Windows 11 or Onedrive has moved all my files into Onedrive. What is going on?

Anonymous
2023-10-04T10:54:25+00:00

A couple of days back I found that somehow all my files and folders on my Win 11 PC under C:\users.. have suddenly been moved into my Onedrive.
I keep many files under local storage intentionally so that they DON'T get uploaded into Onedrive. Now I see all these files being uploaded into Onedrive, which I DON'T want.
I have been using Onedrive for over 2 years.
How did this happen? How do I reverse it?
Microsoft, you are too much!

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows

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Craig Long 18,550 Reputation points
2023-10-13T02:51:52+00:00

"So here is my supposition: OneDrive, by default, at some update in the last few months, automatically turned on SYNC, and my Documents folder (and Pictures and Desktop) all got moved to OneDrive folders.

I since then, used the info here to turn off the sync of these folders. But that did not move them back, so they continued to live in OneDrive and continued to sync."

Yes. The OneDrive folder is always there even when you uninstall OneDrive. However, if OneDrive is uninstalled, then it no longer syncs to the online OneDrive.

"PS - I am assuming that if you turn sync on, it moves those folders from the username folder to the OneDrive folder."

Yes, that's right. There is no problem leaving them in the OneDrive folder unless they start syncing again.

"But if you turn sync off, it does nothing, as it does not move the folders back again. And the only thing that will sync in OneDrive, are the actual folders and files in the OneDrive folder structure. Hence why you have to manually move the folders back again."

Yes

To stop the "Sync and Backup" of your folders, go to Manage Backup in the OneDrive Settings. In Windows 11, you will find Manage Backup at OneDrive Settings > Sync and Backup tab > Manage Backup.

"C:>Users>username>ManilaFolders" is a good location on the C drive to hide data from OneDrive**.** An external drive and a separate data partition are great ways to avoid OneDrive.

Create and format a data partition

If sync turns on by itself or OneDrive reinstalls without asking, you may want to avoid the Documents folder and the other standard folders.

A YouTube video explaining more about this is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yXgyrsqraE

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  1. Craig Long 18,550 Reputation points
    2023-10-04T22:30:52+00:00

    In the first reply shollybee's answer "Switch the synchronization for the folders to the OFF position" is the correct solution. That may not straighten out your files but should stop any further syncing to OneDrive.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-10-04T21:40:32+00:00

    Hi,

    Unfortunately, I do not have any more troubleshooting to offer, there are knowledgeable experts on the platform and I hope someone else will take a look at your issue.

    Thanks, Sola

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-10-04T16:00:34+00:00

    Thanks for the reply. However, this does not answer my question, and does not solve my problem.
    I have had my system set up for 2 years, with no automatic backup from any existing/local folders, and with files and folders that I want to be managed by Onedrive moved or saved explicitly into the Onedrive set of folders.

    So:

    1. What changed to suddenly make this change?
    2. Your solution appears to be "all or nothing".

    It appears that somehow all the files/folders that I wanted to keep on my machine have been moved to the Onedrive structure. Consequently my machine has now been uploading all these "new" files/folders to Onedrive cloud.

    1. How can I unwind this? Looks to me that the damage has been done and I would have to unwind these all manually...?

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-10-04T13:30:22+00:00

    Hi PeterHers,

    Thanks for contacting us. To cease the synchronization, navigate to the OneDrive cloud icon located on the taskbar, then access "Settings," proceed to "Sync and backup," and finally, select "Manage backup." From there, switch the synchronization for the folders to the "OFF" position.

    Ref: https://answers.microsoft.com/thread/702f5536-a797-4474-9a7b-7b53beb71aab

    I hope this helps.

    Regards, Sola

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