How do I quit 'One Drive' without loosing the files on my harddrive?

Brian Bowden 0 Reputation points
2026-11-10T22:11:22.4166667+00:00

Hey, I want to suspend and eventual delete my files on one drive. I plan to back up my files on a usb drive. I want to make sure that I do not delete the files on my harddrive in the process

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. EmilyS726 279.7K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-10T22:45:00.2233333+00:00

    Go to your Start menu and see if you already have the OneDrive app installed. If so, go ahead and run it, sign in. If you don't have it installed, you will need to download it, install it back and then set it up. You can download it from here: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/onedrive/download

    Once you have the OneDrive app up and running again, please follow these steps closely:

    1. Right click on the OneDrive cloud icon on the lower right on your taskbar to go to Settings.
    2. On the "Sync and Backup" tab, click on "Advanced Settings" to expand that section. Then under File On-Demand, click on "Download all files".
    3. Give it plenty of time to allow the files to be downloaded from the online cloud. On your computer's file explorer, you can observe the OneDrive folder and its folders/files inside. You want all of the green checkmark icon to turn solid green with a white checkmark. Depends on how many files you have, this process can take a while, so please be patient.
    4. Once all of the folders and files turn into the solid green icon with white checkmark, you can go back to OneDrive Settings. Very important - click on "Manage Backup" button, then turn off all folders listed there.
    5. After you turn off the folders sync in Step 4, now go to Account tab, click on "Unlink this PC"

    =========
    Once the above is done, you can now safely delete files in OneDrive via the web www.onedrive.com without deleting the local copies.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments

  2. AI answer

    2026-11-10T22:12:09.5633333+00:00

    Download every OneDrive file to the PC, copy and verify those files outside the OneDrive folder and on the USB drive, then unlink the PC before deleting anything online.

    1. Download all files to the hard drive

    1. Select the OneDrive cloud icon in the taskbar notification area.
    2. Select Help & Settings (gear) → Settings.
    3. Open Sync and backup → Advanced settings.
    4. Under Files On-Demand, select Download all files.
    5. Allow OneDrive to finish completely.

    In File Explorer, files with a blue cloud are online-only and are not safely stored on the hard drive. A solid green circle with a white check mark means the file is stored locally and available offline. “Download all files” applies that local setting to the entire OneDrive folder.^1^

    2. Make independent copies

    Before disconnecting OneDrive:

    1. Create a folder outside the OneDrive folder, such as C:\Local Files.
    2. Copy, rather than move, the files from the OneDrive folder into it.
    3. Copy that independent folder to the USB drive.
    4. Disconnect the computer from the internet temporarily and open several documents and photos from:
      • C:\Local Files
      • The USB drive
    5. Confirm that the expected folder and file counts are present.

    Do not use Free up space: that makes files online-only and removes their contents from the hard drive.

    After confirming both copies:

    1. Select the OneDrive cloud icon.
    2. Select Help & Settings → Settings.
    3. Open the Account tab.
    4. Select Unlink this PC → Unlink account.

    Unlinking stops synchronization. Files marked Available on this device remain in the computer’s OneDrive folder; online-only files remain accessible only on the web.^2^

    You can then optionally remove the application through Windows Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Microsoft OneDrive → Uninstall.^3^

    4. Delete the cloud copies only after unlinking

    After unlinking, sign in to OneDrive on the web and delete the unwanted cloud files. If deleting the entire OneDrive:

    1. Open My Files.
    2. Select the files and folders.
    3. Leave any content you still need unselected.
    4. Select Delete.
    5. Wait before emptying the OneDrive recycle bin, and recheck the PC and USB copies first.

    Emptying the OneDrive recycle bin makes the deletion permanent and unrecoverable. Shared files will also become unavailable to people with whom they were shared.^4^

    Important: Do not delete files from the OneDrive folder in File Explorer while synchronization is active. Deleting a synchronized file can delete it from OneDrive and other synchronized devices as well.^1^

    References

    1. Save disk space with OneDrive Files On-Demand for Windows | Microsoft Support
    2. How to remove an account in OneDrive | Microsoft Support
    3. How to cancel or stop sync in OneDrive | Microsoft Support
    4. Permanently delete your entire OneDrive | Microsoft Support
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.