Point OneDrive to existing folders

Question

Point OneDrive to existing folders

Brian 60

I had OD on my desktop, removed it because I thought it might be the cause of computer freezes, & now I do not think it was the culprit, so I reinstalled it. I let it choose the default folder, e.g., C:\drive location and hit 'go'. However, all the files in my E:\ drive were not completely included. Argh!

All I want to do is have the folders & files on my E:\drive & one file on my C:\ drive be saved to OD yet always exist on the computer.

Please do not send me links because I have been through all that & what I am trying to do is not explicit in any OD links. This should be a lot easier! :-(

Thank you.

5 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Craig Long 17,705

I assume you want to delete the OneDrive folder. Before you delete the OneDrive folder, make sure you have turned off the backup of all your folders in the Manage Backup settings and have moved your OneDrive files back to their default locations. But if you have uninstalled OneDrive, you won't be able to use the Manage Backup settings. In that case, you will need to make some adjustments to the Windows registry. You can post another question in the Windows category of this forum to get someone to help with the registry.

See this video regarding folder backup: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/back-up-your-folders-with-onedrive-d61a7930-a6fb-4b95-b28a-6552e77c3057

Brian 60 Reputation points

2025-12-07T14:46:23.9533333+00:00

Craig,

Thank you for your response. I reinstalled OD & was able to delete the OD folder that was on the E:\ drive. So, now OD is in the default location, e.g., C:\ drive users yet it appears it is also duplicated under 'Desktop'. Why all the duplicate folders?

Since what I want to back up is on the E:\ drive & it is not labeled 'document' it looks like I use the OD settings & under account 'Choose folders' instead of using 'Manage Backup'. Is that correct?

I still do not understand why everything us under the Desktop umbrella for which I have 1) a MyName-Personal folder that will contain all the files I want, 2) a MyName folder that contains everything in the 1st folder and more, & 3) the OD is under the Local Disk (C:) folder under users & MyName. See attached screenshot with MyName blacked out in the 2 places. 2025 1207 Folders screenshot.png

What am I doing wrong! Thank you.
Craig Long 17,705 Reputation points

2025-12-07T18:30:55.19+00:00

Choose Folders has to do with selecting those folders you want to back up from onedrive.com to your computer. Folders you uncheck will be removed from your computer and become online-only.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2025-12-07T18:40:46.3566667+00:00

Oh merde! ;-)
Craig Long 17,705 Reputation points

2025-12-07T19:11:20.67+00:00

Do not put OneDrive in your Desktop folder. If OneDrive is on your C: drive, the location should be C:\Users\username\OneDrive.
Craig Long 17,705 Reputation points

2025-12-07T19:15:26.1133333+00:00

OneDrive can be moved to another drive. If you move OneDrive to your E: drive, the location can be easily placed at E:\OneDrive.

Change the location of your OneDrive folder - Microsoft Support
Brian 60 Reputation points

2025-12-07T20:46:56.4933333+00:00

Craig,

Thank you for your response. I let OD chose the default folder that was the C:\ drive users one yet everything is under the 'Desktop' umbrella folder. I sent you a screen shot of the folders & I have no idea why it does what it does! :-(
Craig Long 17,705 Reputation points

2025-12-08T06:12:32.55+00:00

You can post a screenshot in these comments, but don't post anything private.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2025-12-08T12:21:50.59+00:00

Craig, I posted the screen shot 12.07.25 at 0946. Here it is again, redacted personal info. 2025 1207 Folders screenshot.png

Thank you.
Craig Long 17,705 Reputation points

2025-12-08T18:58:56.65+00:00

You must unlink your OneDrive folder in the OneDrive settings at the Account tab > Unlink This PC. Then move the OneDrive folder to C:\Users\username\OneDrive and then relink your OneDrive. You need to have OneDrive installed to access the settings.
If OneDrive is not installed, you can move the OneDrive folder if it's just an ordinary manila (yellow) folder.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2025-12-09T18:14:53.6766667+00:00

Craig,

Thank you for your response. I unlinked it & deleted the OD folders & I am going to uninstall it. I do not like/trust the way it operates with no flexibility for the user that can be had with an external drive, which I have. I just like redundancy! ;-)
Craig Long 17,705 Reputation points

2026-02-13T01:37:01.28+00:00

Free OneDrive only provides 5GB of storage, so I hope you have a Microsoft 365 subscription.

See the Microsoft 365 products here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/onedrive/onedrive-plans-and-pricing

Answer 2

EmilyS726 213K Independent Advisor

Hey Brian,

By design, OneDrive can only backup shell folders (Documents, Desktop, Music, etc) in your C:\users\username folder. There's no native settings to have it back up location outside of C drive. However, there's a very easy workaround by using symbolic link and it can work quite well.

Let's say you have a bunch of folders in E drive you want to back up. I would suggest that you create a new folder, for example, call it "EDriveData". Then put all of the folders and files you want to back up into that folder.

Then, Please type cmd in the search on the taskbar. Don't press enter key yet. Instead, choose "run as administrator" to launch Command Prompt.

Run this command:

mklink /d "C:\Users\YourName\OneDrive\EDriveData" "E:\EDriveData"

Please replace "YourName" with the actual username folder in your case. If you are not sure what you should put in there, right click on your current OneDrive folder, choose "copy as path", then paste it in a comment to me and I can rewrite the command to match your exact case.

