OneDrive File Issues

Fix Shared OneDrive Photos Not Showing in On This Day Recaps

Rana Garcia Oct 9, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to know why photos stored in shared OneDrive folders are not displaying in the 'On This Day' memory recaps for family members who have access to the shared folder.

How to Fix Shared OneDrive Photos Not Showing in On This Day Recaps

Product: Microsoft OneDrive
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Viewing OneDrive 'On This Day' photo memories within a family sharing environment.
Observed behavior: Photos located in shared folders only appear in the folder owner's 'On This Day' recap, remaining entirely hidden from the memory recaps of other family members with shared access.

Before you start

Check your current personal OneDrive storage capacity, as the primary workaround for this issue requires you to copy shared files into your personal account, which will consume your available storage space.

Solution 1Recommended

Copy Shared Photos to Your Personal OneDrive Library

Since OneDrive only generates recaps from your personal files, you must manually add the shared photos to your own account to see them in memories.

OneDrive's 'On This Day' feature algorithm is designed to exclusively scan a user's personal photo library. Files residing in shared folders are intentionally excluded to prevent unwanted or unexpected images from appearing in an individual's personal memory recaps.

Access Shared Folders

Log into your OneDrive account on the web or desktop app, and navigate to the 'Shared' tab on the left-hand navigation menu.

Select Desired Photos

Locate and open the shared family folder containing the photos you wish to include in your recaps. Select the specific images or the entire folder.

Copy to Personal Storage

Click the 'Copy to' button from the top toolbar, then choose a destination folder within your personal 'Files' or 'Photos' directory.

Allow Synchronization

Wait for the file transfer to complete. Once synced, these copied photos become part of your personal library and will be eligible for future 'On This Day' recaps.

Copy Shared Photos to Your Personal OneDrive Library

Storage Limit Warning: Duplicating shared files into your personal library will count directly against your individual OneDrive storage quota.

Solution 2

Submit a Feature Request to Microsoft

Request that Microsoft adds a native toggle to include shared folders in photo recaps without requiring data duplication.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the folder owner see the shared photos in their recap but I do not?

The folder owner originally uploaded those photos to their personal OneDrive storage, meaning the files natively reside in their library. OneDrive's recap feature exclusively pulls from the personal storage directory, not from folders merely linked to your account via sharing permissions.

Will copying shared photos to my personal library use up my OneDrive storage limit?

Yes. When you utilize the 'Copy to' command to add shared photos to your personal library, those files duplicate. The newly created copies belong to you and will consume your personal available storage space.

Is there a setting in OneDrive to automatically toggle shared folders for photo recaps?

Currently, Microsoft OneDrive does not provide a native setting or toggle to include shared folders in the 'On This Day' memory recaps. The only viable workaround is to manually copy the desired files into your own personal library.

Document & File Issues