please get one drive OUT OF MY COMPUTER and reinstall MS 365 NOW

Question

please read all these hundreds of people telling you what intrusive garbage you dump on us and then fix my computer! It has been unusable for weeks, and one drive has been losing my files since I was dumb enough to PAY for 365 so I could use excel. How can I get this fixed ASAP? I no longer even care about the years worth of work I am losing, I just need my system back NOW.

Answer 1

To uninstall OneDrive from your computer, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings: Press Windows + I to open the Settings app.
2. Go to Apps: Click on Apps.
3. Find OneDrive: Scroll down to find Microsoft OneDrive in the list of installed applications.
4. Uninstall: Click on it and then select Uninstall.

After uninstalling OneDrive, you can reinstall Microsoft 365 by following these steps:

1. Download Microsoft 365: Go to the official Microsoft website and sign in with your account.
2. Install: Follow the prompts to download and install Microsoft 365 on your computer.

If you encounter issues during this process, consider using the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant to help resolve any problems with your installation or syncing issues.

Additionally, if you are experiencing file loss or syncing problems, it may be beneficial to check for updates or repair your Office installation before reinstalling. You can follow the instructions in the provided context to repair Office if needed.

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References:

• Error 0x8004def4 when signing in to OneDrive
• Troubleshooting OneDrive for work or school sync issues

Answer 2

Hi, Deanna Davis

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Sorry for this frustrating situation regarding your OneDrive files are constantly missing. Here are some fast recovery actions you can take to retrieve your files:

Look in both Recycle Bins (web and PC) and Personal Vault

On OneDrive web, open Recycle bin. If you use Personal Vault, unlock it, then select Show Personal Vault items in the recycle bin to include those items in the search. If you have multiple Microsoft accounts, sign out and sign back in to the correct one, then re‑check the Recycle bin. You can also attempt Restore your OneDrive to a point in the past 30 days, which undoes file and folder actions across your drive.

Check Version history

From OneDrive web, right‑click a file > Version history. If a file was overwritten or synced with an older copy, you can roll it back without restoring the whole drive.

Verify you are in the right account

Many “missing” cases are simply content saved under another Microsoft account (work/school vs personal). If you have both, confirm you are viewing the intended OneDrive.

If you need some serious troubleshooting steps, here are some recommendations I can give you to fix this issue, based on the symptoms that you see on your OneDrive:

A. Known Folder Move (Desktop/Documents/Pictures) moved files online

• Symptom: your Desktop or Documents looks empty or different, some items appear only on the web. =>Known Folder Move (KFM) relocates those folders into your OneDrive, then syncs, large moves can temporarily make local folders look empty while content is being transferred.
• Fix: let the move finish. If you want to keep some folders only on the PC, pause sync, then exclude or stop backing up specific folders.

B. Selective Sync or “Files On‑Demand” hides local copies

• Symptom: folders exist but appear empty offline, placeholders show cloud icons. => OneDrive may be set to keep items Online‑only to save disk space, or the folder is unselected in Choose folders.
• Fix: right‑click the item > Always keep on this device, or open OneDrive Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup/Choose folders to include the folder again.

C. Another app or device moved/renamed content

• Symptom: files vanish from one device, appear renamed or relocated elsewhere. =>OneDrive sync keeps the same structure across devices. If anything moves a file, other devices reflect it.
• Fix: search on OneDrive web for the filename, check the Activity feed to see the move/rename, then move it back.

D. Browser or account prompts interrupted offline features on the web

• Symptom: OneDrive web feels “inconsistent”, some views do not show expected offline items. =>Chromium policy changes require allowing local network access for performance acceleration and offline features.
• Fix: when prompted in Edge/Chrome, choose Allow local network access for OneDrive web, or ensure the policy is set.

E. Accidental delete or mass changes, ransomware, or a bad sync cycle

• Symptom: many files gone or corrupted at once.
• Fix: use Restore your OneDrive to roll the entire drive back to a point before the incident. If ransomware is suspected, disconnect the affected device before restoring to prevent re‑syncing encrypted files.

Here are some other device-level workarounds you can try:

Reset the OneDrive client

Open Command Prompt, run the following, it restarts the sync engine and re‑indexes file placeholders without touching content.

%localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset
start %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe

Unlink and relink OneDrive

OneDrive icon > Settings > Account > Unlink this PC, then sign in again to the correct Microsoft account.

Confirm folder protection and selection

Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup. Turn off backup for folders you do not want in OneDrive, or turn it on if you expected those folders to sync.

Settings > Account > Choose folders, ensure the folders are selected.

Disk space and path rules

Free up space if the disk is tight. Remove illegal characters or overly long paths, OneDrive will skip items with blocked names or paths >400 chars.

Hope this helps. Feel free to get back if you need further assistance.

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Answer 3

In addition to the solutions that Kai-H suggested, another alternative is to purchase Office with a perpetual license. No more subscription fees, and you can easily disable OneDrive and use only your local drive.

See

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/p/office-home-2024/cfq7ttc0pqvj

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/p/office-home-business-2024/cfq7ttc0pbm7