Forum Discussion
I can't move my files to the local drive
Last year, my computer had an issue with a port and it had to be sent back to Dell for repair. I backed up all my files to OneDrive before I sent it because I didn't have storage large enough to back my files to. They told me they would probably have to reset everything and I'd lose all my files.
When I got my computer back, I reinstalled Microsoft Office including OneDrive and tried to pull all my files back to the local drive so I can get rid of the subscription. I can't seem to get them back to the local drive. I see the folders but when I open the folder, it just shows big gray X's in place of the files. I also don't want to subscribe to OneDrive anymore.
Can someone tell me exactly how to get all my files on to the local drive so I can get rid of OneDrive?
4 Replies
Ugh, that's super frustrating, and dealing with OneDrive's "Files On-Demand" feature can be a real pain—I've totally been there with the gray X's!
Here’s the quick fix:
Right-click the OneDrive cloud icon in your system tray (near the clock), go to Settings > Account, and click Choose folders. Then, make sure all the folders you want are checked so they download fully to your PC. Once everything’s synced locally, you can safely unlink OneDrive and cancel your subscription.Hope that gets all your files back where they belong!
Sure thing. This is a classic OneDrive "Files On-Demand" issue—those grey X's mean the files are only online. Here’s the fix:
Right-click the OneDrive icon in your taskbar → click Settings → go to the "Sync and backup" tab → click "Advanced settings" → under "Files On-Demand," deselect "Save space and download files as you use them."
OneDrive will then download all your files back to your local drive. Once everything’s synced locally, you can safely unlink OneDrive and cancel your subscription without losing anything.
It sounds like OneDrive is still set to cloud-only mode, showing placeholders instead of actual files. To move your files to the local drive, right-click the OneDrive icon in the system tray, go to "Settings," and make sure "Files On-Demand" is turned off. Then, select the files or folders you want and choose "Always keep on this device." Once downloaded, you can copy them to your local drive and unlink OneDrive from your PC.
Be patient during the download process. Once all files are locally available and copied, you'll be free to uninstall OneDrive and manage your files directly on your PC without cloud dependency.
