How to turn off OneDrive folder backup in Windows 11 (2024)

Windows 11 comes with OneDrive installed by default, which allows you to access your cloud files easily within File Explorer. In addition to that, the OneDrive client allows you to back up select folders from your PC to OneDrive automatically.

While that sounds like a good thing, this feature is enabled by default and there's no longer an option to turn it off during the setup process, so you have to do it manually later if you don't want it enabled. Here's how to disable OneDrive folder backups on Windows 11.

Why disable OneDrive folder backups?

Backing up your important files doesn't sound like a bad thing, but OneDrive also automatically restores your files from the cloud on your computer so you can access them more easily. The problem is those files include icons on the desktop, which means that when you buy a new laptop and sign into your account, the desktop may look something like this:

Yes, that's a bunch of links that aren't leading to anything, because while the icons were backed up, the apps they were linking to aren't. Plus, if you have multiple computers or you reset your computer, these backed-up files stack up, with each one adding -Copy at the end of the file name. It's a mess.

Plus, with OneDrive having limited storage space, it doesn't always make sense for all your files to be automatically backed up to the cloud. It can eat up your storage with files you don't really need.

Disable folder backups in OneDrive

If you want to avoid all this mess and save your cloud space, here's how to disable folder backups in OneDrive:

1. Click the OneDrive icon on the taskbar

2. Click the cog wheel icon at the top of the OneDrive panel and then choose Settings.

3. Choose the Sync and backup tab on the left side. If you have an older version of the OneDrive app, you'll need to switch to the Backup tab at the top and then click Manage backup.

4. Under each of the folders (Desktop, Pictures, and Documents), click Stop backup. If you have the new version of OneDrive, click the toggles next to each folder to set them to Off.

5. You may need to click Stop backup again to confirm your choice.

6. Close the window.

When you stop backing up your folders, any backed up files in them will disappear from the respective local folder. Instead, you can find them in the Desktop, Pictures, and Documents folders in your OneDrive storage. You can copy or move them back to the respective local folders if you need them. However, you don't need to, as these files remain available offline, even if they're in OneDrive.

Avoid desktop clutter and save space in the cloud

To avoid having to copy or move files around, I generally disable this feature as soon as I turn on my PC for the first time, so all the duplicate desktop icons are gone right away before I create any local files. If you've been using your computer for a while and are only disabling the feature now, you'll have to fetch some of your files back from the respective OneDrive folder.