How do I remove the OneDrive folder from my File Explorer folder tree in Windows 10?

Question

I don't use or want to use OneDrive, but after upgrading to Windows 10 it's been installed automatically and added to the sidebar of every explorer window:

I can't seem to figure out how to get rid of it. I can't uninstall it like a normal app, and I can't seem to unpin it in Explorer's options.

I tried following one of Microsoft's guides (requires login) to getting rid of it, but that seems to only remove stored OneDrive files.

I've also tried following another Microsoft Guide and SU answer, but I can't seem to edit group policies on my computer (maybe because I upgraded from Win7 Home Premium?).

All I would really like is to be able to remove the OneDrive shortcut from my explorer sidebar, though being able to uninstall OneDrive would be a bonus.

I'm not sure what I should try now. Is there a way to remove OneDrive from Windows 10?

Answer 1

EDIT: New technique.

Since 2 upgrades ago, you can now simply uninstall Microsoft OneDrive if you don't plan to use it.

To do so, open Settings->Apps and from the list, search for "Microsoft OneDrive", then click uninstall.

Because this is an app not a program, it is not listed as program in the Control Panel.

EDIT: Small addition to this update: Given that you actually uninstall the app, it seems that the app is not being reinstalled after an upgrade, whereas with the techniques below, it will come back as the app itself is being reinstalled. So if you uninstall OneDrive, it will be gone until you reinstall it through the Windows Store.

--------[ Old answer below]-------------------------

OneDrive also was part of windows 8, except that there, it was hidden. That gave much more trouble for when you actually wanted to use it vs not wanting to use it.

But it seems that disabling (not entirely getting rid of) is not that hard.

To stop OneDrive from starting at boot

Remove its startup entry from the registry, which is located here:

HKEY_LocalMachine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

If you delete the OneDrive entry there, and either use task manager to kill the process, right click the icon and choose exit or reboot, OneDrive will not be loaded anymore.

Now you can remove the OneDrive folder located at C:\Users\%USERNAME%\OneDrive

To remove OneDrive from the Explorer sidebar

With a bit of searching and digging, I found this key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A52BBA46-E9E1-435f-B3D9-28DAA648C0F6}] which lead me to the relevant CLSID, which is: {018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}

So the registry key you want to remove is this one:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}

If you go to this key, it should say OneDrive and should have the following subfolders: DefaultIcon, InProcServer32, Instance and ShellFolder, where Instance has another subfolder named InitPropertyBag.

Answer 2

Open notepad and copy/paste next code:

@echo off
cls

set x86="%SYSTEMROOT%\System32\OneDriveSetup.exe"
set x64="%SYSTEMROOT%\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe"

echo Closing OneDrive process.
echo.
taskkill /f /im OneDrive.exe > NUL 2>&1
ping 127.0.0.1 -n 5 > NUL 2>&1

echo Uninstalling OneDrive.
echo.
if exist %x64% (
%x64% /uninstall
) else (
%x86% /uninstall
)
ping 127.0.0.1 -n 5 > NUL 2>&1

echo Removing OneDrive leftovers.
echo.
rd "%USERPROFILE%\OneDrive" /Q /S > NUL 2>&1
rd "C:\OneDriveTemp" /Q /S > NUL 2>&1
rd "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\OneDrive" /Q /S > NUL 2>&1
rd "%PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft OneDrive" /Q /S > NUL 2>&1 

echo Removeing OneDrive from the Explorer Side Panel.
echo.
REG DELETE "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}" /f > NUL 2>&1
REG DELETE "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Wow6432Node\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}" /f > NUL 2>&1

pause

Save it like removeOneNote.bat and run it as administrator (by right click on file).

I found answer here, and it works for me.

Answer 3

Noticed that this had popped up again (in a broken state) after the recent Fall Creators Update. Tried the existing tips from several places, but they still weren't working. Eventually went on the hunt for the relevant CLSID (this ugly beast: {018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}) and found it here:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}

Delete that key and it's gone. I knew it was the right place because Dropbox (which I do want) appeared in the same location as a separate key.

Just in case anyone else gets this annoying thing showing up again.

Answer 4

According to asd, you can disable OneDrive with the Windows 10 Group Policy Editor.

gpedit.msc -> Local Computer Policy\Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\OneDrive

Enable "Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage". This will disable and remove everything after a restart

---

^{*The Group Policy Editor isn't available on Windows 10 Home Edition by default. However, it can be installed manually.}

Answer 5

I was searching for an answer to this question as well, preparing Windows 10 for possible deployment on our network. I found a setting tweak using the Group Policy Editor on this page which we are instituting as part of our deployment images.

Answer 6

If you want to unpin OneDrive from Explorer, you can tell it to not be pinned to the Explorer folder tree:

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}
• System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree: DWORD = 0

---

Bonus Chatter: Removing Quick access from Explorer's folder tree

Explorer has a HubMode that removes Quick access:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
• HubMode: DWORD = 1

Answer 7

DIFFERENT ANSWER THAT WORKS:

For me, I was able to remove the OneDrive reference from File Explorer by removing this key:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace{04271989-4A69-5D60-F50A-EF64AEB41D93}

I am running Win 10 Creators Edition Pro. I had uninstalled OneDrive but it left the folder name in File Explorer. I was looking for a way to remove it and this worked.

Answer 8

To remove specific OneDrive folders instead of all of Onedrive (also works for DropBox folders) from the file explorer, open regedit program and navigate to

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace

This folder will have a registry key for each individual OneDrive (and DropBox) folder that is displayed in the file explorer. Simply delete the ones you don't want to show up.