How to Disable OneDrive on Windows 11 [ 7 Ways to Turn Off ]

Want to remove or disable OneDrive on Windows 11?

If yes then this post is definitely for you.

You have probably heard of OneDrive. It’s Microsoft’s equivalent to Apple iCloud and Google Drive.

Basically, this cloud storage service comes with your Microsoft account and can be used to store your files on the cloud, share them with others, and sync them across devices.

While this can be handy for backing up your files and syncing them between PCs and mobile devices, you may not want to use OneDrive on all your PCs.

The reason could be whether the automatic syncing might interfere with your usage, or you may prefer to use a different service like Dropbox or Google Drive.

In this article, I will show you how to disable, uninstall or remove OneDrive from your Windows 11 desktop.

So, without further ado, let’s get started…

How to Disable OneDrive on Windows 11 [ 7 Ways to Turn Off ]

For Windows 11 users, OneDrive is a built-in or preinstalled app, making it more difficult to disable it without hacking the registry or installing third-party apps. However, there are still many ways by which you can easily remove or uninstall OneDrive permanently from Windows 11 PC and Laptop.

So, let’s get started…

1. Stop or Pause OneDrive Syncing

In the OneDrive settings, there’s a pause syncing option that you can use to stop the syncing process temporarily. It’s a simple way to pause OneDrive if you have an unstable internet connection or don’t want some of your files synced to the cloud.

Note:- OneDrive only allows you to temporarily pause syncing for 2, 8, and 24 hours.

And here are the steps you need to follow:-

1. First, hover over the system tray (right-hand corner) and then click on the OneDrive icon under the notifications panel.

OneDrive icon in taskbar

2. Now, in the OneDrive window click on “Help & Settings“.

click on Help & Settings

3. After that, click on the “Pause Syncing” option and then select 2 hours, 8 hours, or 24 hours according to your need.

Pause OneDrive Syncing

Once done, OneDrive will suspend the syncing for the chosen time frame and don’t forget that the syncing process will begin automatically after that time has elapsed.

Stop OneDrive From Syncing Desktop Folders

OneDrive sometimes becomes a little more than necessary for some users. If you are using it for personal files, it’s fine. But if you need it to sync work files from your desktop to the laptop, it cannot be very pleasant. Fortunately, you can pause or stop OneDrive from syncing specific folders like documents, pictures, etc.

And here are the steps you need to follow:-

1. First, click on the OneDrive icon in the taskbar tray.

OneDrive icon in taskbar

2. Now, click on the “Help & Settings” icon and then select the Settings option from it.

Microsoft OneDrive settings

3. After that, Microsoft OneDrive settings will open up, and then go to the Account tab & then click on Choose folders button.

Click on Choose folders button

4. Now you can easily uncheck specific folders for which you want to turn off syncing process and when done, click on the OK button.

Stop OneDrive From Syncing Specific Folders

2. Unlink Microsoft OneDrive Account

If you have decided to stop using OneDrive on a specific Windows 11 computer or laptop, you can easily unlink your Microsoft account from it. It will remain installed on your system but no longer sync any files or folders. If you only need to use it occasionally, this is a great option!

Moreover, I have seen many users ask this one question which I would like to answer here.

Q. Does Unlinking OneDrive Delete Files?
Ans.
No, your files won’t be deleted from your PC. But they’ll no longer sync with your OneDrive account in the cloud.

And here are the steps you need to follow:-

1. First, click on the OneDrive icon in the taskbar tray.

OneDrive icon in taskbar

2. Now, select the “Help & Settings” option and then click on Settings.

Microsoft OneDrive settings

3. After that, OneDrive settings will open up, now navigate to the Account tab and then click on Unlink this PC link.

Click on Unlink this PC link

4. At last, click on the Unlink account button to confirm this request.

Click on Unlink account button

Note:- After this unlinking process, the app icon will still appear, and if you want to hide the OneDrive icon from the taskbar then you need to follow the upcoming Methods no. 5 & 7.

3. Turn Off OneDrive Startup in Windows 11

Now if you occasionally use OneDrive on your Windows 11, then I would suggest you to turn off the Startup service. Because by disabling it, you can improve the booting process and stop it from starting automatically each time you turn on your PC.

And here are the steps you need to follow:-

1. First, go to Start Menu and then click on Settings.

Go to Windows 11 Settings

2. Now, navigate to Apps & then go to Startup settings.

Navigate to Apps and then Startup settings

3. After that, search for the “Microsoft OneDrive” service and then turn it off by clicking on the toggle button.

Turn Off OneDrive Startup in Windows 11

Turn Off Background Apps Permission & Terminate

I know that we have already turned off the Startup services but what if somehow the OneDrive app is triggered again, it will keep running in the background automatically. In that case, changing background apps permission can help us and the terminate option to stop it.

