Stop OneDrive From Hijacking Your Desktop and Documents, by Leila Gharani on YouTube. 11 min 58 s.
- Video length
- 11 min 58 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Look at your Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders. A green tick or a OneDrive icon next to the folder name means Windows has moved it into OneDrive backup.
Right-click the Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders in File Explorer and choose Always keep on this device. Wait for the blue cloud icons to turn into green ticks.
Open File Explorer and check the free space on your C: drive. You need at least as much free space as the size of the folders you are moving back.
Close any open Word, Excel or PowerPoint files. Copy the folders to an external drive or another location as an extra backup.
Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area, open the gear menu, choose Settings, then go to the Manage backup tab.
In Manage backup, click Stop backup for Desktop, Documents or Pictures. Repeat for each folder you want to keep only on your PC.
On the warning screen, select Only on my PC. Do not leave the default Only in OneDrive, which removes the files from your computer.
Open File Explorer and check the folder path. It should show C:\Users\YourName\Desktop rather than a path inside OneDrive.
If your OneDrive storage is still full, sign in at onedrive.com, open the recycle bin and empty it. Deleted files still count until you do.
If you picked Only in OneDrive by mistake, your files are still safe online. Download them from onedrive.com back to your PC.
Tips and common mistakes
Moving files out of OneDrive is not a backup, so keep a separate copy on an external drive.
Other PCs signed in with the same Microsoft account keep their own backup settings, so check each one.
The free OneDrive plan includes 5 GB, which fills quickly when Desktop and Documents are backed up.
A blue cloud or hollow tick icon means the file is online only, so set Always keep on this device before you stop backup.
Questions
Will turning off OneDrive backup delete my files?
Not if you choose Only on my PC. That option keeps the files on your PC. Only in OneDrive removes them from your PC but leaves them online.
How do I know if my Desktop is in OneDrive?
Look for a green tick or OneDrive icon on the folder, or a path starting with C:\Users\YourName\OneDrive. Either one means backup is on.
Do I need to change this on my other computers too?
Yes, backup settings apply per PC. Check every computer signed in with the same Microsoft account.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
