How to Pause, Unlink, Hide, or Uninstall OneDrive in Windows 11/10

Want to turn off OneDrive in Windows 11 or Windows 10, but don’t know how? Actually, there are many cases. You can stop OneDrive from syncing, prevent it from starting when Windows starts, unlink your account, disable it completely, or uninstall the app.

The right method depends on what you want to do. If you don’t want OneDrive to sync files, unlinking your PC is usually enough. If you want to remove the app, you can uninstall OneDrive from Windows Settings.

Here are some common situations:

Quick video guide:

How to Pause OneDrive Sync in Windows 11/10

If you want to stop OneDrive from syncing temporarily, especially when using a metered or slow internet connection, you can pause OneDrive syncing.

Here is how to pause OneDrive sync:

1. Right-click the OneDrive icon on the taskbar in Windows 11 or Windows 10.
2. Select how long you want to pause syncing, such as 2, 8, or 24 hours.

Check that the white or blue OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area shows that syncing is paused.

How to Unlink OneDrive from Your PC in Windows 11/10

Unlinking OneDrive stops it from syncing with your computer without uninstalling the app.

1. Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area.
2. Click Help & Settings (upper right corner of the window: the gear icon) and select Settings.
3. Go to the Account tab.
4. Click Unlink this PC.
5. Select Unlink account to confirm.

After you unlink your account, OneDrive will stop syncing files on your PC. However, your files already stored in OneDrive remain available online.

How to Disable OneDrive at Windows Startup in Windows 11/10

If you want to keep OneDrive installed but don’t want it to launch automatically when Windows starts, you can disable its startup in Task Manager.

1. Right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager to open it.
2. Select Startup apps (in Windows 11) or Startup (in Windows 10).
3. Find OneDrive (in Windows 11)or Microsoft OneDrive (in Windows 10).
4. Right-click it and select Disable.

OneDrive will no longer start automatically when you sign in to Windows. You can still open the app manually when necessary.

How to Stop OneDrive from Backing Up Your Folders in Windows 11/10

If OneDrive is backing up your Desktop, Documents, or Pictures folders, you can stop the backup without removing OneDrive.

Follow these steps to do this:

1. Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area.

2. Go to Help & Settings > Settings.

3. Go to Sync and backup.

4. Click Manage backup.

5. Turn off the folder you no longer want OneDrive to back up.

6. Follow the prompts to choose where you want to keep your files.

Be careful when stopping folder backup. Files that have already been backed up may remain in your OneDrive folder instead of automatically returning to their original local folders. If necessary, move them back to the corresponding folders on your PC.

How to Disable OneDrive in Windows 11/10

There are two ways to disable OneDrive in Windows. Choose the one that best matches your situation.

Disable OneDrive with Group Policy

If you run Windows Pro, Enterprise, or Education edition, you can use the Local Group Policy Editor to prevent OneDrive from being used for file storage.

1. Type gpedit.msc in Windows Search and select the best match (the first result).
2. Go to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OneDrive.
3. Double-click Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage.
4. Select Enabled.
5. Click Apply and OK.
6. Restart your computer.

This will prevent Microsoft OneDrive from being used for file storage on your computer. It is mainly intended for users who want to block OneDrive rather than simply stop it from syncing.

Disable OneDrive via Registry Editor

You can also disable OneDrive by modifying the Windows Registry. This method is more advanced, so back up the Registry before making changes.

1. Type regedit into Windows Search and select Registry Editor to open it.
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows. You can directly copy and paste this path into the address bar, and press Enter to access it quickly.
3. Right-click the Windows key and select New > Key. Then, name the new key OneDrive.
4. Select the OneDrive key. Next, right-click the empty area in the right pane and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
5. Name the value DisableFileSyncNGSC. Now, double-click it and set the Value data to 1.
6. Click OK and restart your computer.

How to Uninstall OneDrive in Windows 11/10

If you don’t want to use OneDrive at all, you can choose to uninstall it from your Windows PC. A simple way is to uninstall OneDrive from Settings:

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Apps > Installed apps.
3. Find Microsoft OneDrive and click the three-dot menu next to it.
4. Select Uninstall and confirm.

Uninstalling the OneDrive app does not delete files that have been saved in your OneDrive account. You can still access your cloud files by signing in to your OneDrive account online.

How to Remove OneDrive from File Explorer in Windows 11/10

If you want to remove OneDrive from File Explorer without uninstalling it, you can hide it by modifying the Windows Registry. This method removes the OneDrive entry from the File Explorer navigation pane while still keeping the OneDrive app installed.

1. Open Registry Editor from Windows Search.

2. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}.

3. Double-click System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree and change its value to 0.

4. Click OK.

5. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace. Then, right-click {018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6} and select Delete.

