OneDrive Downlaod Nowhere to be Found

jim Ricker 0 Reputation points
2026-11-05T21:17:33.3766667+00:00

I selected a few hundred pictures from my OD to downlaod to my PC. OD had the spinning circle and said it was creating a download file. But I cannot find the download file anywhere.

Any help here???

Jim

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows
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  1. Rukshan edirisinghe 2,365 Reputation points
    2026-11-06T01:59:43.83+00:00

    Hi @jim Ricker

    When you download several photos at once, OneDrive bundles them into a single .zip file, and your browser saves it, not OneDrive. So the file is wherever your browser puts downloads, usually the Downloads folder.

    1. Check your browser's download list. Press Ctrl + J in Edge or Chrome. If the zip is there, select Show in folder. If it shows as failed or cancelled, you can retry from there.
    2. Search for it. Open File Explorer, go to Downloads, and sort by Date modified. The file name usually starts with "OneDrive" and ends in .zip.
    3. If nothing downloaded at all, the browser may have blocked or missed the prompt while OneDrive was preparing the file. Go back to OneDrive in the browser, select the photos again and choose Download, then watch for a save prompt or a blocked-download warning in the address bar.
    4. Mind the size limits. Microsoft lists download limits, including 10 GB per zip and 20 GB overall when the selection includes videos or other compressed files. If it keeps failing, download them in smaller batches, for example 100 at a time.

    Once you find the zip, right-click it and choose Extract All to get the photos out.

    Are you using Edge, Chrome or another browser?

    If you find the download, please consider accepting it as the answer. If it never appears, let me know and I'll be happy to keep helping.

    Reference:

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  2. GsN5034 - IA 79,820 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-06T04:13:23.08+00:00

    Hello,

    First, check whether the pictures were downloaded as a .ZIP file in your browser. This will help you locate the downloaded folder on your PC.

    • Open your browser’s Downloads page (usually by pressing Ctrl + J). In Microsoft Edge, go to edge://downloads/.
    • Select “Open containing folder” or “Show in folder” to locate the downloaded file through the browser itself.

    If you don’t see the download, the ZIP file may not have been created yet.

    1. Open an InPrivate window.
    2. Sign in to OneDrive with your Microsoft account. https://onedrive.live.com/
    3. Select all the pictures, then click “Download.”
    4. Wait a few minutes while OneDrive processes the files and packages them into a ZIP file.
    5. Depending on the number and size of the files, this may take some time.

    After a few minutes, check whether the download has started.

    Download limits:

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  3. AI answer

    2026-11-06T14:42:13.14+00:00

    OneDrive downloads multiple selected photos as a single .zip file to the location configured by your web browser—usually the Windows Downloads folder.^1^

    Find the ZIP file

    1. Open File Explorer.
    2. Select Downloads in the left pane.
    3. Sort by Date modified, newest first.
    4. Look for a recently created file ending in .zip. It may have the name of the OneDrive folder rather than the individual photos.

    If you used Microsoft Edge:

    1. In Edge, select Settings and more (…) → Settings → Downloads.
    2. Check the folder shown under Location.
    3. Open that folder in File Explorer and look for the ZIP file. Microsoft documents this setting as the location where Edge saves downloaded files.^2^

    You can also search from File Explorer:

    1. Select This PC.
    2. Enter *.zip in the search box.
    3. Sort the results by Date modified.

    If no ZIP file exists

    The spinning circle and “creating a download file” message indicate that OneDrive was preparing the archive; the browser still had to begin or approve the actual download. Retry from the real folder containing the pictures:

    1. In OneDrive on the web, open My files and then the folder containing the photos.
    2. Select the photos.
    3. Select Download.
    4. If the browser asks, choose Save or Save As and select an easily identifiable folder such as Downloads or Desktop.
    5. Keep the OneDrive tab open until the browser shows that the download has started.

    If the photos were selected from the Photos gallery, retry from their folders under My files. The gallery is a combined view of images stored across OneDrive, while downloading from the actual folders provides normal folder and bulk-file operations.^3^

    If the preparation stalls again, download the pictures in smaller groups. OneDrive web downloads are subject to limits, including 10,000 files, and downloads containing compressed files or MP4 videos have additional ZIP-size limits.^1^

    References

    1. Download files and folders from OneDrive or SharePoint | Microsoft Support
    2. Find where your browser is saving downloads | Microsoft Support
    3. OneDrive Photo Downloads - Microsoft Q&A
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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