Can't uninstall One Drive

Hazel123 said:

Thanks - I appreciate all the help. I am not happy about this happening at all. I mean, I've been uninstalling Onedrive for years and never had an issue. It makes me feel like giving up on Windows 10 and 11 altogether (not that there's an option to keep 10 or 23H2!).

Sorry - just fed up! Whinge over. Logically I know - I just disconnect it from the computer and uninstall and then ignore. But - I don't like the way it's all over the place and synced automatically. I used to feel in control! And now I don't. Bah.

There's an interesting article about it here. Apologies to any fans of onedrive!

Microsoft is Silently Reversing Some OneDrive Enshittification in Windows 11

When it comes to Windows 11, OneDrive, and enshittification, I'm the canary in this particular coal mine. And I have something new to report.

www.thurrott.com

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Hazel I am sure you have faced bigger hurdles in life. You can do this with glasskuters list as help.

You need to step back take a moment away from the issue and realize that there is a new process, and if followed, you will succeed.

I like trying to help you, I have time for you.
Just don’t let something like this, that if you think about it (or try not to think about it), isn’t that complicated, don’t let it consume you.

I’d guess that everyone here has time for you.

Hazel123 said:

I can uninstall it in programs/control panel before I even connect to the internet

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No, Hazel. Follow the list. But sure, disable the internet.

Why Windows 10?

Thanks. I think I probably need a break from it for a day Long story but I had originally been trying to install Windows 10 on the spare laptop and had loads of hassle with that for some reason, gave up, installed 23H2 and then had loads of hassle with One Drive!

This is not normal for me! I've installed Windows 10 zillions of times! I am sure Microsoft are knobbling my install because 11 installed in 5 minutes!

And yes things have moved on - but this is getting too much now. I have never liked Onedrive and now I hate it! I want something simpler.

But point taken - just follow the steps and ignore it.

Sorry, just updated last post.

Hazel123 said:

But point taken - just follow the steps and ignore it.

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I have faith that if you do that, it will be gone gone gone. OneDrive

Well I've installed Windows 10 again - having removed one drive before connecting to the internet and my install went smoothly this time - maybe coincidence. For Windows 10 - It wasn't in the list of apps. It wasn't in programs in control panel. It was only in the start menu. Right clicked and selected uninstall, which took me to programs in control panel, where it magically appeared ready to uninstall.

And did an image after updating! And still have wifi. So the next step is to see if I lose wifi again after doing the upgrade to pro with my digital licence. And if I lose it before setting policy editor or after.

And if it all goes wrong again, I'll put 23H2 back on and follow the One Drive uninstall guide above. With this machine I usually have to install Windows 10 first anyway, before upgrading to 11 as it just seems to work best that way. So decided to leave it on Windows 10 (if I can) on the ESU (when it arrives). To do that I need to use my pro licence and set group policy editor, or it'll just upgrade to Windows 11 24H2. And that's where things went wrong the last few times .............

Hazel123 said:

It wasn't in programs in control panel. It was in the start menu.

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Please tell me you followed @glasskuter’s list?

No because it was Windows 10 so it's different There is nothing in the task bar. Just in the start menu. It's gone - well and truly gone. Just uninstalled via start menu and programs/control panel. If I install Windows 11 again I will follow the list. However I still have the same internet issue.

I've now established what causes it. I get everything installed and updated, to the point I want to do the Pro upgrade. I installed with a local account. To be able to do the pro upgrade and use my digital pro licence, I need to sign in with a microsoft account. As soon as I sign in with a microsoft account the internet goes off. My network is still there but with a cross next to it and a message in red:

"Some information changed since the last time you connected. We need additional information to complete the connection."

And it wants my wifi code entering again. Which I do. That lasts a few minutes and it does the same thing again, repeatedly. I've re-entered the wifi code four times now. I've got the pro upgrade done but now have the wifi issues again.

So this didn't happen in Windows 11 23H2 (I just had one drive to deal with in 23H2!). But it is what has been driving me mad. Now if I'd stayed on my local account and not wanted to add the pro upgrade (so I can limit Windows 10 to 22H2 to prevent it upgrading to Windows 11) - I wouldn't be having this issue!

So I do think Microsoft is keeping an eye on Windows 10 installs (maybe a bit of paranoia) as why would that happen? Just signing into a microsoft account? And only on Windows 10.

Yes, upgrading to PRO or any upgrade can likely reinstall onedrive if you are using a MS account.

@Hazel123, you are making things difficult for yourself. What @antspants gave you that I wrote is tried and true for getting your files unlinked from onedrive and back to your local drive as long as you have not already uninstalled onedrive. It all has to be done in order.

You have several options.

1. Possibly you can reinstall onedrive and then follow the tutorial. It's hard for me to say for sure since I have no idea the state everything is in.

