How Do I Get Windows 11 to Stop Saving Everything To OneDrive Folder Location?

OneDrive is not a backup, it’s a cloud location of your data.

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The default installation of Office 365 and its OneDrive component uploads all the contents of the PC  \My Documents\ folders to OneDrive, (syncs) and there will be a OneDrive folder in File Explorer containing all the OneDrive content. And in Word etc the default Save location is set to OneDrive.

No docs will be saved to the local PC.

If Office 365 is not installed/activated and a new PC will have a pre-installed 365 Family trial version.

The only other OneDrive is the win 11 OneDrive that has a limited space of 5gb and nothing is saved to that unless the user explicitly save docs to that

I believe that it is wrong for it to default to this setting. It should ask if you want the files saved locally only, saved locally and synced, or saved on the cloud and made available. I only want my pictures and computer settings backed up, not every little thing that I am working on and saving. I tend to save items that I am working on to my desktop so I see them and finish them, and then delete them. Now I have to go digging for them or set something special up for what should be common sense. I chose Desktop, that means Desktop, not three clicks away in a cloud folder. I am having to explain where people's files are continually. I feel that this is not being done for convenience. I feel that they are doing this just make you pay for storage that you don't really need.

Hi Louie, this One Drive feature is the most irritating thing that I have ever experienced in 30 years of computing. I have even thought of defecting to Apple. It's an appalling hijacker of freedom of choice and an invasion of privacy; I hate One drive with an absolute passion. I have tried a number of times to get rid of it only to find it sneaking back after a few months like some thief in the night.

Thanks for the post I'll try it an keep my fingers crossed.

Gail McGarvey

I see you are an 'independent advisor'.. meaning a contractor working for MS?

Could you please ensure this issue is passed up the line? It's a significant breach of data privacy.

I feel the same. Ive used windows for 25 or more years. I hate microsoft with all my being. I lost photos of my late husband due To their “helping” me manage my life. I want to sue them for emotional distress and bill them for not only my time wasted but for the time of my IT Admin as well who wasnt able to help me at all. All microsoft wants is to blackmail us into buying more storage. They had to highjack our files to make us reach the maximum and then your dead in the water.

What about class action lawsuit ?

Apple here I come. I will never buy anything Microsoft again.