OneDrive -- make it stop!

[BarbWire]

(2016 Windows 10 Dell PC)


This weekend I had File Explorer open and was signed into my Microsoft 365 account (required in order to use Word and Excel-- you can't use them without signing in....grrr) and saw OneDrive on the LHS, below QuickAcces and above This PC. I clicked on it, and OneDrive began syncing everything in my Desktop, Documents and Pictures to the OneDrive cloud. I managed to stop it but ....

I absolutely DO NOT want Microsoft moving all of my documents to the cloud.

Here is what I want: OneDrive as "dumb" cloud storage, like a cloud external hard drive. I move documents that I choose to One Drive from my PC, and later -- when traveling -- I can access them from my iPad or phone.

I do not want any syncing behavior, I don't want to share.

Is there a way to permanently disable the OneDrive "sync" behavior given that I must log into Microsoft to use Word and Excel on my laptop? Is there a way to use OneCloud as "dumb" storage?

 

[meierlde]

(2016 Windows 10 Dell PC)


This weekend I had File Explorer open and was signed into my Microsoft 365 account (required in order to use Word and Excel-- you can't use them without signing in....grrr) and saw OneDrive on the LHS, below QuickAcces and above This PC. I clicked on it, and OneDrive began syncing everything in my Desktop, Documents and Pictures to the OneDrive cloud. I managed to stop it but ....

I absolutely DO NOT want Microsoft moving all of my documents to the cloud.

Here is what I want: OneDrive as "dumb" cloud storage, like a cloud external hard drive. I move documents that I choose to One Drive from my PC, and later -- when traveling -- I can access them from my iPad or phone.

I do not want any syncing behavior, I don't want to share.

Is there a way to permanently disable the OneDrive "sync" behavior given that I must log into Microsoft to use Word and Excel on my laptop? Is there a way to use OneCloud as "dumb" storage?

Although a bit drastic you could move to libre office which is comparable to office and free. (you might try looking at spread sheets to see if they still work. on the calc option you would need to choose office compatability)

 

[Gotadimple]

You asked: Is there a way to use OneCloud as "dumb" storage?
Yes you can using File explorer. You can move or copy files/folders from your hard drive to your cloud account. It is the same process you use with files on your hard drive. I have certain files I have copied to OneDrive for sharing. They don't automatically update.

I can't answer you other questions, but do a Search online - I'm guessing autosyncing is a common problem with Word 365 and it doesn't have to behave that way. Yes, you have to logon to your MS account to use 365.

 

[easysurfer]

(2016 Windows 10 Dell PC)


This weekend I had File Explorer open and was signed into my Microsoft 365 account (required in order to use Word and Excel-- you can't use them without signing in....grrr) and saw OneDrive on the LHS, below QuickAcces and above This PC. I clicked on it, and OneDrive began syncing everything in my Desktop, Documents and Pictures to the OneDrive cloud. I managed to stop it but ....

I absolutely DO NOT want Microsoft moving all of my documents to the cloud.

Here is what I want: OneDrive as "dumb" cloud storage, like a cloud external hard drive. I move documents that I choose to One Drive from my PC, and later -- when traveling -- I can access them from my iPad or phone.

I do not want any syncing behavior, I don't want to share.

Is there a way to permanently disable the OneDrive "sync" behavior given that I must log into Microsoft to use Word and Excel on my laptop? Is there a way to use OneCloud as "dumb" storage?

Is OneDrive required to use other Microsoft products? You mentioned Word and Excel.

Back when I switched over to Win 10 one of the first things I did was uninstall OneDrive as that seemed too intrusive. I don't use Excel or Word as go with Open Office instead.

I prefer to do my own backing up and like you am not fond of the idea of having some company backing up my data to the cloud.

 

[BarbWire]

You asked: Is there a way to use OneCloud as "dumb" storage?
Yes you can using File explorer. You can move or copy files/folders from your hard drive to your cloud account. It is the same process you use with files on your hard drive. I have certain files I have copied to OneDrive for sharing. They don't automatically update.

