Forum Discussion
How do I purge everything on my online onedrive
You can try to delete everything from your OneDrive in bulk instead of deleting files one by one.
Here are the steps to purge everything from your online OneDrive account:
Option 1: Delete All Files from OneDrive Web (Online)
- Log in to OneDrive:
- Go to the OneDrive website, and sign in with your Office 365 or Microsoft account.
- Select All Files and Folders:
- On the OneDrive Home page, click the checkbox at the top of the file/folder list, right next to the "Name" column. This will select all files and folders in the current view.
- If there are subfolders, you may need to go inside those subfolders and repeat the process to ensure everything is selected.
- Delete:
- After selecting everything, click on the "Delete" button (it looks like a trash can icon) at the top of the screen.
- This will move everything to the Recycle Bin.
- Empty the Recycle Bin:
- Once the items are in the Recycle Bin, go to the OneDrive Recycle Bin (usually located in the left sidebar).
- Click "Empty recycle bin" at the top to permanently delete everything.
This method deletes all files and folders from your OneDrive account.
Option 2: Use the OneDrive Desktop App (Windows/Mac)
- Open File Explorer/Finder:
- If you have the OneDrive desktop app installed, you can open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) and find the OneDrive folder.
- Select All Files:
- Inside the OneDrive folder, press Ctrl + A (on Windows) or Cmd + A (on Mac) to select all files and folders.
- Delete:
- Right-click and choose "Delete" to remove all files from the OneDrive folder.
- These files will sync with OneDrive online and be deleted from your cloud account.
- Empty the Recycle Bin:
- Similar to the previous option, make sure to go to the OneDrive Recycle Bin online and empty it to permanently delete the files. The text and steps were edited with the help of AI.
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
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This will help all forum participants.
On the Web OneDrive there is no delete button.
All you can do it click on the three dots to the right of a file or folder name and select the delete option from the menu that appears to remove one file or folder at a time.
Selecting all or a folder(s)/file(s) stops the menu with the delete option menu from appearing.
OneDrive web interface doesn't clearly show a "Delete" button when multiple files or folders are selected, especially if there's a glitch or it's being viewed on a mobile browser.
Updated Steps to Delete Everything from OneDrive Online
1. Use a Desktop Browser (not mobile)
Make sure you’re using a desktop browser (like Chrome, Edge, or Firefox). Some functionality is limited or broken on mobile browsers.
2. Switch to “My Files” View
Go to: https://onedrive.live.com/
Log in and click on "My files" in the left sidebar.3. Use the Keyboard to Select All
- Click once on any blank white space next to a file (not the file name or checkbox).
- Then press Ctrl + A (on Windows) or Cmd + A (on Mac) to select everything in the current folder.
4. Right-Click to Delete
- After everything is selected, right-click anywhere in the selected area.
- A context menu will appear with the “Delete” option. Click it.
This moves everything to your OneDrive Recycle Bin (not yet fully deleted).
I had to jump through hoops and sign in three times in order to reply to you just so that I could say that the system is clearly designed to siphon money from people. I did not ask for OneDrive. I've spent the last hour and a half making an effort to try to delete the data you have carefully duped me out of. NO THANK YOU.
PS: OneDrive conveniently times out every time I try to delete everything. I'm screenshotting this entire conversation and archiving it for future reference.
My post was almost over a year ago, and many things change in a year, even in a week in IT. Anyway, I'm sorry to hear it didn't help you. If I may point out, it's always good to describe your digital environment in detail in your post (operating system, OneDrive version, Office version, etc.). That way, you might get better suggestions for solutions than mine...maybe.
At the same time, I'd like to point out that, like many others here, I'm just a simple user of this forum and nothing more. However, if you want to contact Microsoft directly, you can do so under Business Assist (link is not posible MS blocked.it) if you're a business user, or under feedback or help (this link blocked too, even if the links from MS, strage) in your OneDrive (it depends on the version).
I hope this at least helped you.
