OneDrive wants your files in the cloud

Microsoft's OneDrive cloud storage service is receiving negative feedback from users about a particularly frustrating pattern of behavior that can leave them without access to their local files after the service is automatically activated during Windows updates.

OneDrive is Microsoft's cloud storage service and is aggressively promoted to Windows users. Microsoft wants your files on their servers and uses dark patterns to get them there. But OneDrive goes one step further: it not only pulls the user's files, but also creates dark patterns that prompt them to delete the files from their own computer. This makes users panic when they realize what happened.

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Writer Jason Pargin recently described the problem :

Windows updates can enable OneDrive backup without any warning or opt-out option, and the service then silently starts uploading the contents of a user's computer to Microsoft's servers. The problem starts when users try to disable OneDrive backup.

According to Pargin, disabling the feature can lead to the deletion of local files, leaving behind only an icon on the desktop saying "Where are my files?".

Users can re-download their files from Microsoft servers, but attempting to delete Microsoft's copies triggers another deletion of local files.

The only solution requires users to search for instructional videos on YouTube that guide through the steps, as the relevant options are buried in menus and none clearly describe their function in plain words.

Pargin compared the experience to a ransomware attack.

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