I need to get all of my files back and put OneDrive in the darkest hole I can find.

Is there a quick and fool-proof way to restore everything? I'm afraid I'll miss something and lose it when I shut One Drive down for good.


EDIT: and I can't find any of my financial or legal files on either my PC or on the OneDrive. This is devastating.

Oh, dear! I thought you had disabled OneDrive way back when we first were talking about this! You can't lose anything because OneDrive is the Cloud drive. I think we went through all this a while back, but I don't remember for sure. You don't use your OneDrive app on the computer to retrieve your files... you go to your OneDrive account on the internet and download them from there to whatever safe place you choose. Then you can disable OneDrive so it never saves anything in the Cloud again. In case I hadn't posted this before...

But first, go here and log in to your One Drive...

https://onedrive.live.com/login/en-us/

Then disable or get rid of the OneDrive app.

https://askleo.com/how-do-i-get-rid-of-onedrive/

Things to keep in mind...

I had disabled, it, or so I thought.

Now it's taken all my games off my computer. The problem is that I have no idea what is where any more so I can't figure out what to move. I feel like I'm chasing a moving target.

Actually, most of the icons have vanished from my desktop.

OK, so that sounds like a completely different problem. It's not impossible that an update reenabled the stupid thing. However, it won't UNINSTALL anything. It's only function is to transfer and store documents and files in the One Drive cloud.

I assume you're tried rebooting?

Right now, I'm not sure what we need to address first. But I'd definitely suggest logging in to your OneDrive account on the internet and retrieve any documents etc. that you want. Then we'll go from there.

The problem is that OneDrive IS removing documents from my computer. It is NOT syncing -- it is taking things off my hard drive so that the folders on my PC are empty.

Yes, I've rebooteed.

Here's another disturbing thing -- I found my documents folder. It was in the OneDrive trash bin. So were my pictures. I have copied those folders back onto my hard drive and onto my back up drive, and disconnected my back up drive from my computer, so my documents are safe.


EDIT: There's not much actually on my OneDrive. I mean, there are folders and icons.

Really, the contents of my OneDrive look like the most incompetent intern on Earth just opened a filing cabinet and threw stuff in there willy-nilly.

For instance, there is currently a folder called "Documents" on OneDrive that contains several folders containing games and a folder full of Excel files. This is not the same Documents folder I copied to my Hard drive an hour ago and contains things that are not on my computer. It's like a second Documents folder with different things in it than my main documents folder on my PC , like random files in a folder.

I'm just going to copy that folder onto to my PC and get rid of OneDrive. I'm pretty good about backing up to my portable hard drive and I really don't need this hassle. Any pictures I lose will just be from my phone.

OneDrive is just about the most useless thing ever. Were you able to retrieve what you needed? That link I posted does have direction on how to completely remove the nasty thing. II guess if you have an update, you may have to go back and check that it hasn't respawned.

Forgive me for posting about something I know absolutely nothing about but a thought occurred to me while reading this thread. Is it possible that there is some "File Clean Up" program on your computer that thinks it is cleaning "junk" to make more room on your computer or to "improve it's performance"? Again, I don't know anything about this or how it works. I just know that my Norton would like me to use their File Clean Up program (which I don't) but that's what it claims to do.

Good thought, oldbroad. But this is the accursed OneDrive which is enabled by default on all Windows 11 computers. Hagatha is not the only one who had been caught up in the utter nonsense. OneDrive is a perfectly fine Cloud option, but Microsoft has seen fit to not give people an option to use it or not on Windows 11. The fact that desktop icons are disappearing makes me think there is something else going on, but it's hard to know since I can't access the computer.

Thanks Draclvr, for those links. I disabled onedrive on my new laptop. I should do it on my Win10 too.

TLC, you don't need to disable it on Windows 10. You can choose to use it or not on Windows 10. I actually DO use it to store some thing to share with others. However, on Windows 11, it automatically uploads all your photos, documents, files etc. to the OneDrive cloud. Then you wonder where it all went because what you thought you saved on your computer is not there!

