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Hello, I have been having problems lately.
I just found out that one of my computers (that I haven't been using in a while), had its desktop files, doccuments, and pictures all moved into my onedrive, despite previously being in my local storage (and indeed, when I stopped linking the onedrive and my local storage, my files were completely gone). All of this was without my consent (and not only that, I actually got a notification that it was going to happen right when I logged in with NO OPTION to opt out) I do not want this, I want all the files in my local desktop (especially considering that it completely interferes with my custom desktop icons, which I had actually stored on my desktop, only for them to be completely moved to my onedrive, and instead, I see a paper instead of my custom recycle bin icon). I have tried to move the files, but it's hard for me to tell which files were just added to onedrive and which ones weren't. Is there a way for me to get those files back on that local computer instead of on onedrive while keeping the files that were already in onedrive before the incident. I really want this to be fixed, but unfortunately, I have a big day, and I am unable to access that computer for a single day (and maybe for a while), and as such (much to the dismay of the rest of my household), I was forced to stay up all night to deal with this, ultimately not able to solve the issue.
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This does not work, and it's also absolutely ridiculous that I should have to download my files to another device because Microsoft moved them without asking. I have SO MUCH less storage in OneDrive than I have on my computer that I can't even store the files I already have and have to juggle temporary versions of them until this issue is fixed. I will not be paying for an upgraded OneDrive subscription because I never asked for this in the first place.
This doesn't work when I only have one computer that can't access my OneDrive stored files because my Internet is so bad!
I wasn't thinking of removing onedrive at all, I was just thinking of moving the files I didn't want there BACK to where the were before.
hello JoeRogers2,
It sounds frustrating to have your files moved without consent, especially when it interferes with your custom setup. Here's how you can get your files back to local storage while preserving what’s already in OneDrive:
Step 1: Pause OneDrive Syncing
Pause OneDrive syncing on your affected computer:
Click on the OneDrive icon in your system tray.
Click More > Pause syncing and choose a time duration.
Step 2: Access OneDrive Online
Log in to OneDrive online at onedrive.com from another device.
Download the files you want to restore to your local computer:
Navigate to the specific folders (Desktop, Documents, Pictures).
Select the files and click Download to store them temporarily on another device.
Step 3: Restore Files on Local Computer
When you can access your local computer:
Move the downloaded files from the temporary storage device back to the desired locations on your computer (Desktop, Documents, Pictures).
Step 4: Configure OneDrive Settings
Stop syncing specific folders with OneDrive:
Open OneDrive, click Help & Settings > Settings.
Go to the Backup tab and click Manage backup.
Uncheck Desktop, Documents, and Pictures to stop OneDrive from syncing these folders.
Move files back to local storage:
Navigate to the OneDrive folder on your computer.
Drag the files from the OneDrive folder back to your desired local folders.
Step 5: Re-sync OneDrive
Once everything is back in place, re-enable OneDrive syncing by clicking Resume syncing.
If you're unable to access the affected computer for a while, these steps can be done remotely or as soon as you're able to get back to it. This should help restore your setup to your preferences.
OneDrive is not a backup, it’s a cloud location of your data.
The default installation of Office 365 and its OneDrive component uploads all the contents of the PC \My Documents\ folders to OneDrive, (syncs) and there will be a OneDrive folder in File Explorer containing cached copy of all the OneDrive content. And in Word etc the default Save location is set to OneDrive.
No Docs/data is stored on the local PC
You cannot remove OneDrive on a retail O365
If you dont wish to use OneDrive there are numerous settings that need to be changed in each O365 component, but OneDrive will still be the default save location
