How do I uninstall OneDrive while also have all my files from the PC, back to where they were supposed to be?

Hi Oskar,

Welcome to the Microsoft community.

To turn OFF OneDrive syncing go to the OneDrive cloud icon on the taskbar > Settings > "Sync and backup" or Backup > Manage backup. When you are there turn off the sync of all your folders. That will move the system folders back to where they came from. If any files remain in the OneDrive folder you can manually move them back. Then you can uninstall the OneDrive app if you wish.

I hope that helps. Let me know if you need further assistance.

- Craig

Hi Oskar,

Welcome to the Microsoft community.

To turn OFF OneDrive syncing go to the OneDrive cloud icon on the taskbar > Settings > "Sync and backup" or Backup > Manage backup. When you are there turn off the sync of all your folders. That will move the system folders back to where they came from. If any files remain in the OneDrive folder you can manually move them back. Then you can uninstall the OneDrive app if you wish.

I hope that helps. Let me know if you need further assistance.

- Craig

I've been able to turn that off, however there is a problem that yet lingers. Many of these synced programs, games, pictures have not all been successful by OneDrive, during its rundown of synchronizing my things. Many of these programs have made it impossible to transfer from OneDrive to their original spot again. Such errors consists of "being already in another program", or "An unexpected error is keeping you from moving this folder".

The status of these consists of the red cross (the file or folder could not be synced), and the blue cloud icon. These have made a lot of errors to this progress of returning apps and programs. Some of those I successfully got over to the other side, had OneDrive forcefully copied with the status "Processing changes" icon. I could not delete these copies within OneDrive, without having them affect those I pulled/transferred over to their original folder.

Changes usually lag my entire taskbar, refreshes the taskbar, keeps me on a long loading of the programs, to load something that is unknown. Restarting the computer usually fix these loadings, but gets me nowhere. Those files vary from nothing at all (simple document), to a load of pictures and work I've made to have issues being transferred.

I'll have to give that some thought. I'll let you know if I find an easy way to fix this.

All I can suggest at this point is to right-click the entire OneDrive folder or select folders on your PC and enable "Always keep on this device". The reason for this is that some apps won't work unless all files are made locally available. Files that have a blue cloud are cloud-only and therefore can't be accessed until downloaded.

As suggested, I put those files to "Always keep on this device", and many of the files have now been downloaded, returning either with the fully "green icon" and some with the arrows/ "in progress icon".

I've managed to move these files back to their original folders. However, another set of all the files I moved have also appeared in the "OneDrive Recycle Bin". Being the site for Outlook, OneDrive. Are these related to those I moved? I've deleted some of these files from the OneDrive Recycle Bin, to then see no changes have been made to the folder I had put them in. It's good, however my question then is; are these copies, or just a way to show which files have become abscent from the OneDrive folder? Is it safe to clear this entirely and not affect any of the affected files that have been put into the folder - outside of the OneDrive folder?

Regards,

Oskar

I've managed to move these files back to their original folders. However, another set of all the files I moved have also appeared in the "OneDrive Recycle Bin"

When you remove files from OneDrive they go to the online recycle bin. If you have returned your files to where they originally came from then you can delete those files in the recycle bin. You must empty the recycle bin because those files count as part of your OneDrive quota.

however my question then is; are these copies, or just a way to show which files have become abscent from the OneDrive folder? Is it safe to clear this entirely and not affect any of the affected files that have been put into the folder - outside of the OneDrive folder?

Yes, they are just copies so they can deleted from the recycle bin. When you move files from OneDrive to your computer they are copied to locations outside of OneDrive. I use the word "remove" or "move" but in effect you are making copies.

Empty the recycle bin in your Outlook mail also since it counts against your quota.

So it's possible to be deleting the copied files in the OneDrive storage, as well? There are many files there that I've not intended to be put into it, as they're mostly expendable from most important files I've already stored to their respective folders and all. Deleting the files in this storage of OneDrive's browser version to my outlook will not do more than just being rid of copies of said files, right?

Regards,

Oskar

The OneDrive backup process does not make copies on your computer. When sync is enabled in the OneDrive Settings > Sync and Backup > "Manage backup" the Documents, Desktop, and/or Pictures folders move into the OneDrive folder. They are not duplicated on your device. The only duplication that is made is to the cloud at onedrive.com.

