Do you want to remove the OneDrive cloud storage service from your PC? Find out how to uninstall it.
Like its rivals, Microsoft wants its users glued to the Microsoft ecosystem, which is why Windows 11 and 10 come integrated with OneDrive. Certainly, it is useful, as it helps keep a backup of important files. However, seeing it running in the background and the services enabled by default is annoying for some.
Some don’t like it as cloud service consumes system resources, slowing down PC performance. If this bothers you or you want to remove OneDrive from the PC, you are at the right place.
This troubleshooting guide will explain the best and most effective ways to uninstall and disable OneDrive from Windows.
What is OneDrive?
Launched in August 2007, OneDrive is Microsoft’s cloud service that helps sync data between devices. It offers some powerful features:-
- Sync pictures automatically to the cloud.
- Using the Office Online feature, you can upload, create, edit, and share Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote documents directly from a browser.
- Share files and folders with anyone uploaded on OneDrive.
These features make OneDrive useful; however, there are situations when users might want to uninstall or disable it.
Why You Might Want to Uninstall Microsoft OneDrive
- You Value Your Privacy and Security
If you like having complete control over your files, you can consider uninstalling OneDrive. However, cloud storage services have privacy and security features enabled.
Note : If you uninstall OneDrive, ensure an alternative backup method is used to keep files protected.
- You Do Not Need An Additional Storage Solution
If you don’t have much data to back up, you might find OneDrive unnecessary.
- You Already Have a Cloud Service in Place
If you use alternative cloud storage solutions, like Google Drive, Dropbox, etc, that offer similar functionality, you may uninstall OneDrive.
How to Uninstall OneDrive on Windows 10
Windows does not make uninstalling OneDrive easy, but there’s a workaround for everything. Below, we explain different ways to remove OneDrive from your PC.
Method 1 – Uninstall OneDrive Using Advanced PC Cleanup
If you are okay with using software to remove OneDrive, we recommend you use the Uninstall Manager offered by Advanced PC Cleanup. This best OneDrive uninstall tool helps you easily remove OneDrive without leaving any traces. It will also help clean junk files, temporary files, and other unwanted data that slow down system performance.
However, if you are DIY types click on any of the manual methods to jump to the steps.
Method 2 – Uninstalling OneDrive Through Command Prompt
Method 3 – Remove OneDrive Through Programs and Features
Method 1 – Uninstalling OneDrive Using Advanced PC Cleanup (Recommended)
1. Download and install Advanced PC Cleanup
2. Run the best app uninstaller.
3. Click Uninstall Apps options present in the left pane.
4. Wait for it to scan the system and list down installed applications.
5. Look for Microsoft One Drive and click the Bin icon.
6. When prompted, click Yes to complete uninstallation.
These simple steps will help uninstall OneDrive from Windows 10 easily. However, if you want to do it manually, read further.
Method 2 – Uninstalling OneDrive Through Command Prompt (Manual Way)
1. In the Windows search bar, type Command Prompt > right-click the best result > and select Run as administrator from the context menu.
2. Type taskkill /f /im OneDrive.exe and hit Enter key. This will kill the OneDrive process.
3. Thereafter, type the following command based on the version of the operating system you are using:
64-bit user
%SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall
32-bit user
%SystemRoot%\System32\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall
This will remove the OneDrive app from your Windows.
Way 2 – Uninstall OneDrive Through Programs and Features (Manual Way)
If you are Windows 10 Home user, follow the steps below:
1. Press Windows + R > type control > Ok
2. Here, click the down arrow next to View by > select Small icons
3. Click Programs and Features
4. Look for Microsoft OneDrive > hit Uninstall.
Windows will uninstall OneDrive and the icon will be removed from the notification area.
Tip : In the future, if you want to reinstall OneDrive, head to the C: WindowsSysWOW64 folder (64-bit) and the C: WindowsSystem32 folder (32-bit) versions of Windows 10. Look for OneDriveSetup.exe, double-click it, and reinstall OneDrive.
