Get Data from Folder and am unable to browse folders

[jusTodd]

This needs a serious and permanent fix and NOT some random workaround or registry edit.

This is NOT a good User Experience, which slowly seeping into other software.  I just noticed PowerAutomate has the same problem.

When attempting to browse to a folder, myself and many millions of others are apparently unable to do so without copy/pasting a folder location or disabling Desktop backup through OneDrive.

Yes all things are update to the latest version.  This stopped working with the December update to Power BI and is now one of the most annoying "features" of the program.

This is core functionality, Microsoft!  Why you break it?

Anyone reading this ... please do not respond that ridiculous workaround being discussed or some registry fix.  One should not have to disable core functionality to enable other core functionality.

[v-yetao1-msft]

Hi @jusTodd 

What do you mean by unable to browse folders you mentioned? Can you explain it in detail ? If you get data from folder in Desktop , then you cannot open the folder in local ? 

Best Regards,
Community Support Team _ Ailsa Tao

[jusTodd]

@v-yetao1-msft , what I mean is that when attemtpting to "Get Data" from a Folder, the only thing I (and apparently thousands of others) are able to see is Desktop.

I can cancel, go back and paste a file path and it will go to that file path.

The only solutions I have found are to disable OneDrive Desktop synching, which disturbs my own personal workflow, or edit the registry, which is not always effective and seems require further edits.

I also discovered that in a document that already references specific files, attempting to change the source, I am directed immediately into the local or network folder structure where the original source file lives, can browse around freely and choose another file.  Unfortunately, that does not work with folders.

The same is true whether i be from Power BI or Power Query.

Ridiculous and not User-Friendly.

No other local Microsoft product that I have does this, except PowerAutomate.  It started this nonsense.

It almost seems as if these two pieces of software need to change what folder is the default, or give me something in the optiosn to choose.

Excel defaults to Documents and I can browse freely.

Word defaults to Documents and I can browse freely.

PowerPoint defaults to Documents and I can browse freely.

... and the list goes on ...