For the last couple of years, OneDrive has been integrated into Windows 10 to allow you to seamlessly sync your files between computers and phones, as well as make it easy to access them when you’re in the cloud. If you’re finding that you don’t use OneDrive or want to take it out of File Explorer, here’s how to remove OneDrive from File Explorer in Windows 10 and stop using it altogether. (image link below)
Open File Explorer
- Right-click on the Start button and select File Explorer from the list of options.
- Select This PC from the left sidebar.
- Click on the View tab at the top of the window.
- Select Options from the drop-down menu.
- Click on the Change folder and search options link.
- Uncheck the box for Show sync provider notifications.
- Check the box for Hide these specified drives in file explorer.
- Scroll down until you see the OneDrive option, click it, and then click OK to save your changes and close out of File Explorer without making any other changes (Windows 10 will remember your preferences next time you open it). The icon should now be gone from the navigation pane on the left side of File Explorer.
View Tab
If you’re not using Microsoft’s cloud storage service, you can remove it from File Explorer on Windows 10. Here’s how:
- Right-click the Start button and select File Explorer from the resulting menu.
- Click the View tab at the top of the window.
- In the View section, click Options and then Change folder and search options.
- Click the General tab, if it isn’t already selected.
- Check the box next to Show these items on the desktop and clear the checkbox next to Show sync provider notifications.
- Select OK twice, once for the File Explorer window and again for the System Properties window that popped up after clicking OK in step 5 above. You’ll be asked whether you want to apply your changes now or later; choose Now. That’s all there is to it!
Uninstall OneDrive
If you don’t use OneDrive, you can uninstall it from your computer. Here’s how
- Open Control Panel
- Go to Programs and Features
- Click View Installed Updates
- Locate and click on the OneDrive update (called OneDrive 17.3.6362.0313)
- Click Uninstall, then follow the prompts that appear on the screen
- To prevent future installations of OneDrive: In Control Panel, go to System and Security -> Administrative Tools -> Services
- Find OneDrive, right-click it, select Properties
- On the General tab: Change Startup type from Automatic to Manual
- Select Disabled for both Startup type and Status
- Restart your computer.
Confirm Removal of OneDrive
OneDrive is a cloud storage service that comes installed with Windows 10. While it’s a great service, some users may not want to use it and would prefer to remove it from File Explorer. Here’s how you can do that.
- Right-click on the OneDrive icon in the taskbar
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu
- Click Unlink this PC under the Account tab on the Settings page. You will be asked to sign out of your account before proceeding, which will disable any apps that rely on this account such as Mail or Skype. After signing out, click the Unlink button again and select Yes to confirm the removal of OneDrive. Once unlinked, click Finish to close the Settings window.
Exit Registry Editor
- Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run command.
- Type Regedit and press Enter. This will open the Registry Editor.
- In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6} In the right pane, delete everything in the Name column.
In the right pane, change the Value data of the System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree to 0 (zero). Click OK when done. Close the Registry Editor window by clicking Yes or No. Reboot your computer for changes to take effect. It is not necessary to remove OneDrive completely from your computer if you don’t want it taking up space in your hard drive, since it only takes up as much space as you need. But if you want to get rid of all traces of it on the File Explorer tab, these steps are easy and fast!