OneDrive web search ignores “Current Folder” scope

Question

OneDrive web search ignores “Current Folder” scope

galile 0

I use OneDrive for Business in a web browser. When I open a specific folder, select “Current Folder” in the search scope, and then search for a file, OneDrive still returns results from other folders that I have access to.

For example:

I am currently in Folder A.

I select Current Folder.

I search for “ABC”.

OneDrive returns files from Folder A, but also from Folder B, Folder C, etc., even though those folders are completely separate from Folder A.

I can see the actual location of these files in the search results, so the search is clearly going beyond the current folder.

Is this expected behaviour, or is it a bug?

If “Current Folder” is selected, shouldn't the search be limited to that folder and its subfolders? Is there a workaround to force OneDrive to search only within the current folder?

Thank you for your help.

Kind regards,

GALILE

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

galile 0

Hi Jay1Tran, Thank you for your reply.

Before raising the question in this community, i had actually gone through the 3 steps above, but unfortunately they didn't help. Regarding your questions, please see below my inputs:

Does the issue affect other users in your organization? Yes, we have run the test with at least 5 users.
Does it affect only one folder or multiple folders? Yes, it affects multiple folders.
Are the unrelated folders shared folders or shortcuts added through Add shortcut to My files? Nope. This folder has been used as a catalog and shared with others so that they can search for information.

Please be advised that the "current folder" option used to work properly, but recently, everything suddently changed. Do you know if it related to a recent update ?

Many thanks,

Lâm

Jay1 Tran 100 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-21T00:05:43.31+00:00

Hi galile,

Thank you for your response.

Since you were able to reproduce the issue with multiple users and across multiple folders, and the behavior continues after clearing the browser cache, using an InPrivate/Incognito window, and testing another browser, this does not appear to be an isolated browser or user-specific issue.

Please contact your organization’s IT administrator and ask them to create a support ticket with Microsoft 365 Support on your behalf. Your administrator should include the affected users, screenshots of the incorrect results, and the dates and times when the issue was reproduced.

Once the ticket is created, a technical support engineer will be able to initiate a secure remote session, review backend configurations, run diagnostics, and escalate the case to specialized engineering teams if necessary. These teams are equipped to perform advanced troubleshooting and provide targeted solutions.

For instructions on submitting a support request, please refer to: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn.

In case you do not know who is your IT admin, kindly refer to this article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support

Thank you again for your time and cooperation during this process. Wishing you a smooth resolution and a wonderful day ahead.
galile 0 Reputation points

2026-08-21T08:30:19.6366667+00:00

Thank you and U 2 !
Jay1 Tran 100 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-24T20:37:22.7333333+00:00

Hi galile,

You're very welcome, and thank you as well

Wishing you the best.

Answer 2

Hi galile,

Thank you for reaching out and for sharing the details.

I tried to reproduce the issue by opening a folder in OneDrive for Business, selecting Current Folder, and performing a search. In my testing, the search results were limited to the selected folder as expected, so I was unable to reproduce the behavior you described.

Based on your description, the issue appears to be due to stored browser cache, cookies, or session data preventing the search scope from being applied correctly. To resolve the issue, please try the following steps:

Clear browser cache

Launch the browser, and press Ctrl + Shift + Delete to open the Clear browsing data utility.
Now, select All time from the Time range dropdown menu, tick the checkboxes for Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, then click on Clear data towards the bottom.

Use an Incognito window

Sign in to OneDrive from the private window, open the affected folder.
Select Current Folder, and repeat the search.

Try another browser

If the issue persists, please try accessing OneDrive using a different browser and repeat the search.

To better understand the issue, please the following details:

Does the issue affect other users in your organization?
Does it affect only one folder or multiple folders?
Are the unrelated folders shared folders or shortcuts added through Add shortcut to My files?

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow the steps above and let me know if it works for you. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in the forum document to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Jay1 Tran 100 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-19T23:07:48.2666667+00:00

Hi galile,

I hope everything is going well on your end.

I’m following up on the support thread we've been working through together. I wanted to check in and see if the information I shared in my previous answer helped resolve the issue you were experiencing.

If you're still experiencing any issues or have further questions, please feel free to reach out at any time. I’m always happy to help if you need anything else.

I want to ensure everything is functioning smoothly and that your experience remains seamless.

Thank you again for your collaboration throughout the troubleshooting process.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Warm regards,