How do I restrict One Drive saves to individually selected files only

Question

Having recently upgraded from Windows 10 to 11, I now find One Drive by default controlling my desktop and loading files into One Drive.

I have no need or wish to sync my devices. With Windows 10 I was able to choose which docs, or which images I wished to preserve in case of PC failure.

I have turned off the One Drive save options in its settings but still seem unable to choose which individual files I wish to put there.

Also my desktop disappears when I turn it off in One Drive. I want my desktop on my PC, and would like to choose what is saved to One Drive.

Also, the File Manager layout no longer seems to clearly differentiate between One Drive, recently used, and this PC.

Should I revert to Windows 10? It allowed me to choose what One Drive saves, and kept my Desktop on my PC.

I just want to be able to control my PC and my One Drive choices.

Answer 1

Hello,

In order for us to sort all of these out, it is necessary (just for now) to get OneDrive desktop app back up and running.

To do so, go to your Start menu and see if you already have the OneDrive app installed. If so, go ahead and run it, sign in. If you don't have it installed, you will need to download it, install it back and then set it up. You can download it from here: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/onedrive/download

Once you have the OneDrive app up and running again, please follow these steps closely:

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.
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. Restart the computer after this step.

Moving forward, whenever you need to backup certain files or folders, just move them into the OneDrive folder in File Explorer manually and they will be synced to OneDrive, but your local folders like Desktop, Documents, Pictures etc will stay out of OneDrive.

Answer 2

To restrict OneDrive from automatically syncing your entire desktop and to have more control over which files are saved, you can follow these steps:

1. Prevent Windows Known Folders from Redirecting to OneDrive: You can configure settings to prevent your known folders (like Desktop, Documents, and Pictures) from being redirected to OneDrive. This can be done through Group Policy settings or directly in OneDrive settings. If you want to keep your desktop on your PC, ensure that the option to redirect known folders to OneDrive is disabled.
2. Selective Sync: You can choose to sync only specific folders or files to OneDrive. To do this, right-click the OneDrive icon in the notification area, select Settings, then go to the Account tab and click on Choose folders. Here, you can select which folders you want to sync with OneDrive.
3. Using OneDrive Files On-Demand: This feature allows you to see all your files in OneDrive without having to download them all to your device. You can choose which files to keep on your device and which to keep online-only. To enable this, go to OneDrive settings, select the Settings tab, and ensure that Files On-Demand is enabled.
4. Managing File Explorer Layout: If you find the layout of File Explorer confusing, you can customize it to better suit your needs. You can pin frequently used folders to Quick Access for easier navigation.

If you still find that Windows 11 does not meet your needs after trying these options, reverting to Windows 10 is an option, but many users find that with proper configuration, Windows 11 can be adjusted to suit their preferences.

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References:

• Configure syncing with the new OneDrive sync app
• OneDrive and Storage

Answer 3

Thank you Emily. I followed your step by step instructions and they seem to have worked. I do not sync my phone, or need to sync my iPad. For me, they are best left unsynced. MS seems to want to control my PC. That makes me nervous. Thanks again.