Turn Off OneDrive Sync in Windows 11

An increasing number of individuals and businesses are seizing on the cloud. Cloud technology has seen fastest adoption into the mainstream particularly because it is economical, speedy, flexible and provides a greater data storage facility. You can access your files irrespective of the device, operating system you use. Your files are 24*7 accessible no matter in which part of the world you travel. There’s no need to carry a storage drive alongside. Should you run out of storage, you can upgrade for higher storage plans. Today, it holds importance in almost every field you can think of. From students to private & government offices to hospitals, almost everyone is using the cloud. An ever-increasing number of computers, tablets, smartphones and other devices come with cloud syncing software (such as OneDrive) pre-installed.

If you don’t use OneDrive cloud for one reason or another, there’s a way to disable it in Windows 11 computers. You can either pause it from syncing your files temporarily or stop it altogether.

Turning Off OneDrive Sync in Windows 11

Method 1: Temporarily Pause Syncing

OneDrive has an option to temporarily stop syncing your files. You may specify a time period from 2 hours to 24 hours, depending on your preference.

1. Click on the OneDrive icon in the system tray area of your Taskbar. If the OneDrive icon is not visible, click on the upward arrow icon (More button) and the OneDrive icon will now be viewable.
2. Click on the Help & Settings icon on the upper right corner.
3. Select Pause Syncing.
4. Choose a time interval (for example, 2 hours, 8 hours or 24 hours).

Method 2: Unlink Microsoft OneDrive

You can also unlink Microsoft OneDrive from your machine. Unlinking OneDrive will stop syncing your files indefinitely, until you re-add the account again.

1. Click on the OneDrive icon in the system tray area.
2. Click on the Help & Settings icon.
3. Select Settings from the menu.
4. In the new dialog box, click on the Account tab.
5. Click on Unlink this PC, followed by Unlink Account.

Method 3: Stop Specific Folders from Syncing

Using the OneDrive Settings, you can also stop specific folders from being synced. For example: You may stop the Desktop, Downloads or Documents folder from syncing.

1. Open the OneDrive Settings dialog again.
2. Click on the Backup tab.
3. Click on Manage Backup.
4. Uncheck the folders you no longer want to synchronize.
5. Save the settings.

Other Ways to Get Rid of OneDrive

Method 1: Disable OneDrive from Starting-Up

Another way is to stop Microsoft OneDrive from loading at the Windows startup.

1. Open Task Manager. Click on the Search box, type “Task Manager” and open it from the search results.
2. Click on More details.
3. Click on the Startup tab.
4. Select “Microsoft OneDrive” and then click on the Disable button.
5. Restart the computer for the changes to take effect.

Method 2: Uninstall OneDrive

Uninstalling OneDrive is a nuclear option to stop auto syncing your files. Nevertheless, if you wish to uninstall it, here’s how to do that:

1. Click on the Start button.
2. Click on the Settings icon.
3. In the Settings window, click on the Apps tab.
4. Click on Apps & Features.
5. In the list of installed apps, look for Microsoft OneDrive.
6. Click on the three dots on the right-side of the program entry.
7. Select Uninstall.