Microsoft OneDrive files

Peggy Montgomery 0 Reputation points
2026-10-07T19:35:33.9866667+00:00

I uninstalled Microsoft OneDrive from my computer a while ago. There is still a OneDrive files on my computer. It will not let me delete these files. When I right click on the files, and click on delete, It says "The cloud file provider is not running. [Error 0x8007016A]. I do not want to use OneDrive which is why I uninstalled it. Why are these files still there, and how can I delete them?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows
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Answer accepted by question author
Craig Long 18,665 Reputation points
2026-10-07T19:53:13.98+00:00

OneDrive is built into Windows. Either let OneDrive run and avoid using it, or turn off folder backup. Please do not delete any files on your computer unless you intend to get rid of them.

I suggest you turn off folder backup in the Manage Backup settings and then choose where you want to keep your files.

See how to turn off folder backup here: Back up your folders with OneDrive

By default, OneDrive backs up the Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos folders. If you want, you can keep these folders syncing to OneDrive but avoid OneDrive backup by not placing files in these folders.

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  1. Peggy Montgomery 0 Reputation points
    2026-10-07T19:56:15.8+00:00

    Fabulous! Reinstalling worked. Thank you!

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-07T19:35:50.4166667+00:00

    This happens because Windows can still treat those old OneDrive items as cloud-managed placeholders even after OneDrive was uninstalled. The files remain visible locally, but the OneDrive cloud file provider is no longer running, so File Explorer cannot delete them normally.

    Try these steps in order:

    1. Reinstall OneDrive, then unlink the PC
      • Reinstall OneDrive.
      • Open the OneDrive cloud icon in the taskbar and go to Settings > Accounts > Unlink this PC.
      • This removes the sync relationship cleanly.
      • Microsoft states that uninstalling or unlinking OneDrive does not delete files or data from the account.
    2. Delete the local OneDrive folder
      • Open File Explorer.
      • Right-click the local OneDrive folder and select Delete.
      • If the files are still needed only on the PC and not in OneDrive, move them outside the OneDrive folder structure first. Content moved outside the OneDrive folder is kept only on the PC.
    3. Uninstall OneDrive again if it is no longer wanted
      • Go to Settings > Apps > OneDrive > Uninstall.
    4. If OneDrive still will not uninstall cleanly
      • Press Windows key + R.
      • Type appwiz.cpl and select OK.
      • Find Microsoft OneDrive and uninstall it.
    5. If uninstall still fails, remove the leftover OneDrive registry key
      • Warning: editing the registry is risky. Back up the registry first.
      • Press Windows key + R.
      • Type regedit and select OK.
      • Go to: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\OneDrive
      • Right-click the OneDrive folder and select Delete.

    If the problem is specifically with old synced placeholder files that still cannot be removed, another supported fix for invalid OneDrive reparse points is to run chkdsk:

    1. Repair invalid reparse points
      • Warning: chkdsk can take several hours on large drives.
      • Select Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
      • Run: chkdsk <volume> /R /F
      • If prompted to schedule it for the next restart, enter Y and restart the computer.

    If the goal is to remove everything related to OneDrive from the PC, the clean sequence is: reinstall OneDrive, unlink the PC, delete the local OneDrive folder, then uninstall OneDrive.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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