2. Create a local account which is not automatically tied to Onedrive. (detailed instructions at the end of this post)

3. Clean Install using a local account. See step 15 here for how to do that. While windows 10 or 11 will still install Onedrive, a local account is not connected to onedrive by default whereas a MS account is. Once you do this you can either uninstall onedrive or stop it from autostarting.
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How to create a local account

DO THIS FROM OLD ACCOUNT

If you have autologon set to on, you will need to disable it.

1. (HOME)AS a precaution, Turn off device encryption if it is currently on. Turn On or Off Device Encryption in Windows 11 Tutorial

(PRO) turn off standard Bitlocker. Turn Off BitLocker for Drive in Windows 11 Tutorial

2. Create a new local account
Settings>Accounts>Scroll down and click on Other Users.
Select add account>select I don't have this person's signin information
This will let you create a local account

In user name box name the account and assign a password.
Very Important- Make the new user an administrator. Once account is created, to the right of the new user name click down arrow. Select Change account type.
Click arrow to right of standard user and select Administrator.

3. While still logged into old account COPY & PASTE (NOT MOVE) any files you want saved into folders on your external drive. (Documents, Desktop, Music, Pictures, Downloads.) It is important to use copy and paste to prevent permission problems.

4. Unlink account and PC from onedrive if it is linked . Unlink Account and PC from OneDrive in Windows 11 Tutorial
Restart computer

DO THIS FROM NEW ACCOUNT

6. On signin screen you will see 2 accounts. Select the NEW LOCAL ACCOUNT name and it will ask you to set up a password and password hints. Also answer all the other setup option questions.
Your new desktop will be created.
Open the folders on external drive. COPY and PASTE the files you saved to the external media into the personal folders of your new account.

All settings in the new account will have to be set up new.

7. Once everything is correct in new account, delete the old account. Settings>Accounts>Other Users>Click the down arrow next to your old account name and click Remove.

8. You can now either uninstall Onedrive or my preference is to just disable it from autostarting which stops all the nags.. I would definitely use Revo Uninstaller to uninstall it, NOT Programs & Features
I believe you will find it under Windows apps when using Revo.

Note: If you are using Office 365 (or Ofc 2021)let me know and I can tell you how to still use it without Onedrive. There are some options you will need to set.

Thank you. Yes I needed to reinstall. But at the moment I'm attempting to install Windows 10. See the issues above! If I end up installing Windows 11 on this machine again, I will follow your guide!

Hazel123 said:

I'm attempting to install Windows 10

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It does not matter which one you install. . If you install either 10 or 11 using a MS account , documents, desktop, pictures, and videos will have a default location of onedrive rather than C:\users\username\foldername

glasskuter said:

It does not matter which one you install. . If you install either 10 or 11 using a MS account , documents, desktop, pictures, and videos will have a default location of onedrive rather than C:\users\username\foldername

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Thank you. I installed Windows 10 with a local account and it was easier to completely removed one drive at the outset in Windows 10. However after I later signed in with a microsoft account I had big issues (not with one drive - that didn't come back) but it's affectig wifi. Posted about that elsewhere.

Hence I will probably be putting 23H2 back on and following your method

Thank you both so much for all the help @antspants and @glasskuter . It was driving me mad yesterday. I have bookmarked this page for future reference. I have got my windows 10 install sorted though. By signing out of Microsoft account and back into local account. So won't be doing the Windows 11 install just now.

However. I'm wondering if the wifi issues, when signed into a microsoft account, might be to do with not disconnecting the computer from one drive before removing one drive (clean install of Windows 10 22H2). I removed it before even connecting to the internet so there was no grey cloud on the task bar ......... So just to check that out - from the amazingly helpful guides above, I'm going to try reinstalling again. I have a final image with everything set up so can always put that back. And that set up is fine on a local account - as long as I don't have to connect to a microsoft account!

And to answer the earlier question - no I will never use Microsoft 365! Seen too many issues

Hazel123 said:

I'm wondering if the wifi issues, when signed into a microsoft accoun

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@Hazel123 Regarding wifi issues, I have 2 machines involved with a MS account, one from a 11-24h2 clean install using a MS account and an old incompatible machine that I recently upgraded from windows 10 to 11-24h2. Both are on wifi. I have not had wifi issues on either of them. However, all my machines are PRO. (Between me, you, and the gatepost, I would not have one that runs HOME.) Neither of them are tied to Onedrive.

IMO there is absolutely no correlation between a MS account and losing wifi. I can see a correlation where DRIVERS could be the issue for that. Could you tell me exactly what happens to your wifi. Are you saying you lose your wifi signal when you use a MS account? Or are you saying using the internet becomes so slow it's unusable?

