12.2 Update messed up OneDrive

[usagora]

After updating my iMac to 12.2, I noticed some folders were missing from my favorites on the Finder sidebar. They were all folders in my OneDrive folder. Upon inspection, I discovered that all the files that I had set to "always keep on this device [iMac]" have been deleted from my local drive. Even though the "always keep on this device" icon (a circle with an underlined check mark) displays next to these folders and files, they all have the "it's not downloaded" cloud icon with a down arrow next to them as well:

When I click on the the download icon, only a few subfolders download and then it stops, even though it shows the little circular download progress icon. Clicking on OneDrive in the menu bar shows "syncing changes" but then it immediately says "You're all set" and I don't see hundreds of files downloading like they should be. I have to keep digging deeper into the folder structure and randomly click on download icons before they actually start syncing. As you can imagine, this is quite time-consuming.

Anyone else having strange OneDrive issues after upgrading to 12.2?

EDIT: Resetting OneDrive using these instructions seems to have fixed the issue. I had to do this once before, but not because of a macOS update but because OneDrive kept saying one file wasn't synced even though it was.

 

[usagora]

Well, I spoke too soon. OneDrive said it was downloading hundreds of files, but after it finished, they ALL still show up as online-only and needing to be downloaded under ~/OneDrive I have to download them individually or at lesat in very small batches. This is NOT good as I have thousands of files in some of these folders that I need to quickly preview, etc. I simply don't understand what's going on here. I guess I'll have to reach out to Microsoft. Must be a problem with the 12.2 macOS update.

Here's a good screenshot showing that OneDrive claims it's downloaded certain files, but you can clearly see in the actual OneDrive folder they show up as "not downloaded" (cloud icon appears next to them):

Oh, and now I discovered I can't remove a file from my device now either once I DO download it. If I right-click it and select "free up space" (which should delete it from my local machine), a sync icon appears next to the file briefly, but then the file remains on my computer. I've just sent feedback to MS.

 

[Joe Rossignol]

See here: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com...es-on-demand-experience-on-macos/bc-p/3066588

 

[usagora]

See here: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com...es-on-demand-experience-on-macos/bc-p/3066588

Thanks for the link. I don't fully understand it, but at least it sort of explains why I'm seeing two apparently contradictory icons next to files. But here's the problem still: even when files have the underlined checkmark icon (indicating they will always be available even when offline), I CANNOT preview those files with Quick Look in Finder unless I first open them. That's sort of a major issue. For example, I have folders with thousands of sound effects, etc. that I need to be able to quickly preview and apparently now in order to do that I have to open thousands of them first in batches of, what, 20-30 at a time? I sure hope MS has a solution for this, because I'm not too happy right now. I want my downloaded files in OneDrive to behave EXACTLY like files on my local disc that are not synced to OneDrive, like they always did before (until they rolled out this new implementation).

 

[usagora]

Here's a video demonstrating the issue:

So based on my understanding of that article linked in post 3, when I "pin" a file (i.e. select "always make available on this device"), it downloads it into the OneDrive "cache" which is in a hidden folder in an undisclosed location, but it's not in the "sync root" (~/OneDrive - the folder in which you would normally browse your OneDrive files) until you open that file there. Because of this, you can't use Quick Look on files in the sync root until you open them, which is a major issue for me. I've communicated this to MS support along with the video above and asked if there's a way to force all files in the cache to also be in the sync root without opening hundreds or thousands of files.

 

[kevinl2048]

The OneDrive update is a disaster. I simply can’t understand why deleting everyone’s files without asking first isn’t front page news on MacRumors and other sites.

 

[usagora]

The OneDrive update is a disaster. I simply can’t understand why deleting everyone’s files without asking first isn’t front page news on MacRumors and other sites.

Just to be clear to people reading this, the files aren't deleted as in they don't exist anymore, but rather deleted from your local machine and remain in the cloud. That doesn't bother me so much as this new set up with a hidden cache where downloaded files go when you mark files or folders as "always keep on this device" yet those files are inaccessible to the "sync root" (the actual /OneDrive folder that you normally access your OneDrive files in on macOS) until you open them or click the download cloud icon next to them. I'm having mixed luck getting folders to download to the sync root using the latter method. Often subfolders (or sub-subfolders, etc.) refuse to download until you delve into the directory many levels deep to find the problem files/folders.

 

[gilby101]

Anyone else having strange OneDrive issues after upgrading to 12.2?

Strange is the least of it. Many are unhappy (with good reason) about the changes coming to OneDrive with 12.2 and 12.3.

Read this 4 page thread, it shows how confused everyone is. https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...rive-coming-for-all-macos-12-3-users.2331864/

@Joe Rossignol has already given you the Microsoft link. As well as the article itself the comments are worth reading.

When comparing experiences, people need to be very clear about which versions of macOS and OneDrive.

