One Drive keeps coming back from the dead

Question

I absolutely loathe One Drive. I should not be forced to use a service because windows wants me to.

Anyway, I've gone through all the steps. I've unlinked my account from one drive, I've deleted all the folders (that I know of) manually, and I've uninstalled the app from my computer.

And yet, a new one drive folder and one drive pictures folder are added within 30 seconds every time I delete them. Nothing is connected to them or inside them, but they keep appearing after I've deleted everything.

Does anyone know where I can go to stop these folders from coming back from the dead every time?

MOVED FROM Windows / Windows 11 / Files, folders, and storage

Answer 1

Hi Briar, you cannot get rid of OneDrive, if you try it will come back and bite you. It is part of windows 10. So, if you get rid of it at some point there will be an update that reinstalls it and it will mess up your computer. I had a very very bad experience with it. Just leave it running and do your own thing outside of OneDrive. I am fortunate because I have a D Drive, that I use with an external hard drive as back up.

Answer 2

Same here. Even though I have Microsoft 365 I keep the bulk of my files on an external hard drive.

Answer 3

Hello! BriarWentling

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community

I understand that you're having trouble with OneDrive. It sounds like there may be a sync issue causing the folders to reappear.

Here are a few steps you can try to resolve the issue:

1. Check if OneDrive is still running in the background. Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager. Look for any OneDrive processes and end them.
2. Clear the OneDrive cache. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset and press Enter. This will clear the OneDrive cache and reset the app.
3. Disable OneDrive sync. Right-click on the OneDrive icon in the system tray and select Settings. Go to the Account tab and click on Unlink this PC. This will disable OneDrive sync on your computer.
4. Disable OneDrive from starting up with Windows. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type msconfig and press Enter. Go to the Startup tab and uncheck OneDrive. Click OK and restart your computer.
5. Once you have done everything you can the uninstall the OneDrive to start menu > Settings > Apps > Microsoft OneDrive > Uninstall.
6. If the issue still persists, try creating a new profile in your Windows Here are the steps to create a new local user profile in Windows 11:
7. Press the Windows key on your keyboard.
8. Type Settings and press Enter.
9. Click on Accounts.
10. Click on Family & other users.
11. Click on Add account.
12. Select Local account.
13. Enter the username and password for the new account.
14. Click on Next.
15. Click on Finish.

I hope these steps help resolve the issue. Let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Vince

Microsoft Community Moderator

Answer 4

Hello BriarWentling

We haven't heard from you, so we assume that your issue has already been addressed. We will not be monitoring this thread moving forward so, if you need further assistance, please create a new thread to discuss these concerns by clicking this link: Create a new question (microsoft.com)

Thank you for understanding.

Regards,

Vince