Accidental file sharing

Question

Two computers on a shared home network. One computer upgraded to Windows 11 and the result shared many files from the other computer to the upgraded one. What is the fastest/easiest way to removed the shared files from the upgraded computer?

Answer 1

I believe OneDrive has done this.

On the computer you don't want to sync, go to the OneDrive white cloud icon on the taskbar > ⚙️ > ⚙️Settings > Sync and Backup tab > Manage Backup, then toggle OFF the syncing of the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders.

Select: Stop backup and choose where to keep files, and select this location: ThisPC> C:\Users\YourUsername\YourFilesHere.

Here is how to Turn off, disable, or uninstall OneDrive

See this video: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/back-up-your-folders-with-onedrive-d61a7930-a6fb-4b95-b28a-6552e77c3057

OneDrive gives you easy access to all your files across all your devices, which is not a bad thing, but it takes a bit of getting used to. You can keep the OneDrive syncing active, but instead make your files cloud-only so they won't take up space on your computer like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzIA9uykIhE&t=43s

More about OneDrive here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-tRV1q5BEU

Answer 2

Hi Jody,

Thank you for posting your question here!

When Windows 11 was set up it likely created a shortcut or network link to the Windows 10 Desktop. That link stays visible even after you remove sharing permissions. Deleting the files themselves is not required and should be avoided.

You can try these step by step:

Steps

1. On the Windows 11 PC right click one of the documents on the desktop
2. Select Open file location
3. If the path starts with two backslashes and the name of the Windows 10 PC then the files are coming from the network
4. Go back to the desktop and right click the folder or shortcut that points to that network location
5. Select Delete. This only removes the shortcut not the actual files

Optional cleanup

Steps

1. Open File Explorer
2. Right click This PC
3. Look for Network locations
4. Remove any entries pointing to the Windows 10 laptop

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".  

Regards,

Angelique P.

Answer 3

Well, I'm just not "getting it". I have a lot of documents saved on the desktop of the Windows10 laptop that got shared to the newly updated Windows11 desktop. I used the process explained above and the documents are all still showing on the desktop of the Windows11 computer. What am I doing wrong? Or does this mean I have to manually delete all the shared documents?

Answer 4

On the upgraded Windows 11 PC, the shared files are not actually copied there; they are being accessed over the network from the other computer. To stop this “accidental sharing,” remove or disable the shares on the computer that is hosting them.

On the PC that is sharing the folders (the source PC):

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Browse to each folder that is being shared.
3. Right‑click the folder, select Show more options (if needed).
4. Select Give access to > Remove access.
   • This stops the folder from being shared over the network, so it will no longer appear or be accessible from the upgraded Windows 11 PC.

If unsure which folders are shared:

1. On the source PC, open File Explorer.
2. In the address bar, type \\localhost and press Enter.
3. Review the listed folders; these are the ones shared over the network.
4. For each that should not be shared, repeat the Give access to > Remove access steps above.

Once sharing is removed on the source PC, the upgraded Windows 11 PC will no longer see or access those files.

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References:

• File sharing over a network in Windows