# Uninstall OneDrive on Windows 11 Without Losing Files You can uninstall OneDrive on Windows 11 from Settings › Apps › Installed apps, and Microsoft says you will not lose files or data by doing it: everything already in OneDrive stays in your account at OneDrive.com. What changes is what this PC can still open. Files that were online-only never had their content on the PC, so once OneDrive stops syncing they are no longer available here. Before you uninstall, decide whether you only need a break (pause), want this PC out of sync (unlink), or want the app gone (uninstall), and bring the files you need onto the PC first. This article is about removing OneDrive. If you only want OneDrive to take less space on drive C:, [freeing up space with Files On-Demand](/windows/blog/onedrive-free-up-space-windows) is the better path, and you keep syncing. ## Pause, unlink or uninstall | Action | What it does | Files on this PC | Cloud copy | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pause | Stops syncing for 2, 8 or 24 hours, then resumes | Stay as they are | Unchanged; new local changes upload later | | Unlink this PC | Disconnects this PC from your OneDrive account | Only content already downloaded is here | Stays in your account | | Uninstall | Removes the OneDrive app | Only content already downloaded is here | Stays in your account | [Microsoft's pause guide](https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/onedrive/how-to-pause-and-resume-onedrive-sync) explains the 2, 8 and 24 hour choices from the OneDrive icon. If OneDrive is merely busy at a bad moment, that is the whole fix. [Microsoft's page on turning off or uninstalling OneDrive](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/turn-off-disable-or-uninstall-onedrive-f32a17ce-3336-40fe-9c38-6efb09f944b0) calls unlinking the easiest solution when you want to stop syncing, and says that neither unlinking nor uninstalling loses files or data. Unlinking keeps the app installed, so you can sign in again later without downloading it.
Three ways to stop OneDrive
Pausing is temporary, unlinking stops this PC from syncing, and uninstalling removes the app; the cloud copy stays in your account in all three.
## Bring the files you need onto this PC first OneDrive files have three local states, described in [Microsoft's Files On-Demand guide](https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/onedrive/save-disk-space-with-onedrive-files-on-demand-for-windows): online-only (a blue cloud) takes no space on the device and cannot be opened offline; locally available has been downloaded because you opened it; Always keep on this device is downloaded and kept. After sync stops, only downloaded content is something you can open on this PC. So, while OneDrive is still running: 1. Open the OneDrive folder in File Explorer and look at the Status column. 2. Right-click each folder you want to keep working with offline and choose Always keep on this device. 3. Wait until those items show the solid green circle with a white check, and the OneDrive icon says it is up to date. 4. Turn off the network and open a few of those files. If they open, the content is on this PC. Do this for the folders you actually need, not the whole account, unless the drive has room for all of it. If you want a copy that does not depend on OneDrive at all, copy those files to a folder outside OneDrive, then open the copies. ## Undo folder backup for Desktop, Documents and Pictures If OneDrive backs up your Desktop, Documents or Pictures, those folders currently live inside OneDrive. Microsoft calls this folder backup; administrators know it as Known Folder Move. Turn it off before you uninstall, so the folders return to the PC on your terms. [Microsoft's folder backup guide](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/back-up-your-folders-with-onedrive-d61a7930-a6fb-4b95-b28a-6552e77c3057) gives the steps: 1. Select the OneDrive icon in the taskbar, then the gear icon, and open Settings. 2. Go to the Sync and backup tab and select Manage backup. 3. Turn off the toggle for the folder. 4. Choose what happens to its files. The two choices pull in opposite directions: - **Keep the files only in OneDrive** removes them from your computer. Choose this only if the cloud copy is what you want to keep. - **Keep the files only on my PC** removes them from OneDrive. Choose this if the folder should live on this PC after OneDrive is gone, and make sure nothing else relies on the cloud copy. If the folder contains online-only files, OneDrive stops with a message that some files could not be moved and asks you to download them first by setting them to Always keep on this device. That message is the reason to do the previous section first. ## Unlink this PC From [Microsoft's stop-sync page](https://support.microsoft.com/en-US/onedrive/how-to-cancel-or-stop-sync-in-onedrive): select the OneDrive icon, the gear icon, then Settings. On the Account tab, choose Unlink this PC and confirm. Unlinking first gives you a clean stopping point: you can look through the OneDrive folder in File Explorer, check that the files you kept open, and only then remove the app. ## Uninstall OneDrive [Microsoft's uninstall steps](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uninstall-or-remove-apps-and-programs-in-windows-4b55f974-2cc6-2d2b-d092-5905080eaf98) apply as for any app: 1. Open Start › Settings › Apps › Installed apps. 2. Find Microsoft OneDrive, select More (the three dots) and choose Uninstall. 3. Confirm, and approve the administrator prompt if one appears. Your OneDrive folder stops syncing. Before deleting anything in it afterwards, open the files you set to keep on this device; that check is quicker than recovering a document later. Anything you delete from that folder after uninstalling is only removed from this PC, because nothing is syncing anymore, but your cloud copy is still at OneDrive.com. [Microsoft's reinstall page](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive/reinstall-onedrive) also notes a second entry you may see, OneDrive by Microsoft Corporation, which is a separate Store app. The one that syncs files is Microsoft OneDrive. ## Reinstall later The same reinstall page links the download from Microsoft's website. Run the installer and sign in. Microsoft says the reinstall resets OneDrive's settings and performs a full sync, and that if you had chosen to sync only some folders you need to choose them again. A full sync can move a lot of data, so do it on a connection where that traffic is fine. ## What not to do - Do not delete files from the OneDrive folder to "clean up" while OneDrive is still linked. The deletion syncs to the cloud and your other devices. - Do not uninstall while folder backup is still on and some of those files are online-only. Turn backup off and download them first. - Do not use registry or Group Policy changes found online to block OneDrive on a work PC. If your organization manages OneDrive, the setting belongs to your IT department. - Do not assume uninstalling deletes your cloud data, or that it keeps a full local copy. It does neither. For other storage on drive C:, see [sorting out a full C: drive](/windows/blog/windows-c-drive-full), and for copies that survive both a deletion and a sync, see [restore points and file backups](/windows/blog/windows-restore-points-and-backups). ## FAQ ### Can I uninstall OneDrive on Windows 11? Yes. Go to Settings › Apps › Installed apps, select More next to Microsoft OneDrive and choose Uninstall. Microsoft says this does not delete files or data; your files stay at OneDrive.com. ### What happens to my files if I uninstall OneDrive? The cloud copy stays in your account. On this PC, only files that were already downloaded remain available; online-only files cannot be opened here once OneDrive stops syncing. Mark the files you need as Always keep on this device before uninstalling. ### Should I unlink or uninstall OneDrive? Unlink if you only want this PC to stop syncing and might sign in again. Uninstall if you want the app removed as well. Pause instead if you only need OneDrive quiet for a few hours. ### How do I stop OneDrive from backing up my Desktop and Documents? Open OneDrive Settings › Sync and backup › Manage backup and turn off the folder's toggle. Choose Keep the files only on my PC if the folder should stay on the computer. Canonical: https://mole.fit/windows/blog/uninstall-onedrive-windows