I accidentally moved a large file no laptop is locked up

Use OneDrive controls to stop the sync, then clean up and restore files as needed. Because the library is very large (1.3 TB), changes can take time to settle.

1. Stop OneDrive from syncing temporarily
   1. Select the OneDrive cloud icon in the taskbar.
   2. Select Pause syncing and choose a long duration.
   3. If the PC is very slow or locked up, right‑click the OneDrive icon again and choose Quit OneDrive to stop all sync activity.
2. If you mistakenly added/moved the photo folder into OneDrive The safest method is to let any in‑progress delete/move finish, then correct it.
   1. With OneDrive paused or quit, in File Explorer move the large photo folder out of the OneDrive folder tree to a location that is not under OneDrive (for example, C:\Photos instead of C:\Users\\<name>\\OneDrive\\Photos).
   2. After the move completes, start OneDrive again from Start menu (type OneDrive and open it).
   3. Wait for OneDrive to show Up to date. This will remove the moved folder from the cloud copy and stop trying to sync it as a second copy.
3. If a lot of files were deleted or moved by mistake
   1. Let OneDrive finish whatever delete/move operation is already running.
   2. Go to the OneDrive website and open your Recycle bin.
   3. Select any photo folders/files that were deleted unintentionally and select Restore to put them back into OneDrive.
4. If you just want OneDrive to stop handling that photo folder at all
   1. Pause or quit OneDrive.
   2. In File Explorer, move the folder completely outside any OneDrive‑managed path.
   3. Start OneDrive again. It will no longer sync that folder.
5. If sync errors continue on a specific file or folder
   1. Right‑click the problem file in File Explorer and select Properties → Security.
   2. Ensure the user account has Read and Write allowed. If not, use Edit to grant them.
   3. If a particular file is stuck, close any app using it, then:
      • Quit OneDrive.
      • Move that file temporarily outside the OneDrive folder (for example to C:\), restart OneDrive, wait for Up to date, then copy it back into OneDrive if needed.
6. If the PC keeps complaining about needing more space when copying That message is from Windows, not OneDrive storage. It means the local drive does not have enough free space to stage the copy. To avoid that:
   • Move (not copy) the folder directly from the OneDrive path to a non‑OneDrive path on the same drive, or
   • Move directly from OneDrive folder to the external drive (again, move instead of copy) so Windows does not try to duplicate everything on the internal disk.
7. If OneDrive is no longer wanted for this PC
   1. Select the OneDrive cloud icon → gear icon → Settings.
   2. Go to the Account tab and select Unlink this PC. This stops sync but leaves local files in place.
   3. If desired, OneDrive can also be uninstalled from Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Microsoft OneDrive → Uninstall. Files already on the PC remain; cloud copies stay in OneDrive online.

These steps return the photo folder to a normal, non‑synced location and stop OneDrive from trying to create or sync a second 1.3 TB copy.

References:

• How to cancel or stop sync in OneDrive
• OneDrive shows "This file can't be synced"
• Troubleshoot file upload issues with OneDrive
• Fix OneDrive sync problems
• I am not able to copy a very large folder from the OneDrive folder on my local C: to an external USB hard drive - Microsoft Q&A