How to turn off or disable OneDrive in windows 11?

OneDrive folder backup can automatically sync your Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos folders to your Microsoft account. If you want to disable OneDrive but keep your files on the PC, this is the first setting to check. Turning it off stops Windows 11 from backing up those folders to OneDrive in the background.

Detailed steps

1. Look at the bottom-right corner of the taskbar and click the OneDrive cloud icon.
2. It may be a white cloud or blue cloud. If you do not see it, click the up arrow in the system tray to show hidden icons.
3. Click the gear icon in the OneDrive window.
4. Choose Settings.
5. In the OneDrive settings window, select Sync and backup from the left side.
6. Click Manage backup.
7. You should now see folders such as Desktop, Documents, Pictures, and sometimes Music and Videos.

Important note

Turning off folder backup does not uninstall OneDrive and does not remove your Microsoft account from Windows. It only stops OneDrive from backing up selected folders. After this, you can continue with the next steps: unlink this PC and disable OneDrive startup.

Uninstall OneDrive Completely is the most thorough way to how to turn off OneDrive from Windows 11, removing the app entirely from your system.

Instructions: Right-click the Start button, then open Installed apps or Apps & features. Locate the software in the list, click the three dots next to it, select “Uninstall,” and then confirm the action.

Its advantages include fully stopping sync and background processes, freeing up disk space used by the app and its temporary files, and removing all related entries from File Explorer and the system tray.

The drawbacks include the permanent removal of the software’s cloud sync feature, the need to manually clean up residual local folders, and the fact that certain Windows updates may attempt to reinstall the app automatically.

This allows you to completely how to turn off OneDrive from Windows 11. It is suitable for users who do not use OneDrive at all and want to eliminate all its traces from their computer.

Notes

• Before uninstalling, please ensure that all files in the software folder have been backed up or synced to the cloud to avoid losing any unsynced local copies.
• You need administrator privileges to uninstall this software via the app list.
• After uninstalling, if you no longer need the local files, you can manually delete the software folder from your user directory.

Hiding OneDrive in File Explorer is a registry tweak that helps you hide the app in Windows 11 by removing its entry from the File Explorer sidebar.

how to turn off OneDrive from Windows 11

Step 1: Press the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2: Type regedit and press Enter.

Step 3: If a User Account Control prompt appears, click Yes.

Step 4: In the Registry Editor, paste the following path into the address bar and press Enter:

Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}

Step 5: In the right pane, locate the

 System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree entry.

Step 6: Double-click the entry and change its value data from 1 to 0.

Step 7: Click OK to save the changes.

Finally, close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

After restarting, the app will no longer appear in the File Explorer sidebar. This method allows you to how to turn off OneDrive from Windows 11 without uninstalling the app or stopping its background processes, resulting in a cleaner File Explorer interface.

Stop OneDrive from Starting Automatically is a common step to how to disable onedrive in Windows 11, preventing the app from launching automatically when you turn on your PC.

This method only disables the startup behavior, and the OneDrive program will still be present on your system.

First, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. If the window shows only a basic view, click "More details" at the bottom to expand it.

Next, go to the "Startup" tab at the top of the Task Manager window. Locate "Microsoft OneDrive" in the list of startup items. Right-click on it, then select "Disable".

Once done, OneDrive will no longer launch automatically when you start your computer. This step is often used together with unlinking your account to fully stop OneDrive sync activity.

Cons

• Disabling the startup feature will only prevent the software from starting automatically; you can still open and run the software manually.
• If you start the software manually later, the background synchronization process will not stop.
• System updates or Windows upgrades may sometimes automatically reset the startup settings.
• This setting affects only the current user profile; other user accounts on the same computer will still be set to start the software automatically by default.

This method helps you how to disable onedrive in Windows 11 from running in the background on boot, but it does not uninstall the app or stop it from opening manually. It is suitable for users who want to reduce unnecessary background processes and system startup time.

If you don’t want OneDrive to start every time you log in, this is a quick and safe way to do it. This is a basic system setting, so you should confirm that you no longer need automatic sync before disabling it.

Unlink OneDrive is a common method to how to disable onedrive in Windows 11 without uninstalling the app. This operation only turns off file sync, while keeping the OneDrive program installed locally.

how to disable onedrive in Windows 11

1. Look at the bottom-right corner of the desktop taskbar, near the system clock.
2. Find the white or blue OneDrive icon.
3. If you don't see the icon, click the up arrow ^ to expand the hidden system tray icons.
4. Right-click the Software Cloud icon.
5. Select Help and Settings, then open Settings.
6. Go to the Accounts tab.
7. Click Unlink from this computer.
8. Select Unlink account to confirm the action.

Once you've completed these steps, the software will stop all automatic file syncing, and your local files will remain on your computer. This simple, built-in method allows you to quickly disable the software in Windows 11 without having to uninstall the app or make extensive changes to your system settings.

ps：

• Unlinking the app will only stop synchronization; it will not completely shut down or uninstall the software. The app will continue to run in the background.
• After unlinking, files in the cloud will no longer sync automatically with your local computer.
• You may still receive a prompt from the app asking you to log in again.
• This action will not delete the local app folder or its files; they will continue to take up disk space.