Thanks again, Draclvr.

What i did, once I rescued as many files as I could find that were important, I unlinked my computer from OneDrive. I can still see the OneDrive Icon on my desktop but it has an enormously satisfying cross through it, like a no-entry sign.

I'll have to check whether that is enough, but if there's any chance that an update can switch it back on, I'm giving it the heave-ho.

Excellent, hagatha. That big "X" must indeed be enormously satisfying.

I laughed out loud when reading this. I get you completely. OneDrive is a nuisance. The very first thing I do when installing a new computer is to disable OneDrive.

Once you've restarted your computer, you should also have gotten rid of the crossed-over icon.

LOL, Mikael! OneDrive used to be a nuisance, but on Windows 11, it's become a menace.

Speaking of OneDrive...

All of a sudden there is a ribbon at the top of my excel sheets saying: "(Yield sign) BACK UP THIS DOCUMENT Protect this and other files using OneDrive. Open Onedrive (in a push box)". Never saw it there before. Windows 10.

I just opened up a couple of my spreadsheeets and I don't have it - yet. So, then I take it back... OneDrive is now also a MENACE of Windows 10. They want to encourage you to use OneDrive as a backup - which is a terrible idea. Here is what Leo Notenboom has to say about it.

OneDrive is Not Backup

Actually, the stricken-out OneDrive Icon is still on my desktop. I may have to be more aggressive in chasing the little parasite off my laptop for good.

I don't understand why OneDrive is described as syncing, when it actually deletes stuff from your hard drive.

Indeed! That's now how syncing is supposed to work! But the little menace does exactly that.

If you want to ditch it altogether, after you claim back all your files, you can unlink your PC from the OneDrive account and then uninstall it from the Apps and Features section. That removes it from your PC forever or until Microsoft decides they want to reinstall it with an update or something.

That's exactly what I plan on doing, Trail. That link I provided earlier in this thread tells you how to do just that. Like I said, it's a menace!

if you have Win 11 Pro , & after any missing files are recovered ,


Right click on the Windows icon , then click "run" . After that , ...

Type "gpedit.msc" and press Enter: This opens up Group Policy Editor.
Navigate to "Computer Configuration" , then "Administrative Templates" , then "Windows Components" , then "One Drive".
Find the policy called "Prevent the usage of One Drive for file storage".
Double-click on the policy to open its properties.
Select "Enabled" to disable One Drive .
Click "Apply" and then "OK".

After that , the only way One Drive should function again , is , if Microsoft pushes a major update , & tries to reset any changes the user makes , which Microsoft is very prone to do . There are also some tools that can be utilized to disable features such as One Drive , Co-Pilot , and Recall . There are a few , such as DoNotSpy 11 , or Shutup10 (a personal favorite of mine , as it also works on Win 11) . It is a good idea to run the aforementioned after a major update , as stated previously , Microsoft has a bad habit of resetting any changes you make . You may need to restart after making changes , at least the first time using such a tool , but , in the end , at least in my experience , my pc runs faster after making these changes .

Thanks, Creeping Doom.... pretty much everything covered in the links provided above! Except for the outside tools for when Microsoft undoes all your changes. I've heard good things about Shutup 10.

Got it , Drac . I've used Shutup 10 for a while now . After every major update , I start it up , to see what changes , if any , Microsoft has made , & undo those changes . I would add , though , that using an uninstaller , especially MS' own , is mostly an exercise in futility . The "built in" uninstaller leaves way too many left over registry entries and temp files . Other uninstaller programs , such as Iobit Uninstaller , & Revo Uninstaller ( a personal favorite) , will do a much better job of getting rid of all the leftover files . Besides , Microsoft considers One Drive an "essential" , for lack of a better term , part of Windows , & will just install it again with the next major update , much to the chagrin of a lot of users .

Yes, Revo uninstaller is popular with us here as we all know "Uninstall" on Microsoft leave behind all kinds of bits and pieces.

Leo Notenboom of Ask Leo is also NOT a fan of the forced OneDrive in Windows 11.