And here are the steps you need to follow:-

1. First, click on “Start menu” button & then go to Settings.

Go to Windows 11 Settings

2. Now, navigate to Apps > Apps & features settings.

Click on Apps Features

3. After that, find the OneDrive app from the list and then click on three dots and then select Advanced options.

OneDrive Advanced options

4. Now, change Background apps permissions to Never.

change Background apps permissions to Never

5. At last, stop it by clicking on the Terminate button and this option will also help you in terminating all the running processes related to this app.

Click on Terminate button

4. Uninstall OneDrive via Windows 11 Settings

There’s no point in keeping OneDrive installed on your system if you are using another cloud storage service like Google Drive, DropBox, etc. And the simplest way to uninstall OneDrive is using Windows 11 settings or you can say the default uninstaller.

And here are the steps you need to follow:-

1. First, click on the Start button and then go to Settings.

Go to Windows 11 Settings

2. Now go to ‘Apps‘ and then click on ‘Apps & features‘ settings.

Go-to-Apps-Tab-and-then-click-on-Apps-and-features

3. After that, search for the “Microsoft OneDrive” application & then click on three dots and then select Uninstall option.

Uninstall OneDrive via Windows 11 Settings

4. At last, it will ask for confirmation, so click on the Yes button.

Click on Yes button

Bonus Tip:- If sometimes you want to reinstall OneDrive in Windows 11, then navigate to this location C:\Windows\SysWOW64\, then search for OneDriveSetup.exe and double-click on it to install.

5. Disable OneDrive Via Registry Editor

Although, I really don’t like toggling with Registry files but what if the default syncing options are not working properly and you are using the Windows 11 Home version. In that case, the registry editor can help you in disabling the syncing process of OneDrive.

Note:- Please use Registry Editor carefully because doing any incorrect modification in the registry files can cause your computer not to work properly. So, I recommend you before doing any changes please backup your important files and folders.

And here are the steps you need to follow:-

1. First, press “Windows key + R” to open the Run dialog box.

2. Now type “Regedit” and then click on the OK button.

Type Regedit command and hit Enter

3. After that, the registry editor will open up and then navigate to the given path.

Path:- Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\OneDrive

DisableFileSyncNGSC key Location

4. Now check if the key named “DisableFileSyncNGSC” already exists or not. If it exists, then double click on it and change its value to 1.

Disable OneDrive Via Registry Editor

Note:- If the key doesn’t exist, then right-click on the right-hand side section to create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value key. After that, rename it to “DisableFileSyncNGSC” & then change its value to 1 and click OK.

6. Uninstall or Remove OneDrive via CMD

I know that we have already mentioned about uninstalling OneDrive earlier but what if the default uninstaller is not working or it’s grey out. In that case, you can use this alternative which will help you to completely remove OneDrive using Command Prompt.

And here are the steps you need to follow:-

1. First, type “CMD” in the search box and then click on “Run as administrator“.

Run CMD as administrator

2. After that, type the given command one by one.

1st Command: taskkill /f /im OneDrive.exe

2nd Command: %SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall

Remove OneDrive via CMD

Quick Note:- If you see the User Account Control prompt in any step, click on the Yes button.

7. Disable OneDrive using Group Policy Editor

Now if you don’t like using Registry Editor then you use this alternative method to disable onedrive via GPO ( Group Policy Editor ). It’s much safer than that but the only downfall is that it is only available for Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise users. And the best part is that you can use this method to configure multiple computers across the network.

And here are the steps you need to follow:-

1. First, open the Run dialog box by pressing the “Windows key + R” shortcut keys.

2. Now type “gpedit.msc” and then click the OK button.

gpedit.msc

3. After that, navigate to the given location.

Location:- Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OneDrive

Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage Location

4. At last, double-click on the “Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage” settings, then change its value from “Disabled” to “Enabled” and click on the OK button.

Disable OneDrive using Group Policy Editor

Note:- Once all settings are done, please restart your system.

That’s it for now…

Conclusion

So, that’s how you can easily remove OneDrive from your Windows 11 PC and Laptop. Also, I think it’s pretty impressive to see the number of ways including how to uninstall it and turn off it.

With that said, it would be great to know which method you ended up using for fixing your OneDrive issue.

Stay tuned for the latest posts…

Feel free to share your thoughts via comments & also tell us about this post on How to Disable OneDrive on Windows 11 [ 7 Ways to Turn Off ].

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