Onedrive search on android does not work

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

1. 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^
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.
3. 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^
4. 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

1. Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in OneDrive
2. Find lost or missing files in OneDrive | Microsoft Support
3. Fix OneDrive sync problems | Microsoft Support
4. OneDrive Android App Search Not Showing Same Results as Web and Windows ...