How to Close and Disable OneDrive on Windows 11 Completely

Closing and disabling OneDrive on Windows 11 is a straightforward process.

You can start by clicking on the Start button and searching for "OneDrive."

To close OneDrive, right-click on the OneDrive icon in the system tray and select "Quit OneDrive."

This will close the OneDrive application, but it won't disable it.

To disable OneDrive, you need to stop the OneDrive service and set it to manual startup.

Open the Services window by searching for "Services" in the Start menu, then scroll down to the "OneDrive" service and click on it.

Disabling OneDrive can be a straightforward process, and I'll walk you through the options.

You can disable OneDrive to improve your computer's performance and reduce unwanted notifications. This can be achieved by stopping the program from running in the background while still keeping the software on your PC.

There are several methods to disable OneDrive, including using the Group Policy Editor. To do this, you'll need to press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box, then type "gpedit.msc" and hit Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.

In the Group Policy Editor, go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components, and then double-click on OneDrive. On the right-hand side, look for a setting that says, "Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage."

Alternatively, you can disable OneDrive from startup in Task Manager. To do this, click on the Startup tab, scroll through the list to find Microsoft OneDrive, right-click on it, and select Disable from the context menu.

If you simply want to stop OneDrive from launching automatically when you start your computer, disabling it from startup is a good option. This will stop OneDrive from starting automatically, but you can still use it manually whenever you need it.

Here are the steps to disable OneDrive from startup in a concise list:

If you're looking for alternative methods to close OneDrive on Windows 11, you can try using third-party software.

Auslogics BoostSpeed's Uninstall Manager is a handy tool that can help you get rid of OneDrive and its leftover files and registry entries.

To use Auslogics BoostSpeed's Uninstall Manager, download the app and follow the prompts to install it.

You may get administrator permission warnings while opening the app, so be sure to accept them and proceed.

Navigate to the bottom of the screen and find Multi Uninstall Manager, then click on it to see a list of installed applications on your PC.

You can find Microsoft OneDrive in the list and select it to uninstall, and the tool will do the rest.

Alternatively, you can click on Microsoft OneDrive to select it, then click the Uninstall button at the top of the list and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

If you're having trouble finding OneDrive in the list, you can scroll through or use the search bar to locate it.

Once you've found OneDrive, click on it to expand it, then click the Uninstall button and confirm any prompts to proceed with the uninstallation.

Here's a step-by-step guide to using Auslogics BoostSpeed's Uninstall Manager:

Uninstalling OneDrive can be a time-consuming process, especially if you're not careful about deleting leftover files and registry entries. It's a good idea to uninstall it to free up system resources and declutter your system.

Uninstalling OneDrive stops it from syncing your files, which can be a relief if you're tired of its services. You can manually uninstall it, but this method is prone to mistakes and can be tedious.

To avoid the hassle, you can consider uninstalling OneDrive to free up some system resources and declutter your system.

To disable OneDrive using the Registry Editor, start by pressing the Windows and R keys to open the Run dialog box. Type “Regedit” and press Enter, then click Yes if prompted by User Account Control.

In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows. Rename it to OneDrive.

To complete the process, right-click on the new OneDrive key and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, naming it DisableFileSyncNGSC. Double-click on DisableFileSyncNGSC and set its value to 1, then click OK to save the changes.

Restart your computer to apply the changes, and OneDrive should no longer appear in File Explorer or run in the background.

You can remove OneDrive from Windows 10/11 to free up system resources and declutter your system.

Uninstalling OneDrive will stop it from syncing your files, so make sure you don't need its cloud storage services anymore.

Removing OneDrive manually can be a time-consuming task, and there's a risk of accidentally deleting something important.

A manual hunt-and-delete mission for leftover files and registry entries is not recommended, as it's a huge risk if you're not careful.

You can close OneDrive down to stop it from performing any activities while your machine remains on, but you can easily turn it back on again by starting up the app or rebooting your system.

To turn off OneDrive, select the OneDrive cloud icon in the bottom-right of your screen and choose the Settings menu. From there, select Pause syncing > Quit OneDrive, and confirm by selecting Close OneDrive.

Disabling OneDrive on Windows 10 and 11 will stop the program from running in the background and using system resources while still keeping the software on your PC.

You can disable OneDrive using the Group Policy Editor by pressing Windows + R, typing “gpedit.msc” and hitting Enter, and then navigating to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OneDrive. From there, enable the policy to prevent OneDrive usage.

Alternatively, you can disable OneDrive from startup by opening Task Manager, clicking on the Startup tab, and disabling Microsoft OneDrive from the context menu.

Another method to disable OneDrive is to use the Registry Editor, but be cautious as this method is riskier. To do so, press Windows and R, type “Regedit” and press Enter, and navigate to the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows. Rename the OneDrive key, create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it DisableFileSyncNGSC, then set its value to 1.

Here are the steps to disable OneDrive: