Windows 11 - documents folder is linked to onedrive instead of the pc storage. can't unlink it.

I posted a link to a YouTube video that shows the process

The settings for OneDrive are in the System Tray on your computer. The right side of your taskbar has the system tray. You may have to click the little ^ to see the hidden icons. Look for the one that looks like a cloud. Right-click on it and go to settings

There is a sequential process that needs to be followed. If you don't follow it in that order, it will screw things up

Before you attempt to unsynch and unlink Onedrive get an external drive on which to backup all your data in

Desktop

Documents

Pictures

If you don't backup it up you run the risk of losing that data.

Watch these videos first to get an idea of the process that is involved in getting your Computer back to normal before OneDrive hijacked all of your files.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=119bYD_A9mI

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A39B6H9T2uE

Very important to backup those files first

Windows 11 and Windows 10 process vary slightly however, you must follow the right sequence.

See my reply to Madi about watching this video

DO NOT ATTEMPT without FIRST BACKIING UP YOUR FILES TO AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE.

Someone should file an anti-trust lawsuit against Microsoft......

This is ridiculous and I have had over a handful of clients where I had to clean up this mess. One should not have to fiddle with the registry or have to reinstall windows. The video goes over the process so you have a better understanding of what is involved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=119bYD_A9mI&t=6s

If you fiddle with the registry, you may run into problems when Windows updates to a new version or their usual monthly updates.

Careful what data you store in the cloud versus your own computer. Sensitive data does not belong in the cloud.

reply to Madi

Before you do that -- look at this video. It will help you understand what is going on, OneDrive hijacks your normal user Documents, Pictures and Desktop folders and moved all that information to the User\ONEDRIVE\ folders (Documents, Pictures, Desktop). That means anything in that ONEDRIVE folder is being uploaded to ONEDRIVE in the cloud.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=119bYD_A9mI&t=6s

If you delete the file in OneDrive in the cloud (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/onedrive/online-cloud-storage),  then it will also delete from your computer and vice versa. It does not act like an external drive when it synchs; rather it acts as an extension of your computer. Automatic synching is not good if you have confidential info that you do not want stored in the cloud (i.e., Microsoft servers).

I have mine un-synched and unlinked. If I want a file in the cloud, I will manually put it there --- that way I have control of what files are uploaded.

I warn others not to activate ONEDRIVE on their computers. I show them that they can manually go to the OneDrive website and upload the files they want to share with others.

Also, you can supposedly choose which folders in the ONEDRIVE folder on your computer you can synch ("backup)") to the cloud. Again, it mean you have to keep that info in your ONEDRIVE folder on your computer. I thoroughly hate that that is why I don't do it that way and un-synched and unlinked my computer. But before I did that, I

BACKED UP ALL MY FILES TO AN EXTERNAL DRIVE. That way if they disappear from the ONEDRIVE folders on my hard drive, I can copy the back to the proper folders (...use\Documents) or (...user\pictures) or {... user\desktop) and not

{....user\onedrive\documents) etc.

Do watch that video so you have a better picture of what it means to get your computer back to normal before it was ruined by ONEDRIVE.

I'm in the exact horrible predicament as the OP. I finally bought a new PC with Win 11 OEM pre installed. Opted for the regular (not customized) windows OS setup when fired up system. Then spent THE ENTIRE DAY yesterday downloading my Steam library which is 1.2 TB of game data. Most of this ended up in the traditional/default

C:\Users\username\Documents path where 3rd party software typically gets directed. Except THIS time around for Win 11, Microsoft has now decided to hold PC users HOSTAGE. By unwittingly tricking them into installing software data in this location which is actually UNWANTED PAYWALL aka

C:\Users\username\OneDrive\Documents

A migraine inconvenience which I just noticed a couple hours ago. When I tried to copy some 800MB+ game data files to my local storage in the Documents folder. Only to find that I'd unwittingly exceeded the 5GB OneDrive paywall??? I paid $5,000 USD plus sales tax for my new gaming system. And of the 3 existing M.2 SSDs, I dedicated a secondary 4TB SSD exclusively to my Steam library. And installed all my games on this secondary drive. Only to find out some games (ESPECIALLY LEGACY PRE 2010 GAMES) typically dump a minority of files all over the place. Like to the primary 1TB C:\ SSD drive which I'd exclusively dedicated to Win 11 OS programs and it's unwanted infinite dumping of updates. The same C:\ drive which has forced a OneDrive paywall feature which I DO NOT wish to use. Never mind being forced to pay a costly monthly sub for an UNWANTED & TOTALLY UNECESSARY cloud storage service.

And now I find that even after unlinking & uninstalling OneDrive off the primary C:\ drive, the blasted path for OneDrive STILL remains in the registry. Which means I CAN'T PLAY MY GAMES WITHOUT REINSTALLING THE ENTIRE STEAM LIBRARY. WHY MICROSOFT? WHY???

The only other possible workaround is liberating the Documents folder (which contains many Steam games) from the obsoleted OneDrive folder. aka manually moving the Documents folder back to the traditional path

C:\Users\username\Documents

But that doesn't fix all the registry url paths I'd have to update!!! How the hell am I supposed to remedy this issue without having to redownload my Steam library ALL OVER AGAIN???