I can't answer you other questions, but do a Search online - I'm guessing autosyncing is a common problem with Word 365 and it doesn't have to behave that way. Yes, you have to logon to your MS account to use 365.

Thank you. That is exactly what I want to do, and is how I used OneDrive in the past (like two years ago) -- copying files to OneDrive in File Explorer. That is why I was so aghast when it started autosyncing. (And I learned to my horror that if I delete an auto-synced file on OneDrive it is deleted on my computer -- like photos in iWorld ....)

The only online "solution" I have found to the autosync is to have my WiFi set as a "metered connection." Yesterday I googled "sync" but today will google "autosync" -- thanks for the suggestion!

 

[BarbWire]

Is OneDrive required to use other Microsoft products? You mentioned Word and Excel.

Back when I switched over to Win 10 one of the first things I did was uninstall OneDrive as that seemed too intrusive. I don't use Excel or Word as go with Open Office instead.

I prefer to do my own backing up and like you am not fond of the idea of having some company backing up my data to the cloud.

No, OneDrive isn't required to use MSOffice -- but 1TB Cloud storage is included with the subscription, so it seemed like a slam-dunk for my use-case, until it started syncing! That is new "benefit."

There seems to be a OneDrive "app" (I thought those only existed in iOs and Android) which controls the autosync behavior. I have removed that with IOBit Uninstaller, and now do not have OneDrive in File Explorer. Sigh. I can log into OneDrive.com via FireFox and upload/download.

After decades in the corporate world, I am deeply entrenched in the MS Office ecosystem: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote. Switching to OpenOffice or Libre isn't something I want to do with my very limited time, knowledge and patience.

 

[bobandsherry]

I only use it as "dumb" storage, no automated backup.

 

[lucky penny]

I made a one-time purchase of Office Home & Student from Microsoft for $149 a few years ago so I could continue to use Word & Excel on my Mac -- no subscription needed -- & it's worked well for me. Never had any issues & I've never seen OneDrive.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Thank you. That is exactly what I want to do, and is how I used OneDrive in the past (like two years ago) -- copying files to OneDrive in File Explorer. That is why I was so aghast when it started autosyncing. (And I learned to my horror that if I delete an auto-synced file on OneDrive it is deleted on my computer -- like photos in iWorld ....)

The only online "solution" I have found to the autosync is to have my WiFi set as a "metered connection." Yesterday I googled "sync" but today will google "autosync" -- thanks for the suggestion!

Try this.

Go to Windows File Explorer. (Or right click on OneDrive icon in taskbar tray.)

Right click on OneDrive
Click on Settings
Click on Backup
..uncheck Automatically save photos and videos to OneDrive
..uncheck Automatically save screenshots

Click on Manage backup
uncheck desktop
uncheck pictures
uncheck documents

You should now be set up to use OneDrive as needed for backing up files manually at the time of your choosing.

 

[BarbWire]

Thank you. I have -- for now -- deleted OneDrive and am making an (unscheduled) backup of everything to my Seagate External Hard Drive.


Then -- after setting my WiFi to "metered" just to be safe -- will reinstall OneDrive and follow Qs instructions. Stay tuned ....

 

[clobber]

Try this.

Go to Windows File Explorer. (Or right click on OneDrive icon in taskbar tray.)

Right click on OneDrive
Click on Settings
Click on Backup
..uncheck Automatically save photos and videos to OneDrive
..uncheck Automatically save screenshots

Click on Manage backup
uncheck desktop
uncheck pictures
uncheck documents

You should now be set up to use OneDrive as needed for backing up files manually at the time of your choosing.

This is the answer.Plus a few other steps that are detailed in this link Copied below just because.

Select the white or blue OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area, at the far right of the taskbar.

