Onedrive has stolen my files

Question

Onedrive has stolen my files

m 0

Somehow onedrive has stolen all of my files. I have never used onedrive and had no intention to do so. Apparently logging in to your microsoft account can trigger this.

Currently it is in the process of transferring >400Gb engineering files over that I do not wish to copy over. Some of the files are no longer located on my machine, there are far too many files to check and revert manually, and may are large CAD files that link to one another.

I need a clear way to undo this mess; how to restore my files and original directory structure without data loss?

Note that I managed to get through to a Microsoft agent, but after 30 minutes of fruitless help they informed me they could not help with Onedrive and sent me a link for onedrive specific which did not lead anywhere. Subsequent attempts to talk to agents were followed by server errors.

Can anyone help?

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Craig Long 19,025

Go to Manage Backup in the OneDrive Settings and turn off folder backup.

Please see the video here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive/back-up-your-folders-with-onedrive

Please see the AI answer for more information.

If you're having trouble recovering all your files, start a free Microsoft 365 trial, and if you don't want it, cancel before you're charged. Unfortunately, you can't do all the suggested file recovery methods without a subscription.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/onedrive/onedrive-plans-and-pricing

Craig Long 19,025 Reputation points

2026-10-29T22:52:26.52+00:00

Currently it is in the process of transferring >400Gb engineering files over that I do not wish to copy over.

Please do not delete any files in your OneDrive folder. Your files are not "copying over" but are instead "moving" to your OneDrive folder, which is located at C:\Users\username\OneDrive.
m 0 Reputation points

2026-10-30T09:38:59.15+00:00

indeed many are here, and some of these are also on my local machine. But many have a 'recycling' symbol and show only in onedrive - including some large linked assemblies. At the same time onedrive cloud in right corner says syncing is finished. It has not, it has moved randomly some files and kept others.
Craig Long 19,025 Reputation points

2026-10-30T21:24:15.8733333+00:00

You can right-click files that aren't locally available and select "Always keep on this device." But that will not remove them from OneDrive. It will keep a copy on your device as well as in the cloud.

If you delete files from your OneDrive folder, they will go to the Recycle Bin at onedrive.com.

But if you lack cloud storage space, OneDrive will not work as it should.

Answer 2

Hello m,

I'm sorry you're dealing with this, especially with over 400 GB of engineering files and linked CAD assemblies involved. I understand why you need to restore the original folder structure without risking further data loss.

Since you've confirmed that some files are only showing in OneDrive while others remain locally available, I'd be cautious about moving anything just yet.

For now, please avoid deleting, moving, or reorganizing files in either location. Also, don't unlink OneDrive or uninstall it until we've established where the files are stored and whether they're fully available locally.

Microsoft explains how OneDrive folder backup works here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive/back-up-your-folders-with-onedrive

Could you clarify two things?

Folder locations: Where were the engineering files originally stored, and where are they appearing now? For example, were they under C:\Users\YourName\Documents and are they now under C:\Users\YourName\OneDrive\Documents?
File status: Could you share a screenshot of the recycling-style icon you mentioned, along with the other OneDrive status icons shown beside the affected files?

These details should help us determine whether OneDrive has redirected the folders or whether some files are cloud-only.

I'd rather establish that first than suggest a bulk move that could break your linked CAD assemblies or risk losing files.

Thomas4-N 23,140 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-06T06:48:36.82+00:00

Hello m,

Just check in to see how things are going. Let me know if you need anything.