Windows 10: OneDrive syncing desktop files, turned them into .lnk files that no longer work

I have a client whom we set up OneDrive for on his old computer. We set it so his desktop files would sync to OneDrive. We then replaced his old computer with a new one. All of his old files appeared on his new desktop as expected.


It wasn't until 3 months later it was discovered that these "files" are not actually files, they are shortcut .lnk links. Weirdly, the shortcut address is the file on the desktop itself, which is where the file is/was supposed to be. But these shortcuts cannot be opened, and say that the address they are pointing to is invalid.


The files are .lnk shortcuts both on his physical computer and in OneDrive.


What the heck happened? Is there anything we can do to fix these files, or are the original files gone forever?

:)

 

Windows 10 WMDC .lnk files

Hi Jom,

We suggest performing the steps provided above for us to troubleshoot your issue with copying .lnk files to any devices.

Let us know if you need further assistance.

 

Files not syncing to OneDrive

Hi,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

I understand that you are facing issues not syncing properly with OneDrive.

I suggest you to refer the troubleshooting steps in the article
Fix OneDrive sync problems and check if it works for you.

For more information, you can check the article to
Sync files with the OneDrive sync client in Windows.

If you are still facing the issue, I suggest you to get in touch with the OneDrive support team.

Sign in to OneDrive.com from any browser, click the ‘?’ help icon on the top banner of the page and select
Email OneDrive support. Submit your question and follow the prompts to request support.

Hope it helps.

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community - Moderator

 

.lnk files

[I fear you're muddling things because of the fact that in the standard Windows 10 font, a capital I and a lower-case l are identical.

Code:

[i]The files have an extension of .[b]lnk[/b].[/i] [i]The forum you posted in deals with the handwriting and drawing feature known as
[url='https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17207/windows-10-use-windows-ink']
Windows Ink[/url].[/i]]

The files that can't be synced are simply links (as the support staff told you), so there's no real need to keep them on OneDrive where they wouldn't work anyway. They are the files that contain the data needed to launch a program when you click on its icon,
e.g. on your desktop. Can you see in the OneDrive status which folder these files live in? I suspect the desktop, if you're busy protecting your Known Folders.

Your screenshot doesn't show what options are available to you. You want to
skip or ignore these files.