OneDrive SyncClient with blue cloud and white cloud icons

Note: You might need to click the Show hidden icons arrow The Show hidden icons button. next to the notification area to see the OneDrive icon. If the icon doesn't appear in the notification area, OneDrive might not be running. Select Start, type OneDrive in the search box, and then select OneDrive in the search results.

Select More > Settings.

On the Settings tab, uncheck all the boxes under General.

On the Auto Save tab, set the Documents and Pictures lists to This PC only, and uncheck the other boxes.

On the Account tab, click Choose folders.

In the Sync your OneDrive files to this PC box, check and uncheck the box at Sync all files and folders in my OneDrive. (The first check selects all the boxes, then the uncheck clears them all.) Click OK to close the box and return to settings.

This step removes all OneDrive files from your computer, but leaves them on OneDrive.com.

Click OK to save your changes in the Settings box.

Open the Settings again. On the Account tab, click Unlink OneDrive. Close the Welcome to OneDrive box that appears.

Open File Explorer, right-click OneDrive, and then click Properties.

On the General tab, next to Attributes, check the Hidden box. This hides OneDrive from File Explorer.

One more time, select More and select Quit OneDrive. This removes the OneDrive icon from the Notifications area.

 

[dtbach]

On the other hand, OneDrive saved my bacon when the backup to a WD external drive failed on me. I would have lost thousands of files. I don't really think there is a "privacy" thing to worry about as there are Petabytes of data that is encrypted. It really wouldn't be worth their time to try and access an average persons files

 

[Freedom56]

This is the easiest way to get rid of Onedrive and Cortana.

1- Open the Task Manager (right click on the bottom and select task manager)
2- Go to the "Startup" tab and right click "Microsoft One Drive" and select disable
3- Repeat this for all the other useless functions i.e "Cortana"
4- Close the task manager.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I made a one-time purchase of Office Home & Student from Microsoft for $149 a few years ago so I could continue to use Word & Excel on my Mac -- no subscription needed -- & it's worked well for me. Never had any issues & I've never seen OneDrive.

[-]Mashable currently has this deal for $49.99 at the link below, Mac or Windows. Not sure for how much longer.[/-]

[-]Oops, I guess it expired? Sorry.[/-]

[Yet another edit:] My brain is not the boss today. Here's the link and it still looks like it works.

https://shop.mashable.com/sales/mic...-professional-plus-2021-for-windows&scsonar=1

 

[donheff]

I got 365 expressly to get what you don't like - 1T of cloud storage that automatically backs up my core documents and photos. I needed Excel anyway and would have to pay for it so I popped for the 365 to get the backup solution. IIRC, when I set up One Drive, there were options about what files would sync. If I wanted it to be a dumb drive, I would specify a single subdirectory of \Documents to sync. Add anything you want on the dumb drive to that directory or it's subdirectories,

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I googled and disabled it.

 

[JoeWras]

This is the answer.Plus a few other steps that are detailed in this link Copied below just because.

Select the white or blue OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area, at the far right of the taskbar.

OneDrive SyncClient with blue cloud and white cloud icons

Note: You might need to click the Show hidden icons arrow The Show hidden icons button. next to the notification area to see the OneDrive icon. If the icon doesn't appear in the notification area, OneDrive might not be running. Select Start, type OneDrive in the search box, and then select OneDrive in the search results.

Select More > Settings.

On the Settings tab, uncheck all the boxes under General.

On the Auto Save tab, set the Documents and Pictures lists to This PC only, and uncheck the other boxes.

On the Account tab, click Choose folders.

In the Sync your OneDrive files to this PC box, check and uncheck the box at Sync all files and folders in my OneDrive. (The first check selects all the boxes, then the uncheck clears them all.) Click OK to close the box and return to settings.

This step removes all OneDrive files from your computer, but leaves them on OneDrive.com.

Click OK to save your changes in the Settings box.

Open the Settings again. On the Account tab, click Unlink OneDrive. Close the Welcome to OneDrive box that appears.

