I receive an error that I don't have enough OneDrive space when I try to move my pictures out of OneDrive

Question

Why can't I remove my pictures from OneDrive? Why is everything I have ever saved on my hard drive now attached to OneDrive? I have 30 years of documents and pictures saved on my local hard drive. If they are removed by you, I will sue you. I DETEST monthly subscriptions and will not buy one. I paid for my hard drive already. I want MY stuff to remain. When I create a new folder on MY hard drive, and try to copy everything out of the normal folders I have always saved stuff in, I receive an error that says I don't have enough space in my onedrive folder, but I CLEARLY have MORE than ENOUGH space on MY hard drive.

Answer 1

Hi @george feeley

I truly understand how upsetting it is to feel like your files are out of your control. Please rest assured that your data is absolutely safe and you remain fully in control. 

It sounds like OneDrive’s folder backup was unintentionally enabled, which redirected your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures to the cloud. This often causes space errors when OneDrive storage is full, even if your PC has plenty of space. 

You own your data, and you never need a subscription to keep your files stored locally. 

Here's how to stop the sync and keep everything on your hard drive: 

1. Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the taskbar > Settings 
2. Go to Sync and backup > Manage backup 
3. For each folder (Desktop, Documents, Pictures) you want to move back, click Stop backup 
4. A pop-up window will appear, choose Keep files on this PC or Move content back to your PC to make sure nothing is removed, and your files are safely transferred 

Once these steps are complete, your files will be right back under your PC's full management, free from cloud limits. For a more detailed guide or visual steps: Back up your folders with OneDrive 

Your control over your data is our top priority. Please let me know if any step is unclear, or if you need any further help. We're here for you.

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