How do I create a local folder?

Question

How do I create a local folder to download my documents to? They are automatically being stored in OneDrive and I don't want to do that.

Answer 1

To create a local folder on your Windows 11 system where you can download your documents instead of using OneDrive, follow these steps:

1. Open File Explorer: You can do this by clicking on the folder icon in your taskbar or pressing Windows + E on your keyboard.
2. Navigate to the Location: Go to the location where you want to create the new folder. This could be on your Desktop, in your Documents, or anywhere else on your local drive.
3. Create a New Folder: Right-click in the empty space within the directory, hover over New, and then select Folder from the context menu.
4. Name Your Folder: Type a name for your new folder and press Enter.

Once you've created the folder, you can set your download settings in your web browser to ensure that files are downloaded to this new local folder instead of OneDrive. This can typically be done in the browser's settings under the downloads section.

Answer 2

Hello! If you don't want your folders to automatically sync with OneDrive, you can disable this. Remember that it's important to back up your files, especially a cloud backup.

1. Click the cloud icon in the taskbar > Gear icon > Settings > Sync & Backup > Manage Backup > Disable the folders you don't want OneDrive to automatically sync.

• You can keep only some folders with automatic syncing. For folders or documents that are important, you can copy them to a OneDrive folder, which is synced with the cloud.

Answer 3

Try this location: C:\Users\username\MyDocuments. This location will not sync to OneDrive.

Naming the folder something other than "Documents" will distinguish it from the syncing "Documents" folder.

Answer 4

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, and your folders should be all back to local.