Microsoft OneDrive has been deeply integrated into Windows 11. With the help of OneDrive, you can configure Windows 11 to sync personalization, Wi-Fi passwords, and other Windows settings to sync across your Windows 11 devices.
Additionally, the latest versions of Windows 11 automatically sync your files from Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos, and Music folders to your OneDrive account so that your important files are always backed up.
OneDrive is one of the leading cloud storage providers and millions of Windows 11 users use it daily, but not all users like It. Many prefer its competitors, such as Dropbox and Google Drive.
If you are one of those users who does not want to use OneDrive on your Windows 11 PC, you can disable it.
Please note that once you disable OneDrive on your Windows 11 computer, all Windows 11 features that require OneDrive will stop working. For instance, you cannot sync your Windows settings and apps across your devices. The OneDrive entry from the File Explorer will also be removed!
Important: We recommend turning off the Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos, and Music folder sync before disabling OneDrive on your PC.
Disable OneDrive in Windows 11 via Registry
Step 1: Type Registry Editor in the Start menu or taskbar search box and then press the Enter key.
Click the Yes button when you see the User Account Control prompt.
Step 2: Navigation to the following Registry key:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
Step 3: Now, on the left side, click the Windows key. Right-click on the Windows key, click New, and then click Key to create a new key.
Step 4: Name the newly created key OneDrive.
Step 5: Now, on the left side, click the OneDrive key to select it. On the right side, perform a right-click, click New, and then click DWORD 32-bit Value. Name it DisableFileSyncNGSC.
Step 6: Lastly, double-click on the DisableFileSyncNGSC and then change its value data from the default 0 to 1. Click the OK button to save it.
Step 7: Restart your PC once. If you see the following screen after the reboot, click the Decline button. That’s it!
You have disabled the OneDrive service on your Windows 11 PC successfully.
Disable OneDrive in Windows 11 via Group Policy Editor
Note that Group Policy Editor is not available in Windows 11 Home edition. If using the Home edition, please refer to the directions in Method 1, which talks about disabling OneDrive via the Registry Editor.
Step 1: Type Edit Group Policy or gpedit.msc in the Start or taskbar search and then press the Enter key to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
Step 2: In the left pane of the Local Group Policy Editor window, navigate to Computer Configuration> Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OneDrive.
Step 3: Now, on the right side, double-click Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage to open its properties dialog.
Step 4: Select the Enabled radio button and then click the Apply button.
Step 5: Finally, restart your PC once. When you restart, you might see the following screen. Click the Decline button to reject the offer to use the OneDrive storage to back up your files.
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