If you have installed Windows 11/10, you will notice that the upgrade comes with deep OneDrive integration. The upgrade includes seamless File Explorer, Document Save, and Camera Roll integration just to give users a fairly quick way to save files to the cloud. Having said that, OneDrive integration lacks configuration options.
While you can always turn off OneDrive Syncing, if you do not use OneDrive at all, you can remove or uninstall OneDrive or disable its integration.
Follow this tutorial to learn how you can do it.
Disable OneDrive integration in Windows 11/10
Using Group Policy Editor
Disabling the service requires access to the Group Policy editor. If your version of Windows has the Group Policy Editor, press Win+R in combination to bring up the ‘Run’ dialog box. In it, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter.
From the Local Group Policy Editor that shows up, navigate to the following path:
Local Computer Policy\Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\OneDrive
Then double-click on Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage policy setting. Select Enabled and click Apply/OK.
Do note that when you enable this policy setting, you won’t be able to access your OneDrive files from the OneDrive app. The OneDrive node will go away from the Explorer left navigation pane. File syncing will stop!
Furthermore, the changes applied will prevent apps and features from interacting with Microsoft’s cloud storage service including:
- Inability to upload photos and videos from the camera roll folder.
- Users’ inability to access OneDrive from the OneDrive app and file picker.
- The inability of Windows Store apps to access OneDrive using the WinRT API.
Should you wish to reverse the changes, simply select Not Configured. After its done, all your apps and features will start functioning again, and the OneDrive folder will appear once again in File Explorer.
Read: This device has been removed from OneDrive
Using Registry Editor
If your version of Windows does not have the Group Policy Editor, you can use the Registry Editor to disable OneDrive integration. Type regedit in Start Search, right-click on the result and select Run as Administrator. Now create the following key, if it does not already exist:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Onedrive
Create a new DWORD and name it DisableFileSync. Give it value 1 to disable OneDrive. To enable OneDrive, delete or give it value data 0.
I hope this helps!
TIP: See this post if you want to completely uninstall OneDrive from Windows – using CMD as well – and this one if you receive This device has been removed from OneDrive message.
Thanks. I had to disable, because there are not configurations like folder, Microsoft account, etc.
gpedit,msc is NOT on my version of Windows 8, now what?
If your version of Windows does not include GPEDIT, you may use the Registry tweak. The post has been updated. :)
Cant find this location in my windows 8.1 home??
You will have to create a new one.
Thanks Anand, it’d be helpful if you put those notes about using regedit.exe right after the sentence: Press Win+R in combination to bring up the ‘Run’ dialog box. In it, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter.
Also, I found that it didn’t work to use Win+R ‘cos it doesn’t allow me to run regedit.exe as an administrator, which is needed to edit the registry. Instead, I had to use file explorer to search for regedit.exe, then right click on regedit.exe and select “Run as Administrator” so that I could add the new key.
Ok Darrell – making a few changes in the post. Thanks. :)
Excellent thread.
Why is MS forcing cloud use now? This should be a user choice/option. They’re risking big customer loss, for very little to gain.
There should be an App to toggle skydive on and off.
So all your files are backed up, but no organization structure to help find things? WOW!!
Thanks for the post – SkyDrive disabled in one quick regedit :)
Now it’s been renamed to OneDrive.
MicroSoft is risking civil and criminal liability should this level of integration cause a data breech. Any decent lawyer can shred their license and terms of service if the damage is severe enough. Especially if National Security is breached; they face the Patriot Act.
LOL Tin Foil Hat !!
for me HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsSkydrive did not exist. everything up to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows was there.
Create the key. It is mentioned in the post. :)
My laptop does not have Group Policies Editor, so I am trying the Registry, but there is no folder for Skydrive.
No it’s now.
Yes this was amazing. Skydrive Onedrive is useless to me. Awesome guide.
There was no group editor went with the rgedit method but there is no folder for skydrive. ……Policies/Microsoft/Windows/Skydrive?
