One Drive storage

Question

Im elderly and don't understand computers lol. I have something called One Drive and it keeps saying storage is running out but it's a fairly new computer and there's loads of storage on it. Can i delete/disable this One Drive thing? But if I do will I lose all the stuff that has been automatically saved in there? Or can I transfer/copy everything to documents/photos etc before I delete/disable it? I have Windows 11 Home.

Answer 1

Yes. OneDrive storage is separate from the storage on the PC.

A new computer can have plenty of disk space and still show a OneDrive storage full warning because OneDrive has its own storage quota. When OneDrive is over quota, files in OneDrive become read-only, and new files may stop uploading or syncing.

Safest way to stop using OneDrive without losing files:

1. Check whether files are only in OneDrive or also on the PC
   Open File Explorer and open the OneDrive folder. If files show cloud icons, some may be online-only.
2. Make files local first
   For anything important, copy files from the OneDrive folder into normal folders outside OneDrive, such as Documents, Pictures, or another folder under the PC user profile that is not inside OneDrive.
   This is the important safety step: files moved out of OneDrive are no longer backed up there, and if they are deleted from OneDrive later, the local copies outside OneDrive remain.
3. Turn off OneDrive folder backup
   Select the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area > Help and Settings > Settings.
   In Sync and backup, turn off backup for folders such as Desktop, Documents, and Pictures if they are being backed up.
4. Unlink the PC from OneDrive
   In OneDrive Settings > Account > Unlink this PC > Unlink account.
   This stops syncing.
5. Hide or uninstall OneDrive if no longer needed
   • To hide it: File Explorer > right-click OneDrive > Properties > check Hidden, then quit OneDrive.
   • To uninstall on Windows 10/11: Start > type Programs > Add or remove programs > Microsoft OneDrive > Uninstall.

About deleting files from OneDrive:

• If files are still inside the OneDrive folder and syncing, deleting them from OneDrive can also remove them from the PC copy.
• If files have first been copied or moved to folders outside the OneDrive folder, they can then be deleted from OneDrive online to free cloud space.
• After deleting from OneDrive, the OneDrive Recycle Bin also uses storage, so emptying it can free more space.

Useful facts:

• OneDrive storage includes OneDrive files/photos and items in the OneDrive Recycle Bin.
• Uninstalling OneDrive does not by itself delete files from the account; files can still be accessed by signing in to OneDrive on the web.

If the goal is simply to stop the warnings and keep everything on the PC, the safest order is: copy files out of the OneDrive folder first → turn off backup → unlink the PC → uninstall OneDrive if wanted.

---

References:

• My OneDrive says it's full
• What is Microsoft cloud storage?
• Turn off, disable, or uninstall OneDrive
• One Drive storage question - Microsoft Q&A
• How can I stop my files from saving to OneDrive? - Microsoft Q&A
• Windows 11 Pro Onedrive - Microsoft Q&A

Answer 2

OneDrive is cloud storage, it doesn't use your local storage.

If you don't have a Microsoft 365 subscription, your OneDrive storage is only 5GB.

To use your local storage instead of OneDrive's, do this

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.