Why has One drive taken all of my photos?

Question

All of my photos are now on the cloud. Why have they all been moved to the cloud without my consent?

Answer 1

I don't know because it is so long i CANT FOLLOW. HAD TO PRINT AND WEILL TRY TO FOLLOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

Hi @Lois Szymanski

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A and sharing your concern.  

I completely understand how frustrating it can be when your photos are moved to the cloud without your explicit consent.  

Based on my research, this may happen when the PC folder backup feature in OneDrive is enabled, either during the initial setup or after a Windows or OneDrive update. When this feature is turned on, OneDrive automatically syncs key folders like Pictures, Documents, and Desktop to your OneDrive account. If you'd prefer to stop this and keep your photos stored only on your local device, here are a few steps you can try: 

1. Turn off automatic folder backup: 

• Right-click the OneDrive cloud icon in your system tray. 
• Go to Settings → Sync and backup → Manage backup. 
• Disable backup for the Pictures folder (or any other folders you don’t want synced).

2. Move your photos back to their original folder: 

After disabling backup, navigate to the OneDrive folder on your PC. 

Select your photos and move them back to your original Pictures folder on your local drive. 

You can find more details in Microsoft’s official guide here: 

Back up your folders with OneDrive - Microsoft Support 

Additionally, if this behavior wasn’t expected, you can submit feedback directly to Microsoft via the Ideas · Community.Your feedback plays an important role in helping Microsoft improve its products and deliver a better experience for all users. 

I hope this helps! If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

---

If the answer is partially helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".       

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.