How to Disable OneDrive in Windows

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    Disable OneDrive in Windows

    OneDrive is a cloud service for Microsoft users to store their data. Although the service synchronizes your files from Windows to its server, the free storage space of 5GB might not be enough to keep all your data. In that case, you’ll need to disable its synchronization with your Windows to store only specific data.

    If you want to disable OneDrive in Windows but don’t know how to, keep reading this article.

    How to Disable OneDrive in Windows

    The simple UI of the application makes it easy for the user to disable the sync between the service and Windows. You can disable OneDrive from the Help & Settings option in OneDrive itself. 

    Disable OneDrive on Startup

    OneDrive starts as soon as you start your Windows. This automatically starts synchronizing your files to the service. You can disable this through OneDrive’s settings itself. Follow these steps to disable OneDrive as a startup:

    1. From your taskbar, select the icon for OneDrive.
    2. Go to Help & Settings and open Settings.
    3. On the Settings tab, uncheck the box for Start OneDrive automatically when I sign to Windows.StartOneDrive 

    Pause Sync

    You can choose how long you want to disable the synchronization between OneDrive and Windows through OneDrive’s setting. Follow these instructions to pause the synchronization between OneDrive and WIndows:

    1. From your taskbar, select the icon for OneDrive.
    2. Go to Help & Settings, then drop the menu down for Pause Syncing.PauseSync
    3. Select how long you want to pause the synchronization.

     Pause Sync During Battery Saver Mode

    If you’re worried about OneDrive draining more power, you can disable it during the battery-saving mode. Here is how you can pause sync during battery saver mode:

    1. From your taskbar, select the icon for OneDrive.
    2. Go to Help & Settings, then open Settings.
    3. On the Settings tab, uncheck the box for Automatically pause sync when this device is in battery saver mode. BattterySaverMode

    Disable OneDrive for Specific Folders

    You can stop the synchronization of specific folders and OndeDrive through Help & Settings of OneDrive. Here are the instructions for your to disable OneDrive for Specific Folders:

    1. Select the cloud icon on the right of your taskbar to open OneDrive.
    2. Open Help & Settings.
    3. From the drop-down menu, click Settings. OutlookHelp&Settings
    4. Click on the Account tab.
    5. Under Choose folders, select the button for Choose folders.
    6. Uncheck the box next to the folders you don’t want to backup in OneDrive.Disableforspecificfolder

    Quit OneDrive

    To stop completely synchronizing your files from Windows to the service, you’ll need to quit OneDrive. You can visit Help & Setting to quit OneDrive. Follow these introductions to disable the sync entirely:

    1. From your taskbar, select the icon for OneDrive.
    2. Go to Help & Settings, then drop the menu down for Quit OneDrive.QuitOneDrive
    3. Confirm the action by choosing Close OneDrive on the dialog box.

    Unlink Windows to OneDrive

    You can unlink your device from OneDrive to stop the sync from your current device to the cloud. You can easily unlink your device to OneDrive by following these instructions:

    1. From your taskbar, select the icon for OneDrive.
    2. Go to Help & Settings, then open Settings.
    3. Go to the Account tab.
    4. Select Unlink this PC. Confirm the action by choosing the Unlink account option in the dialog box.UnlinkPC

    Use Registry Editor to Disable OneDrive

    You can change the value in Windows Registry Editor to disable OneDrive from your PC. However, using the registry editor might be tricky, so it is advised to create a restore point before you begin. You can follow these steps to use the registry editor to unlink OneDrive and your PC:

    1. Open Start and search for Registry Editor.
    2. Navigate to Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\OneDrive Regedit
    3. Locate DisableFileSyncNGSC key. If you cannot find it, right-click on an empty space and select New. 
    4. Choose DWORD (32-bit) value key and name it DisableFileSyncNGSC.
    5. Double-click the key and change the Hexadecimal value to 1.
    6. Close the registry editor and reboot your PC to initialize the changes.

    Uninstall OneDrive

    If you plan on not using OneDrive, you can uninstall the application as a whole. A user can uninstall OneDrive through the system settings for Windows. Follow these instructions to delete OneDrive:

    1. Open Start and select Settings.
    2. On the left, select Apps.
    3. Choose Apps & Features.
    4. On the search bar, type OneDrive to locate it.UninstallOneDriveSettings
    5. Click on the vertical three-dot menu and select Uninstall.

    Uninstall OneDrive Using the Command Prompt.

    You can also delete OneDrive using the Command Prompt. Firstly, you will need to know your Windows 11 system type. Follow these steps to view your system type:

    1. Open Start to open Settings.
    2. Hop to System, scroll down to About.
    3. Under Device Specifications, locate System Type (Either 32-bit or 64-bit)DeviceSpecification

    Now that you know your system type, you can use the command to uninstall OneDrive to get rid of the application through the Command Prompt. 

    1. Open Start and type in Command Prompt on the search bar.
    2. Right-click on the application and select Run as administrator. 
    3. If you have a 64-bit operating system, enter these commands:

    taskkill /f /im OneDrive.exe 

    %SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstallUninstallOneDriveCommandPrompt

    1. If you have 32-bit operating system, run these commands:

    taskkill /f /im OneDrive.exe

    %SystemRoot%\System32\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall

    Disable One Drive through Task Manager

    You can disable the OneDrive application from running in the background using the task manager. You can access the task manager by typing Task Manager on the search bar on Start. You can also hit Ctrl + Shift + Esc shortcuts to open the task manager.  Follow these steps to disable OneDrive through the task manager:

    1. Open Task Manager.
    2. Open the Startup tab on the top.TaskManager
    3. Locate OneDrive and right-click on it.
    4. Select Disable.
    5. Restart your PC to save changes.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

    Does Windows 11 have OneDrive?

    OneDrive comes built-in from Windows 10. This means users don’t have to manually install the application from the Microsoft Store on their PC. OneDrives serves as the default backup and storage service for Windows 11. 

    Is OneDrive necessary?

    OneDrive is the default cloud service for Windows. However, users don’t need to use OneDrive. You can disable this service by uninstalling the applications through your Windows system settings.

    Should I uninstall OneDrive?

    If you do not find it necessary to back your data up or have alternative means, you can uninstall OneDrive. When OneDrive is enabled, it runs in the background. This consumes a lot of RAM, causing your device to run slow. So if you don’t have a specific use for OneDrive, you can uninstall it.