how to stop Onedrive automatic syncing and disable/disconnect it but keep all my local folders/files

I hear you now. It is the "don't come to me but I will go to you" approach as I call it. This is exactly how I have it set up on my computer. I don't want OneDrive to backup my shell folders, but if I need files synced, I can go to OneDrive folder myself.

I adjusted the instruction to reflect this change:

Steps 1-3 is to prep the files so that when you cancel the folders backup, the file/folders will remain and won't disappear.

1. Right click on the OneDrive cloud icon on the lower right on your taskbar to go to Settings.

2. On the "Sync and Backup" tab, click on "Advanced Settings" to expand that section. Then under File On-Demand, click on "Download all files".

3. Give it plenty of time to allow the files to be downloaded from the online cloud. On your computer's file explorer, you can observe the OneDrive folder and its folders/files inside. You want all of the green checkmark icon to turn solid green with a white checkmark. Depends on how many files you have, this process can take a while, so please be patient.

Steps 4 - 5 is to cancel the shell folders backup and to take those folders outside of OneDrive folder

4. Once all of the folders and files turn into the solid green icon with white checkmark, you can go back to OneDrive Settings. Very important - click on "Manage Backup" button, then turn off all folders listed there.
5. Restart the computer.

Step 6 is only needed if you want to free up room in OneDrive

6. You will still see the Documents, Desktop, Pictures folders in your OneDrive folder as a copy for the backup you already canceled. Since the sync relationship is already severed from Steps 4 and 5, you can now safely delete them without worrying about the deletion being synced to your local computer.

Now you should still have OneDrive folder in your File Explorer, but it will NOT sync your shell folders. Instead, it just sits there and will sync whatever files you throw in there by you.

Hi and thanks again for the follow-up. I want Onedrive to function only as a cloud storage location without any backing up/syncing to any PC. I want to see the Onedrive "folder" (and all its subfolders and files) in File Explorer. I want to be able to save files manually to Onedrive, or copy and paste them there. If I save a file to Onedrive, but not locally on my PC, it is in Onedrive only. If I save a file to my PC (local/C drive), it is saved only locally and is not in Onedrive. If I delete a file that's in Onedrive, it is deleted from Onedrive only, but my local copy of the file (if there is one) is not affected. If I delete a file that is local, it is deleted only locally but not from Onedrive (assuming it was even in Onedrive.) So all of that means I want Onedrive and local files in C:\user\username\ to be separate and independent.

As mentioned, i still want to see and be able to access the Onedrive folder in File Explorer. This is important to my workflow. This is why (if I understand correctly) I can't simply unlink my PC from Onedrive, because if I do that then Onedrive is no longer visible in File Explorer.

The above is how it worked before Onedrive decided to hijack my setup. That's how I want it to work again.

I want to get everything that was previously only locally stored to be back on my C drive and not in Onedrive. And I want the files that were previously only in Onedrive to stay in Onedrive but not local.

We are talking about 200 GB of critical business and personal data in tens of thousands of files and dozens of folders and subfolders.

Thanks for your help.

So, you still want to run OneDrive, but you want to make sure whether OneDrive is running or not, your files are always locally accessible, right?

One thing that's not super clear to me - do you want your Desktop, Documents, Pictures folders stored outside of OneDrive, back to its original path C:\Users\your username folder?

Hello, I think there is some misunderstanding. My original post stated that there are 4 things that I want to achieve and asked what is necessary to achieve them. I won't try to restate those words because that would only confuse matters. Likewise I won't try to interpret or disagree with what you've just written because your writing is perhaps based on a mistaken understanding of my original post. I will instead ask that you go back to read my original words, and if possible, explain the steps necessary for me to take to achieve each of the four objectives.

And I will also say this - you have recommended that I unlink my PC. However, that would prevent me from doing #3 and #4 because there will no longer be any Onedrive folder(s) in File Explorer ... if I unlink the PC as you recommend, the Onedrive folders will no longer be accessible or even visible in File Explorer, and as a result #3 and #4 cannot be accomplished. I don't know how to say that any more clearly but please tell me what it is that you aren't understanding about that.

I appreciate your help, but can you go back to my first post, and tell me how to achieve items #1 through #4. And also how to prevent Onedrive from taking over again as it did.

Thank you.

Dear Skbreck,

Thank you so much for your reply and explanation.

1. For your question number 3: You asked if, when you manually copy or move a file from your computer to the OneDrive folder in File Explorer, you can later access those files and folders on OneDrive File Explorer and OneDrive.com web browser. Yes, you can access both that folder and file on OneDrive File Explorer and also on the OneDrive.com web browser. However, if auto synchronization is not enabled for that folder or location, and it is not linked to your cloud storage, then it won't be accessible on both sides; it will only be accessible on your File Explorer, not the OneDrive.com web browser. Files synced to cloud storage have OneDrive cloud icons in front of every folder and file.
2. About question number 4: You mentioned that before OneDrive took over, you manually copied and moved files to the OneDrive folder in File Explorer. It's not clear if you have already unlinked, unsynced, or disabled OneDrive, or if you are asking if your files and folders won't disappear if you do that.
3. As I mentioned before, if you directly unlink your OneDrive account, your files and folders might disappear from File Explorer. However, if you unsync those folders using the steps and screenshots I shared earlier, they will not disappear. Based on my tests, if you make any changes to a folder or file created inside the OneDrive folder, it will affect both the OneDrive.com web browser and File Explorer because your computer and OneDrive account are linked. So, be careful.
4. Regarding your question: "Based on your response, it seems I am not communicating clearly, so let me try again: First, there are thousands of files that OneDrive backed up/synced that I do not want on OneDrive. You've told me to copy files from OneDrive to my PC, but that still leaves them in OneDrive. So, how do I address this?"
5. If you want to keep all files and folders on your computer only, not on OneDrive, you should follow these steps: First, unsync all folders to ensure they don't disappear from your computer. Then, copy all files and folders to your local hard drive that is not linked to OneDrive. Once you are sure all files are copied, unlink the OneDrive account. As soon as it is unlinked, all files and folders synced to your OneDrive account will disappear from your File Explorer. You may need to delete them manually if they remain. If you don't want to keep any files on OneDrive, log into your OneDrive account on OneDrive.com and delete the files from OneDrive cloud storage.
6. For OneDrive auto sync, Microsoft OneDrive does not enable it automatically when the user logs into the OneDrive account. There are many options to disable auto-sync for specific folders. If you never want OneDrive to back up your files, back up your files and folders to your local hard drive, then unlink your OneDrive account from your computer. Afterward, remove the OneDrive application from your computer and never reinstall it or link your account to the OneDrive app.

In the end, I apologize if my previous steps and suggestions were not very clear. I hope these steps are clear and helpful for you. If any part is still unclear, please let me know. I would be more than happy to assist you further.

Warm Regards,

Arif