Onedrive search on android does not work

Question

Onedrive search on android does not work

FamedBear16 0

Hi,

I am running into the following issues: searching files only works after reinstalling the app. The day after it just does not work anymore. It finds 2/3 files, and the others do not appear.

I have deleted the cache, data, reinstalled the app a few times.

In OneDrive cloud the searc works fine.

I am using Android, on Galaxy S20FE

#issue

Any idea?

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hi FamedBear,

Good day. Since OneDrive search works on the web but stops finding files on your Galaxy S20 FE after a day, the issue may be with the Android app's search or background synchronization. Since you've already cleared the cache and data and reinstalled the app, try to do a different approach.

Check battery settings: Go to Settings > Apps > OneDrive > Battery and select Unrestricted, if available. This helps prevent Android from limiting background activity.
Update OneDrive: Check the Google Play Store for updates, then restart your phone and test the search again.
Check the missing files: When search fails, try opening the files through their folders manually. This helps determine whether the problem affects search only or the folder contents too.

If issue still persists try to visit https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive/troubleshoot-onedrive-mobile-app-problems for OneDrive mobile guide.

Regards,
Jhun

Answer 2

Use OneDrive on the web for reliable searches and report the recurring Android behavior to Microsoft, because reinstalling and clearing the app data have already produced only a temporary recovery.

Microsoft documented this exact symptom for some OneDrive personal accounts on Android in June 2025: search could return blank or incomplete results even though the files remained accessible. No workaround was known at that time.^1^ However, the more recently updated known-issues page no longer displays that entry under Android, so its current investigation status is not confirmed.

What to do now

Use OneDrive on the web for searches.
Since the missing files appear there, they remain in cloud storage; avoid moving, renaming, restoring, or deleting them merely to make the Android search index recognize them. Microsoft also directs users to OneDrive web when locating files that mobile search does not find.^2^
Install any pending OneDrive update from Google Play.
Test the same filenames after updating. Repeating the clear-data and reinstall sequence is unlikely to provide a lasting fix in this case because it has already restored search only until the following day.
Report the defect from OneDrive.
For a personal Microsoft account, open OneDrive and gently shake the phone to access the support option. Include:
- Phone model and Android version
- OneDrive app version
- Whether this is a personal or work/school account
- Two example filenames that web search finds but Android omits
- The approximate time after reinstalling when results become incomplete
- A screen recording or screenshots, without exposing private file contents
Microsoft documents the shake-to-contact-support route for mobile users.^3^
If this is a work or school account, send the same details to your organization’s IT helpdesk instead. Microsoft directs work/school users to their administrator or service desk for support.^3^

The fact that web search works while the Android app omits existing files is also consistent with other reports specifically comparing Android results with OneDrive web and Windows.^4^

References