Open File Explorer, right-click OneDrive, and then click Properties.

On the General tab, next to Attributes, check the Hidden box. This hides OneDrive from File Explorer.

One more time, select More and select Quit OneDrive. This removes the OneDrive icon from the Notifications area.

Yes. I did this. Turn it off. Unlink it!

I use onedrive as a back-up to my backup. I move files there manually.

I absolutely hate the behavior of making it the default for everything.

I use Office 365 and have no problems with onedrive unlinked and out of my life.

 

[BarbWire]

Thank you to all who replied to my cry of distress! After a few hours (and three uninstall/reinstall cycles of OneDrive) I was finally able -- fingers crossed -- to get OneDrive to behave as "dumb" cloud storage.


That said, I haven't shut down and restarted my computer so heaven only only knows what behavior it will follow when restarted!


Thanks again to everyone!

 

[Davidhelp]

OneDrive and backup programs

Office 365 and other versions of it spy on you as does Windows 10. The ads you see on Windows 10 start menu come from their looking at your files or have a microphone/camera hooked up so they listen in like Android and Amazon Alexa do.

You might have turned off the syncing BUT Microsoft can turn it back on at anytime, you know by "accident" so they get all your files.
Yahoo email always ask me if they can get my address book from my Thunderbird email and I decline yet when I compose a new email at Yahoo it will sometimes show me email addresses I never ever use there so.....

I uninstalled OneDrive on the home pc when I noticed my work files showing up in Recent when I opened Word..... Your personal files would end up backed up at the work OneDrive..... and only the company admin can delete. Not you.

The best backup program I have used. It will backup incrementally. You can set it to backup at anytime and it is very fast.

I have my desktop, email and web browser bookmarks backed up
It just copies and pastes the files to the folders you setup so nothing proprietary.

Bvckup 2 <- auto backups to different locations like another internal drive and a external drive and to any cloud storage you have. All 3 if you like at once or staggered times.
https://bvckup2.com

I use EaseUS Todo Backup Home to create a system image file I made with Windows and my software programs. https://www.easeus.com/backup-software/tb-home.html

If I need to I can run the image file and have everything back in about 40 minutes vs the nearly 14 hours I recently spent installing and then updating Windows then installing all my software.

It can also create a 2nd image file that will include all of your files and can also incrementally update your personal files.

 

[albireo13]

I don’t use Onedrive. I've had Dropbox for years.
It acts like another HD for me. No automatic anything.
I move stuff up there as I please.

 

[MC Rider]

Office 2010 still works fine for me. I don't need the cloud.

 

[ExPatKiwi]

Forget about MS Office use OpenOffice it’s open source and free. https://www.openoffice.org/

 

[catii]

This is a well-known problem. First, I recommend wandering over to www.askwoody.com & register for their free newsletter. There was a recent, very-detailed thread on making OneDrive cooperate.

My own method is to have OneDrive backup nothing, at all, & I use it to archive those subdirectories that I choose, by dragging-&-dropping them, manually. Takes a bit longer, but I get what I want.

 

[BarbWire]

This is a well-known problem. First, I recommend wandering over to www.askwoody.com & register for their free newsletter. There was a recent, very-detailed thread on making OneDrive cooperate.

My own method is to have OneDrive backup nothing, at all, & I use it to archive those subdirectories that I choose, by dragging-&-dropping them, manually. Takes a bit longer, but I get what I want.

Thanks foar the pointer to AskWoody.


Your use of OneDrive is exactly what I want, but -- darn it -- it once again turned on sync after Microsoft force-restarted my laptop.


All I want is to put files "in the cloud" from my laptop that I can then access from my iPad or iPhone when traveling ...

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Forget about MS Office use OpenOffice it’s open source and free. https://www.openoffice.org/

It doesn’t work with everything. I have a downloaded spreadsheet I use for calculating brewing water additions that open office chokes on. Libre Office is another free choice, though.