 

[gilby101]

Often subfolders (or sub-subfolders, etc.) refuse to download until you delve into the directory many levels deep to find the problem files/folders.

For 'pinned' folders (Always Keep on this Device), you can force the download with the terminal command:

cp -RX "/Users/<user>/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive-Personal/<pinned folder>" /dev/null

Just replace <user> and <pinned folder> as required. This works by copying everything in the pinned folder's tree to the nothing device. This forces files to be downloaded if not already done so. change the -RX to -RXv to see each file listed as it is being copied.

 

[southerndoc]

Found the way to always keep on my Mac.

Show hidden files, then go to username/Library/CloudStorage. You'll see the OneDrive icon. Right click it, and then choose always keep on this device. That will download all folders sync'd to your OneDrive.

 

[usagora]

Huh, well it seems to be working much better now. Was able to download large folders containing hundreds of files by simply clicking the cloud icon next to the top folder. Hopefully that will remain the case.

 

[southerndoc]

Huh, well it seems to be working much better now. Was able to download large folders containing hundreds of files by simply clicking the cloud icon next to the top folder. Hopefully that will remain the case.

I reset OneDrive on my Mac mini M1. Even after downloading everything, it still has the cloud icon. I didn't do this on my MacBook Air M1. It also has the cloud icon, but things are stored locally. I don't think it actually deleted the files. I think the app moved them to a new folder and it took a while to sync the names in the new folder.

 

[usagora]

I reset OneDrive on my Mac mini M1. Even after downloading everything, it still has the cloud icon. I didn't do this on my MacBook Air M1. It also has the cloud icon, but things are stored locally. I don't think it actually deleted the files. I think the app moved them to a new folder and it took a while to sync the names in the new folder.

Well the first part you said has always been the case AFAIK. When you first sign into OneDrive, it's not really downloading all your files, but rather links to all your files in the cloud that can be downloaded on-demand if you open them. The difference now is that when you tell OneDrive to always keep a folder or file on your computer, it's downloading it to a hidden cache on your Mac (NOT the ~/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive folder, which is what the alias folder named OneDrive in your home folder links to). So the OneDrive folder (what they're calling the "sync root") shows the little underlined down arrow icon next to the folder or file indicating it's always available (offline) because it's in that hidden cache on your Mac, but it still shows the cloud icon because it hasn't been "downloaded" to the OneDrive folder from the hidden cache yet. To make it download, you have to either open the file or click the cloud icon. Seems silly we have to do two steps now instead of one.

 

[Sowelu]

I was able to restore my OneDrive files and selected to 'Always keep on this device'. Everything looks like it did prior to the update, but when I saved a couple of files to see if syncing still works, I noticed that (very small Excel files) are stuck in sync mode and not updating on my other devices. Anyone else having this issue? The 'sync' icon is still showing next to these 33kb files for the last 30 minutes while the menu bar icon shows 'All set! All files syncd!' So I guess that status doesn't actually mean anything and is also broken.

 

[usagora]

I was able to restore my OneDrive files and selected to 'Always keep on this device'. Everything looks like it did prior to the update, but when I saved a couple of files to see if syncing still works, I noticed that (very small Excel files) are stuck in sync mode and not updating on my other devices. Anyone else having this issue? The 'sync' icon is still showing next to these 33kb files for the last 30 minutes while the menu bar icon shows 'All set! All files syncd!' So I guess that status doesn't actually mean anything and is also broken.

So you've verified that they're not actually updated on your other devices? Are they update on the OneDrive website itself? I had a PowerPoint I was working on on my iMac that had the icon showing cloud with a superimposed exclamation mark ("syncing error") in Finder, but about an hour later it showed up as successfully synced and was available on my other devices. I'm wondering if these are random bugs caused by whatever they're doing on the backend as they roll these changes out - and hopefully will settle down as the rollout completes.

 

[Sowelu]

So you've verified that they're not actually updated on your other devices? Are they update on the OneDrive website itself? I had a PowerPoint I was working on on my iMac that had the icon showing cloud with a superimposed exclamation mark ("syncing error") in Finder, but about an hour later it showed up as successfully synced and was available on my other devices. I'm wondering if these are random bugs caused by whatever they're doing on the backend as they roll these changes out - and hopefully will settle down as the rollout completes.

Yes, I checked my iPhone, iPad, and my OneDrive online account - they all show that these two files were last updated yesterday. On my Mac, the 'syncing' icon is still active next to each. So frustrating. I hope this is just a bug that will be addressed in the next update. Syncing files is pretty much the main feature of OneDrive! Everything worked fine prior to this update.

 

[Sowelu]

By the way, both files that are stuck in sync mode show 'Saved to my Mac' in the title bar of each Excel file. I don't remember if this was the case (after saving files) prior to the upgrade.

