Here we can see, “How to Disable OneDrive and Remove It From File Explorer on Windows 10”
OneDrive is included in Windows 10, but if you don’t want to see it, there are a few ways to disable it and remove it from File Explorer in Windows 10.
Table of Contents
Home Users: Uninstall OneDrive Normally
Starting with the Creators Update for Windows 10, you can now uninstall OneDrive as easily as any other desktop program. Windows 10 Home users should only do this. If you’re using Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, you can skip this step and instead use the Group Policy Editor method described below.
- Go to Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a Program or Settings > Apps > Apps & Features to uninstall a programme. In the list of installed software, you’ll see a “Microsoft OneDrive” program.
- OneDrive will be uninstalled right away, and the OneDrive icon will vanish from the notification area.
- (You’ll need to run the OneDrive installer buried in the Windows system folder if you ever want to reinstall OneDrive.) For example, on a 64-bit version of Windows 10, go to the C:WindowsSysWOW64 folder or the C:WindowsSystem32 folder on a 32-bit version of Windows 10. Then, Double-click the “OneDriveSetup.exe” file to reinstall OneDrive in Windows.)
- One drawback to uninstalling OneDrive in this manner is that the empty OneDrive folder will remain in File Explorer’s sidebar. However, you can now stop if you’re OK with it.
OneDrive has been deactivated and is no longer functional. If the empty OneDrive folder bothers you, however, you can use the tips below.
Pro and Enterprise Users: Disable OneDrive with the Local Group Policy Editor
The easiest way to disable and hide OneDrive in Windows 10 Professional, Enterprise, or Education is to use the Local Group Policy Editor. It’s a powerful tool, so if you’ve never used it before, it’s worth spending some time learning how to use it. Also, if you’re on a company network, please do everyone a favour and contact your network administrator first.
If your work computer is part of a domain, it’s also likely that the domain group policy will take precedence over the local group policy.
- Hit Start, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter in Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise.
- Drill down to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OneDrive in the Local Group Policy editor’s left pane. Then, in the right pane, double-click the “Prevent the use of OneDrive for file storage” policy setting, set it to “Enabled,” and then click “OK.”
- This disables access to OneDrive entirely. In addition, users will not be able to launch OneDrive because it will be hidden from File Explorer.
- You won’t be able to use the camera roll upload feature or access OneDrive from within Windows Store apps.
- If you use this method, you should not uninstall OneDrive from the Control Panel or Settings application. If you do, File Explorer will still show an empty OneDrive folder. After changing this group policy setting, you’ll need to reinstall OneDrive from the Windows system folder if you see an empty OneDrive folder in File Explorer. The empty OneDrive folder will vanish from File Explorer once you’ve done so.
- Return to this page and change the policy to “Not Configured” instead of “Enabled” to undo the change.
- On Windows 10, there doesn’t appear to be an associated registry setting you can change to achieve the same effect as the group policy setting. The registry settings “DisableFileSync” and “DisableFileSyncNGSC” that worked in Windows 8.1 no longer work in Windows 10.
Home Users: Remove the OneDrive Folder From File Explorer by Editing the Registry
For example, if you have Windows 10 Home, you can remove the OneDrive folder from the left sidebar of File Explorer by editing the Windows Registry. On Windows Pro or Enterprise, you can do it the same way, but the Group Policy Editor method is a better option for completely disabling OneDrive.
- Use the left sidebar of the Registry Editor to navigate to the following key. You can also copy and paste this address into the Registry Editor’s address bar in the Creators Update.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}
- In the right pane, double-click the System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree option. Set the value to 0 and click “OK.”
- If you’re using a 64-bit version of Windows 10, you’ll also need to go to the left sidebar and find the following key.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Wow6432Node\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}
System should be double-clicked.
- In the right pane, select the IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree option. Set the value to 0 and click “OK.”
The OneDrive folder will immediately vanish from the File Explorer sidebar. If it doesn’t work, restart your computer.
Download Our One-Click Registry Hack
You no longer need to change your PC’s registry to accomplish this. On Windows 10 Home, we recommend removing the OneDrive app, and on Windows 10 Professional, we recommend utilising Group Policy.
Standard caution: Registry Editor is a powerful tool, and misusing it can make your System unstable, if not completely unusable. This is a reasonably straightforward hack, and as long as you follow the instructions, you should be fine. If you’ve never used the Registry Editor before, you should read up on how to use it before getting started. Before making any changes, make sure you back up the Registry (and your computer!).
To begin, press Start and type “regedit” to launch the Registry Editor. Then, to open Registry Editor, press Enter and permit it to make changes to your computer.
Go to Settings > System > About to see if you’re running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows 10. Next, check whether you’re running a “64-bit operating system” or a “32-bit operating system” under “System type.”
These hacks merely alter the same settings as the previous ones. For example, when you use the “Hide OneDrive From File Explorer” hack, the value is reset to 0, and when you use the “Restore OneDrive to File Explorer” hack, the value is reset to 1. It’s also worth learning how to make your Registry hacks if you enjoy fiddling with the Registry.
You may want to delete any local copies of your OneDrive files that have synced to your PC to free up space. Go to the C:UsersNAMEOneDrive folder, which contains your user’s OneDrive files that were downloaded. When you unlink your account and stop syncing, these will not be automatically deleted. If your account is unlinked from OneDrive, deleting them will only delete them from your local device, not from OneDrive.
Conclusion
I hope you found this information helpful. Please fill out the form below if you have any questions or comments.
User Questions:
- Do I require OneDrive?
OneDrive is an essential part of Microsoft’s Office suite, but there are several reasons you might want to turn off the cloud storage service on your PC, not the least of which is keeping your files in sync with OneDrive can cause your computer to slow down.
- Is OneDrive required for Windows 10?
OneDrive is already built into Windows 10, so there’s no need to download or install a separate program. As soon as you connect to a network with OneDrive installed, data is synced between computers, phones, and tablets set up using the same Microsoft account.
- Do you have OneDrive installed on your computer?
When you save files to OneDrive, they’re stored in the cloud on Microsoft’s servers and locally on your PC (though not always). It’s a little perplexing because the location of your files is determined by the version of Windows you’re running and your OneDrive settings.
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