How to I remove OneDrive and move all my info. back to my PC?

Question

Hi - I decided to give OneDrive another try, but I’m still not a fan. I restored my OneDrive back to my laptop and then uninstalled the app, following instructions I found online. In hindsight, I should have come straight here for guidance—but I didn’t, and now here we are.

Since I no longer have the app installed, I went into my Microsoft account online thinking I could unlink my laptop from OneDrive. Unfortunately, I don’t see that option. How can I completely disconnect this laptop from OneDrive and stop using it once and for all? Pls don't judge my stupidity for searching the internet vs. starting here. LOL

Answer 1

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.
5. After you turn off the folders sync in Step 4, now go to Account tab, click on "Unlink this PC"
6. Go to your Windows Settings > Apps, find OneDrive and uninstall it.

Answer 2

To completely disconnect your laptop from OneDrive and stop using it, you can follow these steps:

1. Unlink OneDrive: If you still have access to the OneDrive app on your laptop, you can unlink it by:
   • Clicking on the OneDrive icon in the taskbar notification area.
   • Selecting Help & Settings and then Settings.
   • Going to the Account tab and selecting Unlink this PC.
2. Delete Cached Credentials: After unlinking, it’s a good idea to delete any cached credentials:
   • Open the Credential Manager by typing "credentials" in the Start menu.
   • Go to the Windows Credentials tab and remove any entries related to OneDrive.
3. Uninstall OneDrive: If you haven't already uninstalled OneDrive, you can do so by:
   • Going to Settings > Apps > Apps & features.
   • Finding Microsoft OneDrive in the list and selecting Uninstall.
4. Move Files Back to Your PC: If you have files stored in OneDrive that you want to move back to your PC, you can do this by:
   • Signing in to your OneDrive account online and downloading the files you need.
   • Alternatively, if you still have the OneDrive folder on your PC, you can simply drag and drop those files to another location on your PC.

After completing these steps, your laptop should be fully disconnected from OneDrive, and you can continue using your files locally on your PC without any OneDrive integration.