How to remove or disable OneDrive in Windows

OneDrive is one of the best cloud storage services in the world, but that does not necessarily mean that everyone likes it. If you have it on your Windows computer, but you don't want it, you might be searching for a way to remove OneDrive. Maybe you want to do that because you prefer other cloud services (and apps) such as Google Drive or Dropbox. Or perhaps you don't use cloud storage at all. Whatever your reason is for wanting to uninstall OneDrive from Windows, this guide shows you how to remove OneDrive from Windows 10 and Windows 7, and also how to turn off OneDrive in Windows 8.1:

Contents

1. How to remove OneDrive from Windows 10
2. How to uninstall OneDrive from Windows 7
3. How to turn off OneDrive in Windows 8.1
4. Why did you want to remove OneDrive from your Windows PC?

NOTE: This guide is based on the latest versions of Windows available, with all the system updates installed: Windows 10 May 2020 Update, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7 with Service Pack 1. If you are using other versions of Windows, the steps required to disable OneDrive on your system might be slightly different.

How to remove OneDrive from Windows 10

In Windows 10, to get rid of OneDrive from your computer, you can simply uninstall it. The fastest and easiest way to do it is from the Settings app*.* Launch the Settings app and open the Apps category.

The Apps category from Windows 10 Settings

In the Apps & features list, scroll until you find the Microsoft OneDrive app.

Microsoft OneDrive app shown in the Apps & features list

Select the Microsoft OneDrive app and click or tap the Uninstall button.

Choosing to Uninstall Microsoft OneDrive from Windows 10

Windows 10 tells you that "This app and its related info will be uninstalled" and asks you to confirm your action by pressing the Uninstall button once more.

Confirming that you want to remove OneDrive in Windows 10

Next, Windows 10 shows a UAC (User Account Control) confirmation dialog, on which you have to press Yes if you want to continue.

Uninstall OneDrive: UAC notification

The OneDrive app is then completely removed from your system and is no longer displayed in Windows 10. You shouldn't see it in the system tray or File Explorer anymore.

NOTE: You can also remove OneDrive from the Control Panel. Check the second section from this tutorial to learn how to do it: 9 ways to remove desktop programs and Microsoft Store apps in Windows.

Uninstall Microsoft OneDrive from Control Panel

If you change your mind at a later time and you want to get it back, you can reinstall OneDrive from its official webpage: OneDrive for Windows.

How to uninstall OneDrive from Windows 7

The OneDrive app is not pre-installed by default in Windows 7, but you can install it manually if you download it from its webpage. Also, some manufacturers used to bundle OneDrive on older laptops and PCs with Windows 7. Regardless of how you got it on your Windows 7 device, here is how to remove OneDrive from it:

Open the Control Panel and click the "Uninstall a program" link under Programs.

Uninstall a program link from Windows 7's Control Panel

Wait for the list of Programs and Features to load and then scroll until you find Microsoft OneDrive. Select it, and then click on Uninstall. Alternatively, you can also right-click and select Uninstall on the contextual menu.

The OneDrive Uninstall button from Control Panel

Next, Windows 7 displays a UAC (User Account Control) notification. Choose Yes to allow the OneDrive uninstall process to continue.

UAC notification to confirm that you want to remove OneDrive

After a few moments, Windows 7 removes OneDrive from your computer.

How to turn off OneDrive in Windows 8.1

In Windows 8.1, OneDrive is not just an application that you can remove or uninstall from your device. That's because OneDrive is a part of the Windows 8.1 operating system. However, you can disable OneDrive and hide it, if you don't want to have it running on your device. Here are the steps which you must complete:

First, unpin the OneDrive tile from your Start screen. Switch to the Start screen and find the OneDrive tile. Then, right-click or tap and hold on it and select "Unpin from Start" on the menu displayed.

Unpin OneDrive from the Start screen of Windows 8.1

Next, open PC Settings: a quick way to do it is to access the charms buttons, select Settings, and then click or tap "Change PC settings." In PC Settings, select OneDrive on the left side of the screen.

The OneDrive entry from Windows 8.1's PC Settings

On the File storage page, turn Off the "Save documents to OneDrive by default" switch.

The Save documents to OneDrive by default switch

On the Camera roll page, select the "Don't upload photos" option and turn Off the "Automatically upload videos to OneDrive" switch.

Don't upload photos and don't Automatically upload videos to OneDrive

On the Sync settings page, turn Off the "Sync your settings on this PC" switch from "Sync settings with OneDrive."

Disable the Sync your settings on this PC

Also, in the "Sync settings" section, turn Off the "Back up your settings for this PC" switch from "Back up settings."

Disable the Back up your settings for this PC switch

In the "Metered connections" section, disable all the switches available:

• "Upload and download files over metered connections."
• "Upload and download files over metered connections even when I'm roaming."
• "Sync and back up settings over metered connections."
• "Sync and back up settings over metered connections even when I'm roaming."

Turn off all the OneDrive settings for Metered connections

That's it: you've now disabled OneDrive on your Windows 8.1 device.

P.S. Although some complex solutions involving the Windows Registry do exist, there is no easy and safe way to remove the OneDrive folder from Windows 8.1's File Explorer or the OneDrive icon from the system tray.

Why did you want to remove OneDrive from your Windows PC?

Now you know how easy it is to uninstall OneDrive from Windows 10 and Windows 7, but also how difficult it is to disable OneDrive in Windows 8.1. Before closing this tutorial, tell us why you wanted to get rid of OneDrive from your Windows computer. Use the comments section below to share your opinion.