6. Close the Registry Editor.

After these steps, you need to close all File Explorer windows to apply the changes.

What Happens If You Disable OneDrive

Disabling OneDrive mainly stops the OneDrive app from syncing or running on your computer. It does not automatically delete the files stored in your OneDrive account.

However, the result depends on how you disable OneDrive:

• Unlink OneDrive: Stops syncing files and folders between your PC and OneDrive.
• Disable OneDrive startup: Prevents OneDrive from launching automatically when Windows boots.
• Stop folder backup: Stops Desktop, Documents, or Pictures from being backed up by OneDrive.
• Group Policy or Registry: Blocks OneDrive from being used for file storage.
• Uninstall OneDrive: Removes the OneDrive app from your computer.
• Hide OneDrive from File Explorer: Removes OneDrive from view in File Explorer without uninstalling it.

Before turning off OneDrive, check whether your Desktop, Documents, or Pictures folders are currently being backed up. If important files exist only in the cloud, download them to your PC before changing the OneDrive settings.

Do I Need Microsoft OneDrive to Run Windows on My Computer

No. Windows can work without OneDrive, and you can unlink or uninstall OneDrive if you don’t want to use it.

However, OneDrive can be useful if you want to:

• Sync files across multiple devices.
• Back up important Windows folders.
• Access files from anywhere.
• Keep files in the cloud and save local storage space.

If you don’t need these features, you can disable or uninstall OneDrive and use another storage or backup solution instead.

MiniTool ShadowMaker – Best Alternative to OneDrive

Backing up data in today’s digital life is necessary. OneDrive is used for cloud syncing, but it relies heavily on a stable network. Once the internet connection is unstable, you will be unable to back up or sync files.

Thus, we’d like to introduce an alternative to OneDrive, which is MiniTool ShadowMaker. Available on Windows 11/10/8/8.1/7, this backup software allows you to back up your computer locally.

Different from OneDrive, MiniTool ShadowMaker can only sync and back up files locally, that is, transfer your files to a local device such as a hard disk drive, solid-state drive, USB flash drive, external hard drive, NAS, etc.

Besides, it’s a pity that this freeware only supports one-way sync because it puts more emphasis on maintaining the integrity of the original data.

But what can make up for this deficiency is that this tool contains some powerful features, such as file backup, partition backup, system backup, disk backup, and disk clone.

Here’s how to carry out a file sync with MiniTool ShadowMaker:

Step 1. Run This Software

1. Download and install the 30-day free trial of this software for Windows.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

2. Launch it and hit Keep Trial to enter the main interface.

Step 2. Select the Sync Source and Destination

1. Navigate to the Sync page.

2. Select what to sync from SOURCE and where to store them in DESTINATION.

Sync source – click on SOURCE, and then you can pick the files and folders you want to sync.

Sync destination – go to DESTINATION to select a storage path for the sync task. There are 4 types of sync destination options available for you:

• User – refers to all folders inside C:\Users\username.
• Computer – lists all the drives that Windows can detect.
• Libraries – represents all the folders in C:\Users\Public.
• Shared – syncs to a shared folder from another Windows PC in the same LAN.

Step 3. Edit the Task Name

In the top left corner of the Sync page, you can modify the task name to make it easier to identify.

Step 4. Perform the Task

After checking all the details, you can click on Sync Now to start the process at once or delay the task by selecting Sync Later.

# Create an Automatic Sync Task with MiniTool ShadowMaker

Unlike OneDrive, MiniTool ShadowMaker supports creating a scheduled sync or backup task. Follow these instructions to create an automatic sync task with it:

Step 1. Go back to the Sync page and hit Options in the lower right corner.

Step 2. Toggle on Schedule Settings manually.

Step 3. Pick a specific time point of a day(s), week, or month, and then hit OK to save the changes.

Once a sync schedule is created, your tasks will be scheduled to run automatically at the time point that you set.

Is there an equivalent to OneDrive for Windows? MiniTool ShadowMaker is such an alternative. Try this tool and you will be surprised by what it can achieve.Click to Tweet

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# OneDrive vs MiniTool ShadowMaker

What are the differences between OneDrive and MiniTool ShadowMaker? Now, please take a look at the table below, which compares the 2 products from several aspects.

How to Turn off OneDrive FAQ

Bottom Line

Now you know how to turn off OneDrive in Windows 11/10 in different ways. If you simply want to stop syncing, unlinking your PC is usually the easiest option. If you don’t want OneDrive to launch automatically, disable it from Startup apps. To stop OneDrive from backing up your Desktop, Documents, or Pictures folders, turn off folder backup. If you no longer need OneDrive, you can uninstall it from Windows Settings.

Before disabling or uninstalling OneDrive, make sure you know where your important files are stored. If some files are available only in OneDrive, download them to your PC first to avoid losing access to them.