How to Disable OneDrive and Remove it from File Explorer

Even though OneDrive is a very useful Windows feature, it may inconvenience some people. People end up clicking on it every time and when one is taking a screenshot, it just appears every single time.

There are also lots of other situations that OneDrive becomes more inconvenient than its usefulness. For example, if you have already configured Google Drive, there is no point of having both of them.

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They will just fill up your tabs and you may find it difficult to choose which one to use. Still, OneDrive has a lot of other advantages which we are going to discuss a bit later. First thing’s first, let us see how you can permanently remove OneDrive from your computer.

How to remove OneDrive from Windows 10 Home

Ever since Windows 10 creators update was released, removing OneDrive was made simpler. People who are on Windows 10 Home can remove OneDrive just like any other program.

This, however, only applies to the ones using the Home version of Windows 10. This version must also be updated to the Creators update or later.

For those who are not familiar with this method, just click on Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a Program or Settings > Apps > Apps & features.

uninstall onedrive

You now have to scroll down to the OneDrive program and double-click it. A dialog box will appear so that you can confirm the un-installation request.

Within a short period of time, OneDrive shall be successfully removed from your computer. Some files will be kept just in case you should change your mind at a later date.

If so, just go to C:\Windows\SysWOW64\ folder on a 64-bit system or the C:\Windows\System32 folder on a 32-bit version of the Creators Update or later. You should be able to find the installation file for OneDrive which you should run as an admin to reinstall it.

NOTE: This method will only remove the feature from the system but leave the OneDrive folder still visible on the sidebar. If you wish to remove the folder, you can follow these other steps to completely remove its presence.

How to Remove the OneDrive Folder From the Sidebar on Windows 10 Home

For some people, the presence of OneDrive on the File Manager sidebar is still inconvenient to them. The program might now be unavailable for use, but if there is another cloud program installation, OneDrive will still be there for show.

In order for you to remove OneDrive from the Sidebar, you need to have a little grasp of the Windows Registry Editor. People who have tweaked their Windows in the past should be familiar with the program.

For those who are unfamiliar with the program, just click on the Start tab and search for regedit. Alternatively, you can just hit the Windows logo button+R and type in regedit in the dialog box that pops up.

Once the registry editor has opened up, you can paste this text on the bar above the value fields so that it can take you to the appropriate entry;

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}

Double-click on the System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree option. It should be located in the right pane.

regedit remove onedrive

In the values, set it to 0 and then click on “OK”. For those who are on the 64-bit version of Windows 10, you should also paste this code so that you navigate to a different field;

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Wow6432Node\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}

Set the value of the System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree element to zero, same as before, then click OK. Before you can even close the Windows Registry Editor, the OneDrive folder shall have disappeared from the sidebar of File Explorer.

One-Click OneDrive Removal from Windows 10 Home

Of course, there are some people who hate all that technical stuff and prefer something quick and convenient. If you have gone through all of that. then at least you have learned something.

However, there is a simpler method that you can use to remove OneDrive from Windows 10 Home completely. We have prepared a simple registry file which will execute all of those commands for you.

A registry file is a file that contains instructions that can edit the values of the registry entries. For this to work, you should first find out whether you are on a 64-bit or 32-bit system.

Go to Settings > System > About from your Windows 10 computer. You should find all the information about your computer from there.

Depending on which system you are on, execute the respective file from the archive. – Download Hack

After the download is successful, just run the file and click on the confirmation dialog box. There should be a warning about editing registry values, but you should not fret.

The files are safe and are much simpler to use. Besides, they are just doing all that work that you could have done yourself.

How to Disable OneDrive on Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise

For these two versions of Windows, the process is a bit different.  You shall be using a Windows resource called the Local Group Policy Editor to disable OneDrive.

It will not be able to completely remove OneDrive, but it shall prevent it from functioning in your system. To get started hit Start and search “gpedit.msc”. Press Enter to run the program.

After it has started go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OneDrive on the left pane. You should then click twice on the “Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage” setting which shall disable OneDrive.

local group policy editor disable onedrive

Please take note that OneDrive will only be hidden from plain sight and no one shall be able to use it, even though it will still be installed on your computer.

You should not try the same method that is used in the home version of Windows 10. You shall otherwise still see OneDrive being displayed on the SideBar of File Explorer.

The combination may also bring about a few problems that will affect the way the system functions. Anyway, OneDrive is a really great cloud service to use. As a Windows 10 user, you get a lot of free cloud space and you won’t have to reinstall OneDrive ever again. You will also be able to access the files stored on the cloud service on any device that you sign in on.

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