How do I "uncouple" OneDrive from the dang Documents folder?

I delivered and hooked up a new all-in-one, for a computer client of mine. Everything was going TOO smooth, even the router and printer was no problem. Then, I was made to look like a fool, because all picture, document, etc. files in those folders will not let me open them. They all have the "cloud" symbol next to them. I shut down Onedrive, but still cant open files or pics. A little window popped up on each one saying something about "make sure personal files" something. I dont use Onedrive on my laptop so a little stumped at this. I want to just have the files open normally on their computer, no cloud involved. If I uninstall Onedrive, that wont take their onboard files or photos away? I think that would be easiest. They didnt even know what Onedrive was.

Things with the cloud icon are in OneDrive, and haven't been used and accessed on the local computer...else they would have a little checkmark instead. If Onedrive is running, you should certainly be able to click on anything and it should open a local copy.

Honestly, if you just setup this machine then the files shouldn't only be in the cloud only, but should be on the local computer and in the cloud too, and hence have the checkmark. Are these files you are seeing from their previous computer that might have been using OneDrive?

Uninstalling ONeDrive won't remove what's in the cloud. It will just stop this machine from syncing them. (You could just log into the web interface and download the files to any location on your hard drive you wish). Using OneDrive is pretty much transparent from using files on any local folder on your machine. You should be able to open them up just fine.

The thing that is nice with OneDrive, is that your files will be in 2 places. 1 copy on your local HDD and a secondary copy in the cloud. In the event your computer is stolen, dies, hard drive quits, house burns to the ground....your files would naturally be protected as it's a second copy stored offsite. An end user doesn't have to do or know anything . It just happens. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Unfortunately, people here cloud and I think they default to thinking cloud=bad/insecure

Open OneDrive folder.

Right-click the folder you want to restore to default location.

From Location tab, click Restore Default button.


Let me show you how to stop OneDrive sync in the Windows operating system.

pparks1 said:

Are these files you are seeing from their previous computer that might have been using OneDrive?

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I bet they are. He has a MS account and logged in to it, and I bet their old laptop was synced to the cloud. I have to go back tomorrow to transfer all the folders off the old laptop to a thumb drive.

These are seniors I'm working with and he wants the files on a thumb drive, didn't know what the "cloud" was. I agree its nice to have a BU in the cloud, but he wants them on a thumb. Said get rid of Onedrive because he'll never use it.

FreeBooter said:

Open OneDrive folder.

Right-click the folder you want to restore to default location.

From Location tab, click Restore Default button.


Let me show you how to stop OneDrive sync in the Windows operating system.

Click to expand...

Thanks FB, I'll check out the vid and your instructions. I really think MS should not do this "out of the box" in the background. There should be a pop-up to ask if you want to sync the folders or not.

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Hello probe7,

In addition, be sure to turn off backing up the Documents folder to OneDrive first like below. You should then be able to manually copy the files back from OneDrive.

Brink said:

Hello probe7,

In addition, be sure to turn off backing up the Documents folder to OneDrive first like below. You should then be able to manually copy the files back from OneDrive.

Turn On or Off OneDrive Folder Backup Syncing Across Windows 11 Devices

This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off OneDrive folder backup and sync for your Microsoft account across all your Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices you sign in with the same Microsoft account. You can use OneDrive to sync files and folders between your computer and the cloud, so you...

www.elevenforum.com

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Okay will do boss, thank you for that. I just had a thought, can I just delete Onedrive and be done with it? The owners don't want a "cloud" service. If I do uninstall OD, will his doc, photo, video files in the folders will they revert to local automatically?

probe7 said:

I bet they are. He has a MS account and logged in to it, and I bet their old laptop was synced to the cloud. I have to go back tomorrow to transfer all the folders off the old laptop to a thumb drive.

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So, they must have stored all of their files and folders elsewhere then on the old machine. Otherwise, you wouldn't have to transfer anything from the folders off the old machine as they should just magically appear on this machine. Essentially it would be like you already copied them to a thumbdrive and then copied them back.

probe7 said:

These are seniors I'm working with and he wants the files on a thumb drive, didn't know what the "cloud" was. I agree its nice to have a BU in the cloud, but he wants them on a thumb. Said get rid of Onedrive because he'll never use it.

Click to expand...

That's the thing with OneDrive, you don't have to consciously use it. You use it without knowing. And then if tragedy occurs and the machine dies, nothing gets lost. The files you had before would still be safely sitting there waiting for you to reconnect with a new computer.

Obviously if they had files in the cloud that you can clearly see, he was using OneDrive...he just didn't know he was using OneDrive.

Yeah, hes using OD without knowing it. But I have the files he wants taken off his old laptop and put on his thumb drive, so he has a BU. I just want to get OD off the new computer.

probe7 said:

Then, I was made to look like a fool, because all picture, document, etc. files in those folders will not let me open them..

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Clean installing Windows 11 - by default - saves documents, pictures, etc to the cloud.
See Step 20(L) of this tutorial.

I went back the following day and just went into OD and where the little window that pops up, clicked on "Unlink OD from this computer". and it unlinked.

I know why I didn't think of that when I was there the first day setting it up. Long story short, I couldn't get his Windows mail to work. (more important than his OD problem) Tried troubleshooting steps. He assured me it was the correct mail password. Told him let me come back tomorrow and I'll do some research on the mail problem.

Came back the next day and was going to work on both OD and his mail. He said "that may have been the wrong password, try this one." Sure enough, all his mail came flooding in!