The OneDrive cloud is a mirror of your local OneDrive folder. So files that are deleted in either of these places are deleted everywhere in OneDrive.

FIRST, MAKE SURE YOU LOG INTO ONEDRIVE.COM WITH THE SAME EMAIL YOU'LL USE ON YOUR PC AND SAVE ALL THE FOLDERS TO AN EXTERNAL DRIVE, LIKE A USB, OR A SECONDARY DRIVE IN YOUR COMPUTER SO YOU DON'T LOSE ANY DATA.

I know, it's like a virus you can't get rid of. I racked my brain for several days, trying to find a solution. After a LONG time I finally came up with this...

Windows 11

While trying to uninstall OneDrive I tried about forty links and about as many videos. All to no avail! There was so much junk - from modifying the Registry to running multiple scripts in Powershell - and Command Console - and walking through sometimes twenty steps in various windows functions and apps and on and on. It made me sick.

I did come up with a solution that INVOLVES RE-INSTALLING WINDOWS and it worked for ME!

1. I went to the website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11 

a. I downloaded Windows 11 Installation Assistant and created Windows 11 Installation Media on a USB Drive

2. I reinstalled Windows 11 using this media

a. I clicked the link on one of the dialogs - "Set up as new PC" - watch for it so you don't miss it

3. After the OS was fully installed I went to OneDrive.com and logged in with the Email that I used to install Windows

a. Windows had set everything up and I had a working OneDrive.com instance in the cloud - (If you had installed Windows previously

   with this same Email this OneDrive.com instance would have already been there)

   b. Multiple directories and the Personal Vault folders were visible

4. I deleted every folder and disabled Personal Vault Folder (it can't be deleted but if you right-click it you can disable it)

5. I signed out of this instance of OneDrive.com

6. I went to my installation of Windows 11 and signed in to the OneDrive app using the same Email

a. I clicked "Unlink this PC"

   b. I clicked "Choose folders" in the dialog that came up

   c. I was able to UNCHECK EVERY SINGLE FOLDER IN THE DIALOG!!!

7. I quickly exited from OneDrive and rebooted the computer :)

8. ALL TRACES OF ONEDRIVE WERE GONE!!!

a. When I right-clicked my Documents folder it looked like this: (C:\Users\[MyUserName]\Documents)

b. OneDrive was not in the string

9. Try it - you'll like it!

On my computer (windows 11) If I turn off the backup then the files and folder do not get restored into original location. All I get is a shortcut pointing back to the folder location in OneDrive folder. So, I'm afraid that unlinking and uninstalling the OneDrive will remove these files anyway. Do I have to manually copy all the folders that OneDrive moved before I realized it is turned on? How do I find out where was the original location of these files folders to ensure I don't miss copying anything? This appears to be a quite cumbersome process to stop using OneDrive, I wonder if it is by design.

-BW

I'm afraid that unlinking and uninstalling the OneDrive will remove these files anyway.

No. No files are removed when unlinking and uninstalling OneDrive.

On my computer (windows 11) If I turn off the backup then the files and folder do not get restored into original location. All I get is a shortcut pointing back to the folder location in OneDrive folder.

You can manually move the Documents, Desktop, Pictures, Music, and Videos folders back to the default location at C:\Users\username\. I assume you don't want to use OneDrive. So after turning off the backup at "Manage backup", move your folders out of OneDrive before unlinking and uninstalling OneDrive so that the corresponding files will be removed from the online OneDrive.

Do I have to manually copy all the folders that OneDrive moved before I realized it is turned on? How do I find out where was the original location of these files folders to ensure I don't miss copying anything?

You don't need to copy files. You can right-click the folders in OneDrive > Properties > Location tab > Move tab and move them back to the original location at C:\Users\username\.

This appears to be a quite cumbersome process to stop using OneDrive, I wonder if it is by design.

Yes, it is difficult to avoid OneDrive. Microsoft wants you to purchase a Microsoft 365 subscription. And they don't make it easy if you don't.

You should always keep an external backup of all your files in case there is a problem with OneDrive.