My Documents Folder is Gone and I can't move the One from Onedrive.

Question

Hello!

So I unlinked my onedrive on my gaming laptop, I relinked it since my documents folder went missing and I need it for gaming. When I redownloaded onedrive I've run into a number of problems:

1. The documents folder in OneDrive wont move from OneDrive to my computer. I've tried everything to get it to move, even pausing in syncing but it keeps denying me access.
2. If I unlink everything vanishes again and I have no documents fold.
3. Even when I let everything download and make sure everything is good, it still gives me the error message.

How can I get my documents folder back onto my laptop? I would like to not have onedrive on my laptop as it messes with my gaming. When I look, there is no document folder on the laptop, and when I create one, it does nothing. Please help me.

Answer 1

Hi, I'm Rodrigo and I will help you.
Open the File Explorer, right-click Documents > Properties > Location tab.

What is the path shown?

Answer 2

The Documents folder is currently being redirected into OneDrive. To get a normal local Documents folder back and stop OneDrive from controlling it, unlink OneDrive and then let Windows recreate or use a local folder.

Follow these steps on Windows:

1. Unlink OneDrive from the PC
   1. Select the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area.
   2. Select Help & Settings > Settings.
   3. Go to the Account tab.
   4. Select Unlink this PC, then Unlink account.
2. Clear OneDrive sign‑in settings (stops it from re‑attaching the same folder mapping)
   1. Press Windows key + R.
   2. Enter:
      %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\settings
      and select OK.
   3. Delete the file PreSignInSettingsConfig.json.
3. Verify or recreate a local Documents folder
   • Open File Explorer and go to C:\Users\<your‑username>.
   • If Documents is missing, create a new folder named Documents there.
   • This will be a normal local folder, not tied to OneDrive.
4. (Optional) Re‑link OneDrive without using Documents
   If OneDrive is needed for other files but not Documents:
   1. Start OneDrive (press Windows key, type OneDrive, open the app).
   2. Sign in when prompted.
   3. When OneDrive says a folder already exists, choose Choose new folder and pick a different path (for example C:\Users\<your‑username>\OneDriveData) so it does not take over the standard user folders.
   4. After setup, use Help & Settings > Settings > Account > Choose folders to limit what is synced.

If OneDrive is not needed at all on this gaming laptop, stop after step 3 and do not sign back into OneDrive. Windows will then use the local C:\Users\<your‑username>\Documents folder for games and apps.

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References:

• Unlink and re-link OneDrive
• Change the location of your OneDrive folder