If it's the latter, I can see that happening when onedrive is enabled and actively trying to download all its files into the MS account on that machine. I can also see it happening if one uninstalls Onedrive without unlinking the account and machine first or if one uninstalls onedrive incorrectly. In either of those cases, Onedrive is losing its mind and hosing up the machine because it can't do what its designed to do.

Yep it literally loses the internet connection as soon as I sign in with a ms account - and it's a sinister mystery to me too! Having installed with a local account first and everything set up. It then puts a cross next to my network and gets me to enter the network key again. This lasts a few minutes then it cuts and the network disappears again - and the cycle repeats indefinitely every 5 minutes or so. But - when I then sign in with a local account again and not a MS account - it's ok again.

Went through it all on another thread and the solution was to stay on a local account! However, now I'm reinstalling Windows 10 22H2 I want to see if I can do what's in the above tutorials - ie "unlink this pc" from one drive BEFORE I uninstall it. There doesn't seem to be that option in Windows 10 though. And neither is one drive in the apps list (only the start menu list). If I right click on the cloud on the desktop and select account - there is no option to unlink this pc.

Ah hang on - that just appeared while it was doing updates. So I clicked on unlink this pc. However it then just opens a window asking you to add an email address, so I closed that again. And the option to unlink this pc is still there.

So - does unlinking this pc only work if you're signed in with a microsoft account?

According to google - yes. You need to be signed into a microsoft account to unlink this pc. So presumably, because I set everything up in a local account - didn't/couldn't unlink this pc and then removed one drive - when I then later signed into a microsoft account, it was trying to sync but one drive wasn't there to sync with! That is my only noddy explanation for what happened.

So I've tried installing again as a test

1) Installed Windows 10 22H2 with a local account
2) Connected to the internet
3) Signed into my microsoft account
4) Clicked on unlink this pc

And the internet has been cut again! So maybe it wasn't that after all. However in my earlier install I did uninstall one drive while in a local account, without uninstalling it from this pc.

Sign out of the ms account, and my wifi network comes back (eventually and after re-entering the code twice).

Someone else said it was probably a syncing issue with other computers on the network. Although only one other laptop turned on, I don't have syncing set up and it still happens when the other laptop is turned off! Although both laptops are the same model number. But different serial numbers.

That is one weird occurrence. I wish I had a logical answer for you. But nothing in and around Onedrive/MS account surprises me anymore.

We have a lot of folks here who love and defend Onedrive. If one wants and understands OD, it works great. But for folks who don't like or want it, it has been a nightmare for many who thought all they had to do was uninstall it and that would be it. Many have dug their own holes so deep by their attempts to get rid of it, it resulted in data loss.

IMO, forcing OD on unsuspecting users is the absolute worse thing MS has ever done to its users. But, hey. It's only going to get worse. I may not be around when Win12 is released but I suspect HOME users will have to use both a MS account and Onedrive...period; no other option and no way out of it. Maybe PRO, too, but if there is any way out of it, it will be in PRO.

glasskuter said:

That is one weird occurrence. I wish I had a logical answer for you. But nothing in and around Onedrive/MS account surprises me anymore.

We have a lot of folks here who love and defend Onedrive. If one wants and understands OD, it works great. But for folks who don't like or want it, it has been a nightmare for many who thought all they had to do was uninstall it and that would be it. Many have dug their own holes so deep by their attempts to get rid of it, it resulted in data loss.

IMO, forcing OD on unsuspecting users is the absolute worse thing MS has ever done to its users. But, hey. It's only going to get worse. I may not be around when Win12 is released but I suspect HOME users will have to use both a MS account and Onedrive...period; no other option and no way out of it. Maybe PRO, too, but if there is any way out of it, it will be in PRO.

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I know, I came across a post on the internet of a young girl who was in tears as she had lost all her files and the responses were not very kind - telling her to read what she was doing etc. But the point is, many people who buy laptops haven't a clue about things automatically syncing at set up or even know it's happening. They simply want a laptop! To use the internet, play media, etc etc. ie just turn it on and use it.

I just wanted to add that this issue with my internet disconnecting when connecting to my microsoft account - doesn't happen at all on Windows 11 - same laptop, same network, same clean install. It is only on Windows 10!

Anyway my set up is done and imaged and I'll just need to stay on a local account! Which I prefer anyway. If I do need to sign into an MS account for some reason, I can connect to my phone hotspot! Already tried that.

Just as an update - I gave up on that - and am reinstalling Windows 11 24H2 on the spare laptop. So - @glasskuter - the first thing I should do is unlink one drive and then uninstall it right?

But - I have set up with a local account - so presumably there is nothing to unlink? Can I just uninstall it? I assume that in future, if I ever sign in with a microsoft account on this laptop, one drive may appear again - so would I then just unlink it after signing in with an ms account?