If you think you might need OneDrive in the future and you just want the service running in the background gone, follow these steps to disable OneDrive service.
3 Ways to Disable One Drive on Windows
Way 1 – Disabling OneDrive Via Group Policy
If you are a Windows 10 Enterprise, Professional, or Education user, the simplest way to disable OneDrive is to head to Local Group Policy Editor. To learn how to use it, follow the step-by-step guide below:
1. In the Windows search bar, type gpedit.msc > Enter
2. Under Local Computer Policy, look for Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components.
3. Look for OneDrive and double click Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage from the right pane.
4. This will open the settings window. Here click the radio button next to Enabled > Apply > Ok.
5. Doing so will completely disable access to OneDrive, and it will also be removed from File Explorer.
Way 2 – Disabling OneDrive Through Settings
1. Click the OneDrive icon from the taskbar.
2. Right-click it and open OneDrive.
Note : If you cannot see the OneDrive icon in the taskbar, click the Show Hidden icon and select OneDrive. However, if this doesn't work, use the search field to look for OneDrive.
3. From the context menu, choose More > click Settings.
4. Go to Settings > uncheck Start OneDrive automatically when I sign into Windows.
5. Click Account tab > Unlink this PC > click Unlink account and continue.
Enter your email address in the popup window and wait for the process to complete. This will log you out of One Drive, and the sync will stop on Windows 11 and 10.
Way 3 – Disable OneDrive Through Windows Registry
This method involves using Registry Editor. However, since the tool is powerful and editing involves risk to be safe, we suggest taking a backup of the registry. Once you have backed up the registry editor using Registry Cleaner, you can proceed with the steps below:
- Press Windows + R to open the Run window.
- In the Run window, type regedit and press Enter key.
- Now, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
- Right-click Windows key and select New > Key.
- Name the new key as OneDrive. Select it > right-click on the empty area > choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value and continue.
- Name the new key DisableFileSyncNGSC. Then double-click on it and change the Value Data to 1.
When done, close the registry editor and restart the PC. This will completely disable OneDrive.
How to temporarily pause data sync OneDrive on Windows 10
To disable data synchronization, follow these steps:
1. Click the OneDrive icon present system tray > Help & Settings > select Pause Syncing > select the time 2,8 or 24 hours for which you want to pause using OneDrive.
This will disable OneDrive for the selected time frame. After following the same steps, you can resume OneDrive syncing.
Eventually, it is your choice. Whether you want to remove, disable, or pause the OneDrive operation using the steps explained above you can perform any of these operations. If you still have any doubts, feel free to post them in the comments section. I hope these methods come in handy for you. That will be all for this post. Thanks for reading. Good luck.
FAQ
Q1. Should I Uninstall OneDrive?
The answer to this varies from user to user. If you are not using OneDrive and want to remove it, you can uninstall it. However, if you use it but don’t want to sync data any longer, you can disable or pause the data sync instead of uninstalling it.
Q2. What happens if I Uninstall OneDrive?
When you uninstall OneDrive from the PC, it will stop syncing data. However, the files uploaded to the cloud storage will still be accessible when you sign in at OneDrive.com.
Q3. How can I delete files from OneDrive without deleting them from the PC?
1. Press Windows + E to open File Explorer.
2. Click the OneDrive icon.
3. Go to the file or folder in question.
4. Right-click on it and click on Free up space.
This will delete local copies of selected files and folders, and you will have free space on a hard drive.
Q4. How to free up space on OneDrive?
To free up space on OneDrive, follow these steps:
1. Open OneDrive.
2. Select Recycle bin in OneDrive and empty it.
Alternatively, view Manage your OneDrive storage, see what takes up space, and clear unwanted files.
Q5. Should I disable OneDrive?
If you are using an alternate cloud service or struggling with a poor internet connection, disabling OneDrive might benefit you.
Next Read: How to Remove Leftover Files after Uninstalling Software
