to a folder under the OneDrive root. You need to stop that. But chances are the profile is already f'd. Every time I've seen someone try this it ends up like this.

 

[Mick]

I think that 'second computer' you mentioned a while back has something to do with this. Do you have access to it?

 

[mraikes]

One drive only syncs ONE folder. The OneDrive folder. Every folder in Onedrive is under that folder. If the Desktop is being synced it is because it has been moved into the OneDrive folder. That why I say you now have two. Open Windows Explorer and check the location tab for the desktop. I bet you find it has been relocated to a folder under the OneDrive root. You need to stop that. But chances are the profile is already f'd. Every time I've seen someone try this it ends up like this.

Yup - you're correct. I've moved it back to the default location. That will stop the auto-restoration of files back from Onedrive, and syncing to Onedrive of course. So technically, problem solved. Now just the challenge of getting the folder out of Onedrive online (not terribly important, but more of a curiosity thing now.)

 

[mraikes]

I think that 'second computer' you mentioned a while back has something to do with this. Do you have access to it?

Yeah, me too.

I don't have access to it right now. I could go there if need be, but I don't think it's worth it opening that can of worms. I'll just make a note of the situation and next time I work on the other computer I'll follow up on this issue. I'm fairly sure that if I delete the folder from the other computer this issue will go away.

 

[nlinecomputers]

None of the special Windows folders, desktop, documents, music, downloads, should ever be moved to OneDrive. Especially if you are syncing on more than one PC. It will totally FUBAR both systems.

 

[mraikes]

None of the special Windows folders, desktop, documents, music, downloads, should ever be moved to OneDrive. Especially if you are syncing on more than one PC. It will totally FUBAR both systems.

Makes sense to me. Too bad whoever set this up originally in Florida didn't have the same insight. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But now I have a better idea of what to look for in the future too. Live and learn!

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

None of the special Windows folders, desktop, documents, music, downloads, should ever be moved to OneDrive. Especially if you are syncing on more than one PC. It will totally FUBAR both systems.

err....no longer correct. Last year (I forget which month)...one of the OneDrive updates added some new features. If you go into Settings, there is a new 5th tab called "Backup". In here, you can turn on the syncing of these libraries (user system folders)....Desktop, Docs, and Pics. Do this on 2 or more computers...and you basically have "Folder redirection" driven by OneDrive. Now...if the OP (or end user) was intentionally moving system folders into OneDrive (like manually relocated the Desktop folder)...I guess this broke it. But if you use the Backup tab in OneDrive to do this properly...it works perfection fine, as intended. So my desktop PC at the office, and my laptop, and my home rig..all have the same desktop/docs/pics..thanks to this feature. Works good. It's "Folder Direction"

Although I don't know the reason off the top of my head as to why the OPs symptoms are happening, it is not normal behavior, and it is not due to (assuming setup correctly)..user library folders being handled by OneDrive. I have a lot of users setup this way. I believe it's a feature only supported in Win10...maybe in 7 haven't looked to confirm.

 

[Sky-Knight]

Yep, I use Onedrive backup on a ton of machines, even machines that have GPO redirected profile folders with no issue. But I haven't tried it on anything but Windows 10 1809 and 1903 platforms.