Same problem i don’t have a skydrive folder but Onedrive sync engine still active and solwing down my system. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows????????? no option here. I have windows home premium 8.1. Help please i hate this onedrive app. Sync is off, everything related off but every time sync engine is active my internet connection is very very slow and i have to cancel the task constantly. Thanks.
Thanks Anand.
What a useless thread. Lost hours yesterday and today again trying to remove the One Note from my Win 8.1 laptop, following all the “expert” advice on this forum and I am still stuck with the same shit. I’ve worked in IT companies for 11 years, so I’m not really a novice …
Too bad you could not make sense of a thread many found useful. :)
This thread is only for disabling it, far as I can tell. Pretty useless if you want rid of it completely, and there’s no way to get rid of it on anything but pro. I have 20 years computer experience. I started using computers with 5.25 inch floppies and no hard drive in the early 90’s and onedrive is without a doubt the biggest piece of s- I’ve ran across.
no gpedit.msc so now what?
I dont seem to have a gpedit.msc
Thanks! The regedit worked! Why not just create a reg file to import? I made one to disable and one to enable.
Can you share those with us?
Thanks!
(along with detailed instructions on how to use, please!)
It’s pretty easy. Just open up notepad and enter the following:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsskydrive]
“DisableFileSync”=dword:00000001
save it as onedrive_disable.reg
then open notepad again and enter:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsskydrive]
“DisableFileSync”=dword:00000000
and save it as onedrive_enable.reg
The only difference is the last 0 or 1
Make sure the notepad save-as type is all files, and not txt
Now when you want onedrive to sit down and shut up just double-click the disable reg file. If you want to upload or download some files turn it back on with the enable reg file.
Thank you for your helpful site, and great information.
Question: can I disable One Drive on just one of my devices (tablet) while not affecting in on my computer, that is on the same Microsoft Windows sign-in account? Or, if I do it in one, does it affect all my devices. I have One Drive sync turned off.
THank you for any adive you can give me.
Nj
Top work thanks – been trying to kill this damn process off for months and finally found your registry hack. Simple, quick and effective. Cheers
Thanks mate! You helped me a lot.
For others who may find this useful in the future:
to disable onedrive
run regedit as administrator
go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsSkydrive
to create missing Skydrive key
rightclick Windows & select New>Key>Skydrive
rightclick Skydrive & select New>DWORD (32-bit) Value>DisableFileSync
set DisableFileSync’s Value data from 0 to 1
DisableFileSync>Modify…>Value data>1
Unless you are the State Dept or Hillary Clinton.
Hi Anand. I was very dismayed that OneDrive is emptying out my hard drive files. So I have no docs left on the hard drive. And I assume it will do that to the pictures also. If it does that to my pics, then my migration of Lightroom will be screwed up because the LR catalogue won’t find the files. I am just an ordinary MS user, and not a geek – and I get nervous when editing the registry (and the directions on doing that in this string are not clear for the value of “0 to 1”). I could set the value to “1” but not “0-1”. I assume it meant set the value to “1”. But what happens after that? Reboot??? And if I disable the upload, how can I restore the files to the hard drive to the configuration that I had??? MS should be user friendly – and this experience is not. I’ve never had an operating system mess with what I have saved on my hard drive before. I should have been warned that OneDrive would upload everything (I want very little in the cloud) and remove them from the hard drive. It would be nice to have some user friendly option up front and during the process on what is uploaded and what is deleted from my hard drive without having to edit the registry.
How are files being deleted from Hard Disk? OneDrive should not delete from HDD after uploading. It keeps two copies, one in cloud and one on HDD. If you prefer not to upload your files in any folder inside OneDrive, you can uncheck that folder from OneDrive properties. To get there, right click on the OneDrive icon in System Tray and select Settings and then Select Folders. Let me know if files are disappearing because OneDrive doesn’t do that.
So people with Win 10 Home just can’t disable it, apparently? Great.