OneDrive Personal Vault refuses to open .pdf files.

Question

OneDrive Personal Vault refuses to open .pdf files.

D Griffin 15

1st: I have Microsoft 365 as do many other individuals. Why is "For business" the only choice for child item tag?
2nd: Unable to open any .pdf files in OneDrive Personal Vault. All .pdf files outside of the Personal Vault open just fine. There have been zero software updates, hardware replacements, location changes or power surges from previous opening of said files. Picture of .pdf file in OneDrive Personal Vault.JPG
Thank you for your time

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Answer 1

Tammy-Ng 1,970 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Dear D Griffin

Thank you for posting your question on the Q&A forum.

Based on the information you provided, I understand you're using Microsoft 365 (as are many others), but you're only seeing the "For business" tag when working with child items. and unable to open any .pdf files in OneDrive Personal Vault although all .pdf files outside of personal vault open just fine

I understand that you're experiencing an issue where you're unable to open any PDF files stored in your OneDrive Personal Vault, while PDF files outside the Vault open without any problems. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.

I attempted to reproduce the issue in my test environment; however, unfortunately, my environment does not support operations within the Personal Vault, so I was unable to replicate the exact scenario.

That said, I’m committed to helping you resolve this. To better understand the issue, could you please provide a screenshot of the error message you receive when attempting to upload or open a PDF file in the Personal Vault? This will help me investigate the problem more accurately

If you prefer not to share this information publicly, feel free to respond privately. I’ll follow up with a secure message to collect the necessary details.

In Microsoft 365, tags like "For business" are used to categorize services or features based on the type of subscription. If you're using a Personal or Family plan but still see "For business", it could be due to:

-Your Microsoft account was previously linked to a business or organizational subscription.

-You're using Microsoft 365 Apps for Business instead of the Personal version

You can check follow my steps:

-Visit Microsoft account | Sign In or Create Your Account Today – Microsoft → go to Subscriptions to verify your plan.

-Sign out and sign back in using your personal Microsoft account.

-If you're using the desktop Office apps, go to File → Account to check which account is signed in.

Thank you for your cooperation. I look forward to assisting you further and resolving this matter promptly.

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

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D Griffin 15 Reputation points

2025-07-01T15:03:15.9666667+00:00

HI. Re-reading my original post, I see a blue colored link where I uploaded a screenshot. Do you not see the blue colored link with the words "Picture of .pdf file in OneDrive Personal Vault.JPG"? The .jpq is exactly what I am seeing. There isn't a error message. I was not attempting to Upload a .pdf. I was attempting to view 1 of hundreds of .pdf's that I already have stored in Personal Vault.
I did try now uploading a .pdf file from my windows 10 desktop. I received zero error messages in the upload to folder inside "Personal Vault" of OneDrive. Once uploaded, when I open it the view is exactly the same as the .jpg screenshot that I pinned in original message.
Doe's Copilot have anything to do with OneDrive? Is there some sort of Microsoft reorganization going on with OneDrive?

I see that now I have thousands of Picture folder and files missing out of Personal Vault in my sub account!
HELP!! What is going on?
D Griffin 15 Reputation points

2025-07-01T16:00:36.9833333+00:00
Your Microsoft account was previously linked to a business or organizational subscription.

Answer: No, m account has always been personal.

You're using Microsoft 365 Apps for Business instead of the Personal version

Answer: No, check screen shot of my subscription. Screenshot of MS 365 family plan.JPG

Sign out and sign back in using your personal Microsoft account.

Answer: No change. 2nd screenshot of subscription.JPG

*If you're using the desktop Office apps, go to File → Account to check which account is signed in. *

Answer: Same answer and screenshot as above.
Tammy-Ng 1,970 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-07-03T09:21:19.8866667+00:00

Dear D Griffin
Thank you for your response.
Your input is very important and helpful to me. Based on the information you provided, I tested the scenario again in my own test environment. As you can see, I was able to upload a .pdf file to OneDrive Personal Vault and open it successfully.

I understand that this issue may be frustrating, and I truly appreciate your patience. If you have any additional information or observations, please feel free to share them so we can work together to find the best possible solution.

Thank you for your cooperation. I look forward to assisting you further and resolving this matter promptly.
Tammy-Ng 1,970 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-07-07T03:55:25.7433333+00:00

Dear D Griffin,

I hope you're having a smooth and productive day. I’m writing to follow up on the issue you previously encountered with accessing PDF files in your OneDrive Personal Vault.

As I haven’t heard back from you in a while, I wanted to check in to see if the issue has been resolved. If there are any new developments or if you still require assistance, please feel free to share. I’m always here and ready to support you.

Looking forward to your response.
D Griffin 15 Reputation points

2025-07-08T15:10:23.32+00:00

I contacted MS phone chat. After logging into my Computer and observing for himself that he was un-able to VIEW any .pdf file located inside the "Personal Vault" as well as discovering that we were unable to VIEW any .jpg files that we opened in the "Personal Vault". The tech rep then add the "Personal Vault" shortcut to my computer which is accessed via File Explorer / OneDrive - Personal . Then and only then were we able to VIEW any opened .pdf document. He then escalated the problem to MS engineers. It is still not solved as of 11:00 AM EST on 7 / 8 / 2025.
NOTE* There has never been a problem opening the files. I incorrectly used the word "open" in my original message. I should have been explicitly correct and used the word "View", which I did use in the 2nd comment. If you look at my last messages, I state the word "View". I am going to try and make contact once again with your phone team as I have not received clearance of this vexing problem.
The MS Service request # is 7080462279
D Griffin 15 Reputation points

2025-07-08T15:50:43.3733333+00:00

BTW. Please respond to my question of "Why is "For business" the only choice for child item tag?". This was my first question in my original post. I bulleted responses to your suggestions to my question. I didn't see any following response from you. I do not currently have and have never had a MS 'business' account/subscription or APP. Please correct this problem to accurately reflect my subscription. Remember to look above and see the screenshot of my subscription. Thank you for your attention to what should be an easily solvable problem.
DavidY 0 Reputation points

2025-08-09T10:20:45.2633333+00:00

same problem

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OneDrive Personal Vault refuses to open .pdf files.

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