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

This does not work

The interface has changed.

People need to follow the correct process or it will not work.

The do not automatically go back to normal. If people are lucky, the files are still in the hijacked ONEDRIVE folder on their computer. I've had clients who lost all the files in the ONEDRIVE folder following those steps you outlined. Luckily before we followed the suggestions on Microsoft's website, we copied all the files to an external hard drive. '

SHAME on Microsoft. This was and is a horrible feature. FILE EXPLORER still does not point to the correct folders and in one case the client has an error code, which, when I looked it up, stated he was no longer connected to Onedrive, therefore the files in the onedrive folder on his computer could not be accessed and could not be copied or deleted from the onedrive directory. He now has to do a clean install. They missed a step when they unlinked their computer and deleted that blankety, blank, Onedrive app. So now, their computer really needs a clean install.

Let this be a learning opportunity for anyone purchasing a new Windows 11 computer. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT ACTIVATE Onedrive unless you want an absolute headache, Also, be aware there are differences between instructions for Windows 10 versus Windows 11.

Some of you struggling with this, understand that app "backs up" (i.e., hijacks) your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders. One way to avoid that is to create a folder outside of these three folders on your computer and then pin those folders to your QuickAccess.

Some of you may find this YouTube video to be helpful. Shh don't share this with Microsoft or they will figure out a way to render these instructions to be useless.

Again,

I have several clients who have this problem. Windows 11 is a real pain versus Windows 10. The same directions we used for Windows 10 do not work for Windows 11.

Whatever you do DO NOT UNISTALL IT until you follow these steps. Here is a YouTube Video that can help.

Before you do this, BACKUP (i.e., COPY) files from your Documents folder (really it is in the c:\user\username\Onedrive\Documents folder. COPY those files to an external drive. Do the same for the hijacked DESKTOP folder and the PICTURES folder.

While searching for answers, I created folders in the c:\user\username folder -- not in the Documents folder, they could use temporarily while we cleaned up File Explorer. It was a REAL pain on some of my clients systems.

Then do the suggestion in the Youtube video

I hope someone files an anti-trust lawsuit for this hijacking of files.

Lesson to be learned --- NEVER synch files with the cloud. Upload files manually to the cloud that you want others to access (sharing files), or that you want backed up. Never store confidential or private files in the cloud.

Hope that helps. Even MICROSOFT'S HELP guide misses some vital steps that cause problems for restoring File Explorer back to normal.

After all is cleaned up and back to normal, then and only then, uninstall that hideous ONEDRIVE.

FOR those like me , that are contemplating going back to windows 10 . I will give you 2 cents worth of advice.

I went to ntlite.com and for less than 20.00 you buy their license , install it, download a fresh win11 iso from Microsoft , and IMPORT that iso into ntlite. I also DESELECTED the microsoft sign in option . then you can install a fresh version using a LOCAL account.

once in you will go through it and find the EDGE and ONEdrive items , and DESELECT them. then save that new ISO file .

burn it using rufus to a USB stick and re-install it. now you have a Windows 10 that is up to date , without all the APPLE WANNABE **** from Microsoft.

their mindset is to get you to pay like the copper tops in the Matrix for ever paying them for office 365 and Onedrive. but let's not hate Microsoft alone G))GLE is doing the same with our Android Phones , uploading all the spam from our gmail accounts into the google drive , I went in there and dleted 55 gig's of JUNK too. no more payments to google, Microsoft or Apple.

I have had enough. onlu use windows for H&R Block software and a couple of others. the rest of the time I am in Debian or KALI LINUx the best of the Debian derivatives

Microsoft has pushed me to go to Linux , and let;s face it these days 99% of all we do is in a BROWSER .

and for GOD's sake don't use EDGE .

rtoledo2 at gmail or rtoledo2002 at yahoo. I never use the MSN email for much so it maybe a while for me to respond to this

Same problem here. I unlinked the whole account. Still, there is now just the same OneDrive folder used by all the programs instead of the documents, just not synchronized. I want to have synchronized version of my documents and unsynchronized, how it was on Windows before 11.

Where is the actual setting to get rid of it forever. I don't want to sync my documents with OneDrive automatically. There are tons of programs using documents for temporary storage, some folder use git, some create and delete files automatically. Every time I receive notifications from OneDrive. Turned them off, but first time I didn't understand what is happening, who deleted my files, and what are those files, actually. It's extremely uncomfortable. And I don't want several GB of information being uploaded and downloaded for completely no reason.