How to Turn off OneDrive Sync on Windows 11/10: 4 Ways

User Case: Disable OneDrive Sync on Windows 11

“When I got my laptop last year (3rd Sep 2021), it came with a 1-year trial for Office 365, due to the 1TB storage capacity my files kept syncing and I had 32GB used out 1TB, after the 1st of September 2022 my trial ended and when I deleted all my files, I didn't want my current files to sync back into OneDrive so I paused sync in the taskbar of Windows 11, however it continued syncing back later and I don't know how to turn off OneDrive sync on Windows 11without switching to a local account.”

OneDrive is a cloud storage service developed and managed by Microsoft. It is a built-in file hosting and file synchronization service that you get when you set up your Windows 11 operating system. It helps you keep your photos, documents, and other data backed up, synchronized, and accessible on all devices connected to your OneDrive account.

Why Stop OneDrive Sync on Windows 10/11

For some reason, you may want to turn off OneDrive syncing in Windows 11/10:

• From time to time, OneDrive may pop up asking you to back up your data, slowing down your network and computer.
• Sometimes OneDrive will move your files to the cloud and leave only thumbnails (not actual files) or shortcuts on your local drive, which you won't be able to access unless you're connected to the Internet.
• While OneDrive is a great cloud service, you may be inclined to disable it if you already have another online storage service such as Google, Dropbox, Mega, Amazon Drive, or similar.

This article shows you 4 ways on how to stop OneDrive syncing, including stopping it temporarily and stopping it permanently. You can take the appropriate steps for your situation.

How to Turn Off OneDrive Sync in Windows 11/10

For how do I permanently turn off OneDrive sync in Windows 10, the easiest way is to uninstall OneDrive from your computer. If you don't want to remove the OneDrive app, this section also shows you 4 ways to turn off OneDrive sync on Windows 11 and Windows 10, both temporarily and permanently.

Method 1. Pause OneDrive Sync (Temporarily)

If you just want to shut down OneDrive to make it stop syncing everything right now, then suspending it is the fastest way to do so.

1. On the desktop, select the small arrow next to the date and time in the lower right corner. Select OneDrive.

🎇 Note: If you don't see the OneDrive icon in the overflow area, you can click the Windows Start icon and search for OneDrive to open it.

2. Next, click Help & Settings in the OneDrive window. Then, click on the Pause Syncing menu and select a time range that you want to disable OneDrive sync on Windows 11.

3. This will stop the synchronization process for the selected time and it will automatically start the process after that time.

Method 2. Turn off OneDrive Sync from Group Policy Editor

For how to turn off OneDrive sync on Windows 10/11, you don't need to uninstall it completely. You can disable the service and leave it on your computer for future use.

1. Click the Start menu and type gpedit to open Local Group Policy Editor.

2. In the Group Policy Editor, navigate to the following location from the left navigation bar.

• Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> OneDrive

3. When you open the OneDrive folder, double-click Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage on the right, then select Edit.

4. Then, select Enabled from the top left menu, then click Apply and OK. This will turn off the OneDrive program, including its background and synchronization processes.

Method 3. Turn off OneDrive Sync via Registry Editor

Another way that can help you solve how to stop OneDrive from syncing everything is using the Registry Editor to disable OneDrive on Windows 11/10.

1. Press Win + R at the same time, type regedit and press Enter to open the Run dialog box.

2. Next, navigate to the following location or copy and paste the following location in its address bar, then click Enter.

• Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\OneDrive

3. Then, look for the DWORD named DisableFileSyncNGSC in the right pane, double-click it and change its value to 1.

🎇 Note: If you cannot find the "DisableFileSyncNGSC" DWORD or "OneDrive" folder in the location specified above, you will need to create a new folder and change the value data. You will need to do this.

1. Right-click on the Windows folder, select New -> Key in order.

2. Rename the folder into OneDrive.

3. Next, right-click the OneDrive folder, select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.

4. Rename the value to DisableFileSyncNGSC and double-click it. Change its value to 1 and click OK.

Method 4. Turn off OneDrive Sync by Unlinking Account

You can also turn off OneDrive sync on Windows 11 by unlinking your OneDrive account from your computer. You will not lose any files or data that have been synced. In the meantime, you can always access updated and synced files by logging back into the OneDrive app or OneDrive.com.

1. On the desktop, select the small arrow next to the date and time in the lower right corner. Select OneDrive.
2. Next, click on the Help & Settings button and select Settings from the menu that appears.
3. In the OneDrive settings window, go to the Account tab and click Unlink this PC.

4. Then, a confirmation dialog box will pop up. Click the Unlink account button to fix OneDrive can't stop syncing folder.

This will cause you to log out of your OneDrive account on your PC and turn off syncing your files with the OneDrive cloud.

Easily and Securely Sync Files to Other Locations on Windows

As mentioned at the beginning, you may want to turn off the OneDrive cloud service that comes with Windows 11 when you have a more cloud-friendly storage device. Or maybe the constant syncing that OneDrive does is causing you some distress, such as making your computer run slower.

If you have turned off OneDrive syncing on Windows 11 by the above method, you can try syncing your files to wherever you want with the third-party syncing software recommended for you below. AOMEI Backupper Standard is the best free file sync software for all Windows PCs.

🌟 It helps you sync files to USB drives, network locations, NAS devices, cloud drives, and various locations.
🌟 It can also run automatic sync for data that changes frequently in daily, weekly, monthly, event triggers, or USB plug in.
🌟 Coming with an intuitive interface, even a computer novice can easily get started for file synchronization.

Learn how to sync files with AOMEI Backupper. First, click the download button below to install AOMEI Backupper on your computer.

To synchronize the files in your computer, launch the software and click Sync->Basic Sync in order. Then the software will ask you to select the files or folders you want to sync, and choose to sync files/folders to network drive, USB drive, NAS, other cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox, and more sync destinations. After finishing all settings, click Start Sync.

💡 More Sync Functions:

>>> Schedule Sync: Select the "Schedule" option and a dialog box will appear. Schedule the desired synchronization tasks to synchronize files on a daily, weekly, monthly, etc. basis. In addition, event triggers and USB plug in can be used as synchronization methods.

>>> Cloud Backup. If you have an AOMEI account, you can backup your files to the AOMEI cloud. After you sign up for an AOMEI account, it gives you 1TB of free storage space for 15 days.

Final Words

This article provides you with 4 ways on how to turn off OneDrive sync on Windows 11/10. These include both temporary and permanent solutions, so you can choose the one that works best for you based on your needs. Also mentioned in the article is another free syncing software. You can sync files to any other location with its help, including other cloud servers, internal and external disks, USB, etc. This software also has features like cloning, backup, restore, etc. This tool can also help you migrate your data and system when you want to upgrade your computer's hard drive.