Onedrive Restoring Deleted And Moved Files, Will Not Stop

In anticipation of a new build, I have been cleaning up my files including deleting, moving stuff to cloud, and to externals. I have probably moved at least 1TB of files over the last couple of weeks which is hours of work as I have been using this PC for 4 years now. It is almost like moving houses.

Then, yesterday, I came home to find OneDrive restoring things at a rapid pace. I logged out and back in, deleted and re-installed, rebooted, etc. I have it turned off now and ended the task completely. If I turn it on, it immediately starts putting long deleted files back including things I deleted with PrivaZer and restoring things to old folders including restoring deleted folders. I don't know how to make it stop and go with the current state of things which is what it should be doing. Like a constant snapshot of what is current which is how I assumed it operated.

The only other device I have is a laptop but I left that at a friends house so it hasnt been used the last couple of weeks. There doesn't seem to be an option to just direct that it goes with current status. I just want it to mirror the most up to date version for a backup and if I need to access something on my laptop that is on here and vice versa. I had never given much thought to how OneDrive operated but they do have separate file arrangement on the explorer left sidebar but the files mirror each other. I would much rather OneDrive be a combo of files from my laptop and PC and the PC files be just what is on the PC and my laptop the same.

I am running:

Edition Windows 10 Pro N
Version 21H1
Installed on ‎12/‎7/‎2019
OS build 19043.2364

 

There are two parts to answer your situation:
----
Part 1 - One Drive Fix

It sounds like you're experiencing a sync issue where OneDrive is restoring files you've previously deleted. Here are a few steps you can take to resolve this:
1. Reset OneDrive: This can often resolve syncing issues. To reset OneDrive on Windows 10, press `Win + R`, type `%localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset` in the Run dialog box, and press Enter. After a minute or two, OneDrive will restart.
2. Check OneDrive Settings: Ensure that OneDrive is set to sync only the folders you want. You can do this by right-clicking the OneDrive icon in the system tray, selecting 'Settings', and then choosing which folders to sync under the 'Account' tab.
3. Stop and Restart Sync: Sometimes, stopping the OneDrive sync and starting it again can help. You can stop the sync from the OneDrive settings and then restart it to see if the issue persists.
4. Online OneDrive Interface: Try deleting the unwanted files directly from the OneDrive website and then empty the Recycle Bin immediately after.
5. Check for Multiple Devices: Since you mentioned having a laptop, ensure it's not turned on and syncing old files back to OneDrive. If possible, check the OneDrive settings on that device as well.
6. Update OneDrive: Make sure you're running the latest version of OneDrive, as updates often include fixes for common issues.
----
Part 2 - Hard Drive Solution

Rather then moving files to cloud providers, you can purchase disk caddies at a reasonable price. Then extract your old hard drive(s), slot them into the disk caddy and plug this in as an external USB Hard Drive, transferring (if necessary) whatever you need on your new build. The bonus is that no files are lost and you have additional external disk space that can be used by systems that you it into (obviously not the ones where the disl has been removed ).

 

Thanks. I did 1-3, 5, and 6. But, I never thought about the 4th. I always forget you can log on to Onedrive directly. I will give that a shot.

I am planning on the hard drive solution as well and eventually my own server like I use to have.