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OneDrive is the cloud storage offering from Microsoft that comes bundled with Windows 11 by default. Like Microsoft Edge, bundling OneDrive has also faced harsh criticism from users as many look for ways to remove it from their PCs. If youre in the same boat and would like to remove OneDrive, then heres all you need to know about it.

Disabling OneDrive has its advantages and disadvantages. Heres what happens when you disable OneDrive on your system.

Yes, you can officially remove OneDrive from Windows 11 by using the uninstall option (see option 5 below). This, however, leaves remnants of OneDrive on your PC so that it can be easily recovered.

If you wish to remove OneDrive permanently, then you will have to opt for a more robust solution like removing it using a .bat script, CMD commands, a third-party uninstaller, and more. You will find guides for all these methods in Option 5 below.

Related: 14 Ways to clear Windows 11 cache

Here are all how you can disable OneDrive on Windows 11. Follow either of the sections below to temporarily or permanently disable OneDrive on your system depending on your preference.

FYI, among the five options below, while options 1 to 4 are about disabling OneDrive on your PC, Option 5 is about uninstalling it.

You can start by pausing OneDrive sync if you wish to disable it temporarily. This will pause all OneDrive activities and services running in the background. This is the recommended way if you wish to get rid of OneDrive temporarily.

You will get to choose a time period for which OneDrive will be disabled on your device. Upon its completion, OneDrive will automatically begin syncing on your device again.

Use the guide below to help you along with the process.

Click theOneDriveicon in your taskbar.

Select Settings in the top right corner.

Now, click Pause syncing.

Click the drop-down arrow and select one of the following options depending on your preference.

You will now have paused OneDrive sync on your device for the selected period.

Related: How to Disable Windows 11 Alert Sounds

This option is for users that wish to remove their OneDrive account from a particular PC while retaining local files. Your OneDrive account will be unlinked from the current PC and your files will no longer be synced to the cloud.

OneDrive only files will be deleted from your local storage, while retaining other files. Use the guide below to help you along with the process.

Click the OneDrive icon in your taskbar.

Click the icon in the top right corner.

Select Settings.

A small window will appear and by default, the Account tab will be selected. Click Unlink this PC under the same.

Click Unlink account to confirm your choice.

Related: How to Clean Registry on Windows 11 [4 Ways]

You can also stop OneDrive from opening on startup to prevent it from automatically launching. This way you can use the app only when needed on your system without having it constantly running in the background.

This is the recommended solution if you use OneDrive occasionally and would like it turned off when not in use.Follow the steps below to help you along with the process.

Click on the OneDrive cloud icon in the taskbar.

Click the icon in the top right corner.

Select Settings from the dropdown menu.

Click and switch to the Settingstab.

Uncheck all the boxes under General.

Click OK.

Related: How to add WinRAR or 7Zip to Windows 11 Context Menu

You can also hide OneDrive from your system if you wish to temporarily part from it. While this wont remove or disable OneDrive sync, it will remove the OneDrive listing from your File Explorer.

This is an ideal solution for users that wish to keep their online files away from prying eyes while still having access to them whenever needed. OneDrive will keep working in the background as intended.Use the steps below to help you along with the process.

Open File Explorer and right-click on OneDrive.

SelectProperties.

Check the box for Hidden under Attributes.

This will hide OneDrive from the File Explorer. ClickOK once done. SelectApply changes to this folder only.

ClickOK.

Click the OneDirve icon in your taskbar and selectthe icon.

ClickClose OneDrive.

Confirm your choice by clicking on the same.

OneDrive will now quit and will be hidden from your taskbar. We recommend you follow the guide above to prevent it from launching at startup to disable it temporarily on your PC.

Related: Windows 11 Taskbar Not Showing? How to Fix

If youre looking for a more permanent solution then we recommend you remove OneDrive from your system completely. If you would like to keep some setup files and background services so that it can be easier to set up the same for other users, then you can use the Settings app to remove OneDrive.

However, if you wish to remove OneDrive permanently, then we recommend you use one of the other solutions mentioned below. Follow the relevant section below to help you along with the process.

Press Windows + i on your keyboard and selectApps & features.

ClickInstalled apps.

Find Microsoft OneDrive in the list and click the iconbeside it.

SelectUninstall.

ClickUninstallagain to confirm your choice.

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process and OneDrive should now have been removed from your system.

Command Prompt can help you more permanently remove Microsoft OneDrive. Follow the steps below to help you along with the process.

Press Windows + R and type in the following. Press Ctrl + Shift + Enter on your keyboard once done.

Confirm the UAC prompt and then type in the following commands one by one and execute them by pressing Enter on your keyboard.

%Systemroot%SysWOW64OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall

%Systemroot%System32OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall

Use the following command to close the command prompt.

exit

And thats it! You will now have removed OneDrive from your PC.

Press Windows + R, type in the following, and press Enter.

gpedit.msc

Navigate to the following path using the left sidebar.

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OneDrive

Double click onPrevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage value on your right.

See the rest here:
Want to Disable Onedrive on Windows 11? These 5 Options Will Help You! - NerdsChalk