The PAD files disappeared after uninstalling OneDrive.

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Posted on by alee001

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I haven't used OneDrive and had it disabled. Yesterday, when I booted up my Windows 11 computer, it suddenly connected and backed up my data. So I uninstalled it and then uninstalled OneDrive. But today, when I used Power Automatic Desktop, I found that all my past workflows were gone.

I know that workflow files are always running in the Microsoft background and cannot be saved or backed up by the user, but I never expected that uninstalling OneDrive would delete all workflow files without any prompts or warnings! My cloud storage is now empty. Is there any way to recover these workflow files? I need this urgently.

Thank you for your attention.

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Haque 3,653 on at

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Hi @alee001,

Ah! I understand the missing out of important stuff without knowing. Uninstalling OneDrive can cause Power Automate Desktop (PAD) flows to disappear if your flows were stored or synced via OneDrive, because PAD stores desktop flows in OneDrive under the path OneDrive\Apps\Power Automate Desktop For Windows when using a Microsoft personal account or when OneDrive integration is enabled.

How to recover your PAD workflows after uninstalling OneDrive:

Check OneDrive Recycle Bin: If you still have access to your OneDrive account online, check the OneDrive Recycle Bin for deleted flow files. You may be able to restore the flow files from there.

Look for Local Cached Files: PAD caches flow files locally in:

C:\Users\<YourUserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Power Automate Desktop\Console\Workspace

Note: Please check if your flow files still exist there. They are stored in folders named by GUIDs.

You can open the script.robin files inside these folders with a text editor to recover flow actions.

OneDrive GUID File Trick: If you find your original flow files (GUID-named files) backed up somewhere, you can create a dummy flow in PAD to generate new GUID files, then replace those dummy files with your original files renamed to the new GUID names. This "tricks" PAD into recognizing your old flows again.

Restore from Power Automate Portal: If you used a work or school account and your flows were synced to the cloud, check the Power Automate web portal (https://make.powerautomate.com) under Desktop Flows. Deleted flows can sometimes be restored within 21 days if soft-deleted.

Backup and Export Going Forward: To avoid this in the future, regularly export your flows as solutions (requires premium license) or back up the local workspace folder.

Unfortunately, uninstalling OneDrive without backing up the PAD flow files can cause loss of flows if they were stored only in OneDrive. If you do not have backups or access to OneDrive recycle bin, recovery options are limited.

I am sure some clues I tried to give. If these clues help to resolve the issue brought you by here, please don't forget to check the box Does this answer your question? At the same time, I am pretty sure you have liked the response!

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alee001 407 on at

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PAD is a non-commercial version downloaded from the MS Store. Users cannot save or back up any workflow files (only .json scripts are supported); each use requires an online download to execute.

I've tried reinstalling PAD, but I still can't load workflow files. Is it impossible to restore PAD's functionality after clearing my MS account's free storage space? I've tried restoring the Recycle bin, but nothing came up.

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alee001 407 on at

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Cause Analysis
PAD Design Limitations

Power Automate Desktop (PAD) uses a fixed file storage path, which users cannot customize.
It lacks an "automatic path correction" or "file relocation" mechanism; if a file path becomes invalid, it cannot be loaded.

Windows and OneDrive Integration

Windows 10/11 has a built-in "Known Folder Move" feature, which automatically redirects folders such as Documents and Desktop to OneDrive.

If PAD's files happen to be located in these folders, they will be synced to the cloud.

Consequences of Uninstalling OneDrive

When OneDrive is uninstalled or emptied, Windows does not automatically move these folders back to their original local paths.

PAD also lacks a file correction mechanism, resulting in files disappearing or failing to load.

Summary
This is not simply a PAD bug, nor is it a OneDrive bug.

The root of the problem lies in the Windows system design: it forcibly directs folders to OneDrive, but fails to automatically correct this after uninstallation.

Because PAD lacks path flexibility and a correction mechanism, it is inevitably affected, rendering process files unusable.

In other words, this is a result of both the Windows and OneDrive integration strategy and PAD design limitations.

👉 Simply put: the reason PAD process files are unusable is due to a design flaw caused by Windows directing file paths to OneDrive without automatic correction after uninstallation, coupled with PAD's lack of path flexibility.

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