OneDrive still active after complete removal

whiwo said:

I've uninstalled and completely removed OneDrive from my computer after a reset but it's still backing up my documents and pictures. I have a redundant backup system in place both internally and externally and use Syncback to perform a nightly backup. When I went to setup the profile for the backup, I noticed the Picture folder was not in the list of folders to be included but OneDrive was. I unhid the folders I don't use in my personal folder and OneDrive appeared. When I clicked on the Pictures folder (under OneDrive), the latest images and modifications were there (meaning it's backing them up).

The only way to back those up on my personal drives is to select OneDrive and then Pictures instead of the Pictures folder under my personal folder. I do not use the cloud by anyone for anything other than Google Drive to backup my mobile — that's it. Yet, OneDrive insists on taking all my files and backing them up and I do not want them in the cloud at all. Everything on my PC needs to remain in my ecosystem and nowhere else.

I never gave Microsoft permission to store my personal files in their cloud system. What step am I missing to completely get rid of what I now call malware off of my computer?

Click to expand...

whiwo said:

If I gave it permission, it was in the lengthy user agreement you have to sign off on to install Windows 11. That's disengenuous on their part. That's more like an opt-in rather an opt-out. They ask you to opt-in to Phone Link but not to OneDrive because nobody reads the lengthy legalese in these agreements.

Now that I've installed the app again, it's not showing up under startup which is the only place you can access the setting to disassociate your account with OneDrive. In fact, when I click on it under programs, it hangs and says loading but eventually takes me to the online version, which ironically has nothing in it nor the opt out under "options" since that falls under "settings".

But, if I click on the the OneDrive folder in my personal folder, pictures, documents, etc. are there. It's only pictures though I that I cannot backup externally unless I choose OneDrive and the subfolder Pictures because the actual Pictures folder does not appear in the list under Syncback.

So, if I cannot access OneDrive settings (because they aren't online) only in the startup icon, which is not loading, then what do I do?

I went through this 2 years ago and deleted the cloud Pictures folder, which contain all of my artwork for my podcast going back 18 years. It also deleted everything on my hard drive as well. So when it backed up, the desitination folders are designed to delete what's no longer on the source file and I lost everything. Thankfully, I had everything on Facebook but they rename everything and it took forever to download and rename over 1,000 images. I'm not going through that again. I just do not trust the cloud at all and prefer my method of storage and backup to ensure I don't lose anything important.

Now, I'm stuck with this garbage and I want it gone and out of my life.

Click to expand...

Step 1: Re-link OneDrive Temporarily (to Restore Control)​

1. Reopen OneDrive by signing back in.
2. Let it sync briefly.
3. Open File Explorer and confirm that the OneDrive_Pictures folder is accessible again.
4. Follow these steps to turn off the Pictures folder sync:
   • Right-click the OneDrive icon in the taskbar.
   • Go to Settings > Backup > Manage Backup.
   • Turn off backup for the Pictures folder.

Step 2: Rename or Remove the OneDrive_Pictures Folder​

1. After turning off the sync, move all your photos from OneDrive_Pictures to a temporary folder on your desktop.
2. Delete or rename OneDrive_Pictures back to something temporary (e.g., OneDrive_Pictures_Backup).

Step 3: Reset the Default Pictures Folder Using Command Prompt​

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
   
   • Press Win + S, type cmd, and right-click Command Prompt.
   • Select Run as Administrator.
2. Type the following command and press Enter:
   
   bash
   Copy code
   reg add <span>"HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders"</span> /v <span>"{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}"</span> /t REG_SZ /d <span>"%USERPROFILE%\Pictures"</span> /f<br>
3. Then, type the following to rebuild the folder:
   
   bash
   Copy code
   <span>mkdir</span> <span>"%USERPROFILE%\Pictures"</span><br>
4. Restart your PC.

Step 4: Restore Ownership of the Pictures Folder (If Needed)​

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Users\&lt;your-username&gt;\.
2. Right-click the "Pictures" folder and select Properties.
3. Go to the Security tab and click Advanced.
4. Next to Owner, click Change.
5. Type your Windows username, click Check Names, then click OK.
6. Check Replace owner on subcontainers and objects and click Apply.
7. Close everything and restart.

Step 5: Final Verification​

1. Open SyncBack and confirm that you can see C:\Users<your-username>\Pictures in the file explorer when browsing for a folder.
2. Test your sync configuration.