OneDrive does not completely uninstall

Question

Although OneDrive is deleted from laptop, a OneDrive folder appears under Users, and reappears after being deleted

Answer 1

Dear @Leslie Rowell, 

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

As a moderator, I don't have the tools to investigate your specific account directly because this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas. However, I will try my best to guide you as clearly as possible.     

May I ask, do you mean that even though you've uninstalled OneDrive, it still appears in File Explorer? 

If in this case, help me try two options as below: 

Right-click the OneDrive icon > Settings > check the Account tab to see if you have unlinked that account yet. If not, go ahead and click Unlink this PC. 

Then, help me try this method: In the Windows Registry, 'NameSpace' is the area that manages 'virtual folders' displayed in the File Explorer sidebar. Try removing it from the NameSpace Registry: 

• Press Windows Key + R, type regedit, and press Enter. 
• Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace 
• Click on each folder (the strings of numbers in brackets). 
• As you select each one, look at the Data value in the right-hand pane. 
• When you find the one that mentions your old business, right-click that folder on the left and select Delete. 
• Restart File Explorer (or your PC) to see the changes. 

Give it a try and let me know how it goes! Looking forward to your response! 

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Answer 2

If OneDrive is not completely uninstalling from your laptop and the OneDrive folder keeps reappearing under Users, it may be due to residual files or settings that were not removed during the uninstallation process. Here are some steps you can take to resolve this issue:

1. Check for OneDrive in Startup Programs: Sometimes, OneDrive may be set to start automatically. You can check your startup programs and disable it if necessary.
   • Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
   • Go to the Startup tab and look for OneDrive. If it’s there, disable it.
2. Remove OneDrive via Settings: Ensure that OneDrive is uninstalled through the Settings app:
   • Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features.
   • Find OneDrive in the list and select it, then click Uninstall.
3. Delete Residual Files: After uninstalling, check for any remaining OneDrive folders:
   • Navigate to C:\Users\YourUsername\ and delete the OneDrive folder if it still exists.
4. Registry Cleanup: If the folder keeps reappearing, there may be registry entries that need to be removed. Be cautious when editing the registry:
   • Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
   • Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\OneDrive and delete the OneDrive key if it exists.
5. Reboot Your Computer: After performing these steps, reboot your computer to ensure all changes take effect.

If the problem persists, consider reinstalling OneDrive and then uninstalling it again to ensure a clean removal.