Disable "Add Shortcut to OneDrive" for a Document Library
"Add Shortcut to OneDrive" is a new feature in the last few months. When it was in Public Preview, there was a PowerShell command to disable that feature:
"Set-SPOTenant -DisableAddShortcutsToOneDrive $true"
This command was announced in MC217339 of the O365 Message center. Based on my interaction with support in Case 22963247, that PowerShell command is no longer available now that the feature is no longer in Public Preview.
I would like the ability to disable "Add Shortcut to OneDrive" again. My environment is about 50% Windows 10 LTSB (1607), and when users "Add Shortcut", it syncs the Document Library to their local computer, filling it up. Win 10 LTSB (1607) does not have the Files On Demand feature, so the users can't pick and choose what in the Doc Library syncs and what doesn't.
Anonymous
shared this idea
48 comments
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Brian
commented
Re last commenter: that's very interesting, since I tested this extensively today, and deleting shortcuts (which effectively unlinks) simply removes the shortcuts from OD and not the target content. I tried this from both Explorer and OD (web). This would be expected behavior.
So, I have no idea how it is that users are doing anything other than that *unless* we're actually talking the Sync feature (or, I guess, unless the shortcut feature has been improved recently to prevent people from wiping out the whole thing with one delete).
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Anonymous
commented
This is a nice feature, but you NEED a right click option from within the OneDrive.exe client to UNLINK from File Explorer.
We've had to many users delete the whole SharePoint directory because of this feature.
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joy
commented
The fact that this is called a "shortcut" when it's actually a sync is a major contributor to the confusion. This functionality is already available via sync client so what value does this feature add? And at what cost?
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Andy Clapham
commented
Huge thank you to the people that have pointed out
Set-SPOTenant -DisableAddShortcutsToOneDrive $True
What a ghastly feature this was. Sometimes I feel the sharepoint team's only experience of managing sharepoint for a business is Contoso, which of course has no real users.
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Luciano Sousa
commented
Someone knows what will happen if the user already add a shortcurt and I use the command to remove it?
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Anonymous
commented
Agree, deploying and training users is getting more and more difficult with this feature that is confusing everyone. Chance to delete all files are too risky. please reactivate a power shell command to disable
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Matthew Dodd
commented
Problem scenario:
- User picks this option from Sharepoint menu bar, they meant to choose Sync
- Shortcut appears in their OneDrive folder
- User notes that the outcome is not what they intended
- User selects shortcut folder from personal OneDrive, hits <Delete>
- All files deleted, have to be recovered.I recognise the value of this feature, but the advertising of it in Sharepoint sites with the animation some users are seeing (and these aren't technically skilled users) is overriding their training.
Can we reduce the enthusiastic encouragement of the option, retain the ability to disable long-term (as users increase their competence), separate this option from Sync on the menu bar.
Thanks.
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René V
commented
This feature becomes quite an annoying security risk when users that you have set to not being able to download files from your sharepoint website, can simply use this as a workaround to still accomplish just that.
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Anonymous
commented
This has caused many issues and i would highly recommend that this is removed.
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Anonymous
commented
The whole idea behind replacing the good old office ribbon with modern ribbon was to reduce its complexity, and "simplify" the UI. With a big-a** button like this, pushing all the other buttons under ...
it looks like it is turning into a ribbon again. Only uglier and more complex.this really questions do the Microsoft SharePoint team really know what they are doing?
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Anonymous
commented
super annoying that the process to have Microsoft remove what they call a "feature" requires over 1,000 votes before they even consider the issue to even be a "problem" which never should have been introduced in the first place!
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burhan
commented
my users sync both the SharePoint library and their company OneDrive and if they add a shortcut from the SharePoint library to their OneDrive it breaks the sync. we use the files on demand feature so filling up the computers isn't an issue. but constantly having to remind users to not use the "add shortcut to my files" feature is annoying when you are dealing with 100s of users.
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RB
commented
We also need this feature disabled ASAP. Users are constantly clicking the shortcut button by mistake and breaking their existing sync locations.
As mentioned restoring the original sync in OneDrive takes a huge effort and often requires a total reset. This has cost our business many hours of lost productivity.
Why did MS ever think it was good idea to introduce a feature that breaks existing functionality?
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Jim B
commented
This is desperately needed. People click the wrong button chronically, even after being warned not to. Undoing the link is a nightmare - usually have to completely uninstall OneDrive to get it to take effect. And to make matters worse, if you do Add Shortcut, you are blocked from Sync.
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Anonymous
commented
Please let the PowerShell work again ASAP.
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Scott Paterson
commented
Please re-instate Set-SPOTenant -DisableAddShortcutsToOneDrive $True as soon as possible. Like many others here I am seeing increasing numbers of issues caused by users pressing the add shortcut link without realising what it does or the implications.
This is a confusing feature and honestly I cant see what the benefit in this over the sync button is....
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Ddog80srocked
commented
Unfortunately I've seen several issues with using the option 'Add Shortcut to onedrive' so I vehemently recommend using 'Sync' instead. I would also like the option to disable it to be permanent.
Issues with 'Add shortcut to onedrive':
- Places it in the structure of your onedrive so it's not immediately clear that it's not your own folder and you could delete it or remove things out of it which impacts the sharepoint site.
- In file explorer, you have no idea where this folder comes from or which Team sharepoint it is
- In Sync settings, you can't deselect the folders under it that you don't need to sync so all folders are synced under that folder structure, wasting space and sync time.
- You can't remove the sync from your local machine, you have to go to OneDrive and remove the option there but it can be scary for a user clicking Remove because they don't know if it's removing the folder from SharePoint or from their onedrive. Needs better verbiage like 'Remove shortcut from my onedrive' or something. -
Anonymous
commented
Update SharePoint Module to 16.0.21012.12000 and you should find the DisableAddToOneDrive parameter listed.
Run Set-SPOTenant -DisableAddShortcutsToOneDrive $True
You still get the feedback about it being preview, but it works. -
Steven
commented
Absolutely need this to be disabled permanently. Our users are getting confused by having shortcuts in their own OneDrive
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Ronald
commented
I can confirm what anoniem wrote on · 17 maart 2021 10:32 ·
>>The PowerShell command works for me today. After running the >>command, it takes about 10-15 minutes for SharePoint to >>reconfigure the options. I can't post a snapshot here, but the >>annoying button "Add Shortcut to OneDrive" is gone!At first it didn't work but after i update the sharepoint powershell module the command worked.
