Unable to unlink or stop OneDrive synching

Hi AVTR,

Thank you for sharing your question. I understand how annoying it is when OneDrive auto-syncs everything and you can't turn it off without losing your files. I am here to help

This happens because Windows 11 really puts OneDrive into the system, so the backup setting gets locked when your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders are moved to OneDrive.

Here’s how to stop OneDrive from syncing, but keep your files on your computer

Pause or Stop Backup, Right-click the OneDrive icon in the taskbar.

Click Settings > Backup > Manage Backup. If the options are greyed out, go to step 2.

Unlink OneDrive from your PC, Right-click the OneDrive icon and choose Settings.

Under Account, click Unlink this PC. This will stop the syncing, your files will remain on your computer. Move files back to local folders After unlinking, open your OneDrive folder in File Explorer. Copy the files from the OneDrive folders (Desktop, Documents, Pictures) to where they were originally: C:\Users\. Don’t delete anything until you're sure the files have been safely copied to your computer. Stop OneDrive from starting automatically

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to Open Task Manager. Go to Startup, find Microsoft OneDrive, and turn it off.

Optional: Uninstall OneDrive Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps, search for OneDrive, and uninstall it.

I hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Noel

"In the same settings window, go to the Settings tab.

• Uncheck the box that says "Start OneDrive automatically when I sign in to Windows."

WHERE is this box and this information in this window or the previous window? The instructions don't match what is seen.

And WHERE is the "Change backup settings:"

• Go to the Backup tab in the OneDrive settings.
• Click on Manage backup and deselect the folders you do not want to back up."

How does this correlated to the Settings - Accounts - that actually appear in settings vs the instructions?

"In the same settings window, go to the Settings tab.

• Uncheck the box that says "Start OneDrive automatically when I sign in to Windows."

WHERE is this box and this information in this window or the previous window? The instructions don't match what is seen.

WHERE does it say "unlink this PC" in Settings?

It doesn't say unlink, there is no option to unlink OneDrive. There is an option to "REMOVE DEVICE" - but that's not what the instructions say.

The instructions don't apply to what's on the screen.

To remove OneDrive and its backups without having them deleted from your local system, you can follow these steps:

1. Unlink OneDrive: This will stop syncing your files with OneDrive. To do this:
   • Right-click the OneDrive cloud icon in the system tray (bottom right corner of your screen).
   • Click on Settings.
   • In the Account tab, click on Unlink this PC.
2. Stop OneDrive from starting automatically:
   • In the same settings window, go to the Settings tab.
   • Uncheck the box that says Start OneDrive automatically when I sign in to Windows.
3. Change backup settings:
   • Go to the Backup tab in the OneDrive settings.
   • Click on Manage backup and deselect the folders you do not want to back up.
4. Uninstall OneDrive:
   • Open Settings (Windows + I).
   • Go to Apps > Apps & features.
   • Find Microsoft OneDrive in the list, click on it, and select Uninstall.
5. Deleting files: After unlinking and uninstalling OneDrive, you should be able to delete files from your local system without them being removed from OneDrive. If files are still linked, ensure that they are not in the OneDrive folder on your PC before deleting.
6. Using Command Prompt: If you continue to face issues, you can also reset OneDrive using Command Prompt:
   • Press Windows + R, type cmd, and press Enter.
   • Type the command: taskkill /f /im OneDrive.exe to stop OneDrive.
   • Then type: C:\Program Files\Microsoft OneDrive\OneDrive.exe /reset to reset OneDrive.

These steps should help you regain control over your files and remove OneDrive from your system without losing your data locally.

References:

• Error 0x8004def7 when signing in to OneDrive
• Error 0x8004de80 or 0x8004de86 when signing in to OneDrive