Stop Word from Saving to OneDrive and Manage Syncing Folders

You can stop Word from saving to OneDrive by going to the File menu and selecting Options, then clicking on Save and then changing the default save location.

To manage syncing folders, you can go to the OneDrive settings and select the folders you want to sync.

OneDrive syncs files in the background, which can be convenient but also uses up system resources. This is especially true if you have a lot of files or a slow internet connection.

To check which folders are syncing, you can look in the OneDrive folder on your computer and see which ones have a sync icon next to them.

You can stop syncing to OneDrive for specific folders by adjusting the sync settings. Right-click the OneDrive icon in the system tray and select "Settings". Under the "Account" tab, click on "Choose folders" and uncheck the box of folders that you don't want to sync.

Files in those folders will not be uploaded into OneDrive. You can also stop syncing everything by checking and unchecking "Make all files available". The folders you have unchecked will be hidden in File Explorer and won't be available on the PC. Any items in the folders will be deleted from the machine.

To stop OneDrive from syncing desktop files, click on the OneDrive icon and choose "Help & Settings" > "Settings". Under the "Account" tab, click on "Choose folders" and uncheck the box of the desktop folder.

Stopping Desktop Sync is a straightforward process. You can manage the OneDrive backup folders to stop syncing the Desktop folder.

To do this, go to the OneDrive icon, click the gear icon, and then choose Settings to open the Microsoft OneDrive window.

Under the Backup tab, click Manage backup.

From here, you can uncheck the Desktop folder to stop OneDrive from syncing it.

To stop syncing to OneDrive for certain folders, you have to adjust the sync settings. You can do this by right-clicking the OneDrive icon in the system tray. This will open a menu with options to adjust your sync settings.

Files in the folders you choose to sync will be uploaded into OneDrive, while files in folders you don't sync will remain on your PC. Unchecking the box of folders you don't want to sync will hide them in File Explorer.

You can choose to sync only specific folders by unchecking the box of folders you don't want to sync. Alternatively, you can stop OneDrive from syncing everything by checking and unchecking Make all files available.

Files in the folders you have unchecked will be deleted from the machine. This means you'll need to make sure you have a backup of any important files before making this change.

To stop OneDrive from syncing certain folders, you need to manage your backup folders. Go to the OneDrive icon, click the gear icon, and then choose Settings to open the Microsoft OneDrive window.

Under the Backup tab, click Manage backup. This is where you can control which folders OneDrive syncs.

Uncheck the folder that you don’t want OneDrive to sync. To stop OneDrive from syncing your Desktop, simply uncheck the Desktop folder.

You can also adjust settings for automatically saving photos and videos to OneDrive. Uncheck the boxes for Automatically save photos and videos to OneDrive whenever I connect a camera, phone or other device to my PC and Automatically save screenshots I capture to OneDrive.

Default Saving Locations are often set to OneDrive by default, especially when you initially set up OneDrive and choose to backup your Documents, Pictures, and Desktop folders. This can lead to all your documents automatically saving to OneDrive.

One of the reasons for this is that during Windows 10 or 11 setup, you might have opted to save files on the OneDrive cloud system, which can encourage file storage via OneDrive. This option can be tempting, but it's essential to be aware of the implications.

The OneDrive sync settings can also cause files to be automatically uploaded to OneDrive when the sync is on. This feature is designed to keep your files available online and from anywhere else, but it can also lead to unwanted documents saving to OneDrive.

Microsoft Office AutoSave is another culprit, as it saves your work directly into OneDrive. This can be convenient for automatic saving, but it might also mean that all your documents are kept in the cloud without your knowledge.

Group Policy settings can also enforce default save locations to OneDrive in an enterprise setting, aiming to ensure that files can be recovered if hardware fails. However, this can be a problem if you're not aware of it.

OneDrive Folder Protection is a feature that automatically backs up your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders to the cloud, which can cause files to be saved to OneDrive by default.

Accidental selection during installation can also cause documents created in new software to be saved to OneDrive automatically. This can be a frustrating issue to deal with.

Here are the possible reasons for default saving locations to OneDrive:

You can stop your documents from automatically saving to OneDrive by disabling the default save location settings. OneDrive is specified to save place for all your records as default, so it's likely that you've set it up to backup your Documents folder, Pictures folder, and Desktop folder.

To change the default save location, go to the Settings app and click on "Save" under the "File" menu. Select the location where you want to save your files, such as "My Documents" or "Desktop." This will override the default save location set by OneDrive.

Alternatively, you can disable the OneDrive sync settings for specific folders. Right-click the OneDrive icon in the system tray and select "Settings." Then, click on the "Sync" tab and deselect the folders that you don't want to sync with OneDrive.

Here are some additional ways to prevent saving to OneDrive:

You can also use Group Policy settings to prevent OneDrive from syncing files. In an enterprise setting, IT administrators can enforce Group Policy settings directing all user files onto OneDrive. However, you can also use Group Policy settings to prevent OneDrive from syncing files by creating a user GPO with the following registry key set:

Hive: HKEY_Current_User

Key path: Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Internet

Value Name: OnlineStorage

Value Type: Reg_DWORD

Value: 3

This will prevent OneDrive from syncing files by default.

To save power, you can enable the battery mode on your PC. This will automatically stop the sync process in OneDrive.

Enabling battery mode can also trigger automatically when your battery level falls below 20%. I've noticed this feature works well on Windows 11, where you can find it in System > Power & Battery.

On Windows 10, the battery saver section is located in the same area, but it's labeled as Battery. Turn this feature on to stop OneDrive from syncing.

If you're running a Mac, you can find the low power mode option in System Preferences, under the Battery icon. Check the box next to Power Adapter to enable it.