How do I stop syncing between work computer & home computer?

Question

How do I stop syncing between work computer & home computer?

Answer 1

To stop your work and home Windows 11 computers from syncing with each other, remove or unlink the shared OneDrive account or stop its sync on one of the devices.

There are two main approaches:

1. Pause or stop OneDrive sync temporarily
   • On the computer where sync should stop, right-click the OneDrive icon in the taskbar/notification area.
   • Select Pause syncing and choose 2 / 8 / 24 hours, or select Quit OneDrive to stop it until it is started again.
   • To restart later, press the Windows key, type OneDrive, and open the OneDrive app.
2. Unlink OneDrive so the computers no longer share files
   • Open OneDrive Sync settings on the computer where sync should stop.
   • Unlink the Microsoft or work/school account that is signed in to OneDrive.
   • When un-synced, the OneDrive folders are removed from File Explorer on that PC, but the files remain in the cloud and can still be accessed via a web browser.

If the issue is specifically that both PCs are syncing the same folders, un-syncing or unlinking the account on one PC will stop the cross-device syncing of those files.

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References:

• How to cancel or stop sync in OneDrive
• Work with synced files in File Explorer

Answer 2

Hi!

You're probably using the same email account on OneDrive. In the taskbar, click on > Cloud icon > Click on the Gear icon > Settings > Account > Check your account on your work and home computers.

If it's the same account, go to sync and backup > Disable the Desktop, Documents, and all folders that are enabled on one of the computers.

• OR you can sign out of your account on one of the computers.