 

[usagora]

By the way, both files that are stuck in sync mode show 'Saved to my Mac' in the title bar of each Excel file. I don't remember if this was the case (after saving files) prior to the upgrade.

Yes, I believe that's simply indicating that your recent changes have only been saved locally and haven't been synced to the cloud.

 

[Sowelu]

Still syncing these two 'large' 22kb and 36kb files...

And why did they do away with the green 'synced' checkbox icon? You can barely make out what each file status is now.

It seems like MS made a lot of unnecessary changes to OneDrive. They could have updated the backend to meet Apple's requirements without all these functionality changes and issues.

 

[mode11]

I've now got two OneDrive folders in Home > Library; one in CloudStorage and one in Group Containers. They are almost identical in size and are presumably duplicates. As they are over 160GB, I would obviously like to delete one of them. Is it safe to delete the one in Group Containers, which I believe is the original, pre-Monterey one (I upgraded recently)? None of the files / folders in the new OneDrive folder have cloud icons next to them, after using @gilby101's useful tip above.

 

[gilby101]

Is it safe to delete the one in Group Containers,

No. In general it is not safe to mess with anything related to the new OneDrive! In this particular case (deleting files in Group Containers) it is not required because the files in Cloud Storage and in Group Containers are hard linked so seemingly duplicate files only consume disk space once.

 

[lil'schneezey]

I just updated to 12.2.1 last night and woke up to find my 600GB worth of data gone. What the actual ****. After initially being impressed, I've kept Onedrive off for the better part of the last year because it sucks donkey balls, hard. I see that it is sucking up 20GB of RAM and churning - this is normal operating procedure IMO. I finally find my data (I don't need to time-machine restore, well that's good.) but seriously what the actual ****. I am considering just abandoning it at this point. If I can't trust it, then what's the point?

 

[lil'schneezey]

I just updated to 12.2.1 last night and woke up to find my 600GB worth of data gone. What the actual ****. After initially being impressed, I've kept Onedrive off for the better part of the last year because it sucks donkey balls, hard. I see that it is sucking up 20GB of RAM and churning - this is normal operating procedure IMO. I finally find my data (I don't need to time-machine restore, well that's good.) but seriously what the actual ****. I am considering just abandoning it at this point. If I can't trust it, then what's the point?

Yes. Abandoning. I'm not willing to wait around for 24 hours for it to upload to the cloud, then delete everything from my drive, for me to download it again. Absolute disaster.

 

[mode11]

No. In general it is not safe to mess with anything related to the new OneDrive! In this particular case (deleting files in Group Containers) it is not required because the files in Cloud Storage and in Group Containers are hard linked so seemingly duplicate files only consume disk space once.

Thanks for confirming. I suspected this may be the case, as I had since reset OneDrive and the space used on my SSD remained exactly the same. The Group Container folder was deleted at the first step of the reset command, with the files themselves moved to a OneDrive folder with -Archived appended to the name. And following the reset, there were obviously no files in CloudStorage. When I logged back in to the OneDrive account and marked folders to keep local, the GC folder started increasing in size (it was initially around 160GB, but only 30MB 'on disk'). So it seems like the files are stored within the GC folder, and the CloudStorage ones merely link to them.

Confusingly, DaisyDisk represents the linked files in CS as if they are actually on the disk, making them appear to be duplicates. I started investigating all this after Time Machine backups kept failing with 'out of space' messages. As far as I can see, this shouldn't be the case. My TM drive doesn't have a lot of spare space left, but there should be 100GB or so. I recently upgraded to Monterey, so perhaps there have been too many changes at once, and it needs more space overhead to process them? May need to just wipe TM and start again.

To avoid downloading 160GB, I quit OneDrive, deleted everything in the OneDrive folder, then copied the contents from Archive back into it. After starting OD again, it began processing, then gave me a warning that I'd recently deleted around 40K files, and asked me whether to Delete from everywhere or Restore them. I chose Restore; I wasn't sure if I'd wind up with duplicates of all my files, but thankfully OD seems to have been smart enough to recognise the files are the same and not do this. It's still processing, but there's no file uploads / downloads. In any case, I did a full backup with CCC before any of this.

 

[MacGizmo]

Microsoft has a habit of just changing things with no notice or reason, AND not telling you until it's either done or will be done shortly. In this case, it was all over the tech news (particularly Mac sites) that this was going to happen for weeks. But I saw nothing from Microsoft that was clear in what was going to happen, when, and how you could deal with it.

My company uses enterprise level MS Office 365, so I'm used to Teams, OneDrive and Outlook being a complete disaster that changes without notice or flat out doesn't work the way it should on a frequent and ongoing basis. For that reason, I've never used OneDrive for anything other than quick file transfers.

Even as a simple file transfer app, it kind of sucks. I have 20GB of Dropbox space, and another 20GB of storage on Mega (which I'm quickly starting to prefer over Dropbox). Both are much more reliable and consistent.