Brian 60 Reputation points

2025-12-07T18:43:06.19+00:00

EmilyS726,

Thank you for your response. I will take a look at that. It sure would be a whole lot easier if MS would just allow more flexibility with OD! :-(
EmilyS726 213K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-12-07T22:08:12.2166667+00:00

I hear ya.. Hope it works out the way you like, keep me posted if you need anything else.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-01-31T18:07:23.3833333+00:00

EmilyS726,

I apologize for the lateness of my reply as it has been hectic since my last post. :-( Question: Do I have to have a folder containing what I want backed up on my E:\ drive or can I just point the symbolic link to the E:\ drive, e.g.,

mklink /d "C:\Users\YourName\OneDrive" "E:"

And why the symbolic link and not a hard link?

Thank you,
EmilyS_726 14,860 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-01-31T18:20:39.9433333+00:00

No worries.

To set it up for the whole E drive, the command is correct syntactically, but it is bad practice to do that and I would recommend against. To put them in a folder is to give you more control of what to sync and what not to sync.

As for hard link, it won't work for directories but files only. Symbolic link works for directories and across drives.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-01-31T19:04:58.05+00:00

EmilyS_726,

Thank you. Okay yet what happens to the files on the C:\ drive? Is it okay to delete them? Also, those same files are under the global 'Desktop' folder! Yikes! Why does MS make it so difficult to manage folders & files? Or is it me? :-(
EmilyS_726 14,860 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-01-31T20:09:31.5933333+00:00

I am not sure if I follow entirely about the C drive. Does your OneDrive folder currently live in C:\users\yourusername\OneDrive?

What are the files you refer to exactly that are in C: drive? You said same files are under Desktop folder, same files with what? Since we are talking about deletion, I want to be sure.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-04T15:03:59.21+00:00

Emilys_726,

I did not get a message that your replied. good thing I looked today!

As shown in the attached, everything is under the top Desktop and under that Brian-Personal is the OneDrive. However, under the Brian folder there are 2 'document' folders in which I will also see OneDrive folders/files. Then there is a separate OneDrive folder under the Brian folder. AND a separate OneDrive folder under the C:\drive. So, I have OneDrive & 'document' folders all over the place. This is how the directories were setup when I purchased the desktop, except for the OneDrive stuff. :-(
EmilyS_726 14,860 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-04T17:15:25.9033333+00:00

So, the "Desktop" label on the very upper left is not the same as the actual "Desktop" folder. I found this honestly frustrating too as it is such poor naming/labeling and it causes so much confusion. The top Desktop really just means "This computer", it does NOT mean the actual desktop folder. So, there's no concern there.

As for the two documents folders, please right click on them, one at a time, choose copy as path, then paste the two paths so I can review.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-05T15:33:36.8066667+00:00

Wow, you are the first person to tell me that about the top 'Desktop' folder. Silly engineers.

The 2 ‘Documents’ folders show the following and underneath the path is another path - E:\OndeDrive\Documents\Financial, which was a folder before I put everything under EdriveData, like this

C:\Users\Brian\OneDrive\Documents

E:\OndeDrive\Documents\Financial

The ‘Documents folder under the folder with just my name, shown in the middle column screen shot above, also shows C:\Users\Brian\OneDrive\Documents with E:\OndeDrive\Documents\Financial underneath it.

It’s like all those folders are duplicates of that which is under the Local Disk (C:)>Users>Me, etc. Because I have uninstalled OD & reinstalled it a few times, I wonder if that is how they got created!

All I want to be able to put the EdriveData on OD along with my Outlook pst file.
EmilyS_726 14,860 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-05T17:26:51.54+00:00

Yikes.. that's quite a mess. Did you use Craig's suggestion above days ago and installed/moved OneDrive install to your E drive at one point, and then reinstalled it back to C drive? I think that's what created all these paths.

Has the symbolic link been established? Or that hasn't been done yet? Just want to get a clear understand where things are right now.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-05T21:22:02.5233333+00:00

EmilyS_726,

To be honest, I am not sure. A lot has happened since then! :-(

No link has been established yet. I just want to be able to clean up this mess I created & get OD working properly w/o all the duplication.

Thank you so much for assisting me!
EmilyS_726 14,860 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-05T22:09:12.1166667+00:00

No worries.

Let's check to see where your OneDrive folder is now.

Go to OneDrive settings > Accounts > Choose folders. In the pop up, at the bottom, can you grab the OneDrive folder path and share please?
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-05T22:36:32.19+00:00

So, 1st I get this. Then the wheel keeps on turning maybe because it states 0 KB used on this PC. Argh!!! ;-)

I went back in & now it states 69 MB on this PC. The folder path is as follows:

Location on your PC: C:\Users\Brian\OneDrive.

I sure hope this helps!
EmilyS_726 14,860 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-07T16:57:06.44+00:00

So your OneDrive app is technically not running?

I almost think it might be worth reinstalling OneDrive at this point. I am not going to lie, it is quite a challenge to understand what led to this current state.

To make sure we can rebuild everything correctly, tell me your end goal:

what are some important things you want to make happen?
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-07T17:51:49.9733333+00:00

EmilyS_726,

Thank you for your assistance & patience.

Did you see this: When I went back to look for the path it stated 69 MB on this PC. The folder path is as follows: Location on your PC: C:\Users\Brian\OneDrive? So, I have no idea if it is running or not!

My end goal is to 1) remove any duplicate folders/files associated with OD & 2) Backup my EDrive Data folder and my C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Outlook Files.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-12T20:02:25.5866667+00:00

EmilyS_726,

Have you given up on me? :-(
EmilyS_726 14,860 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-12T20:42:38.4766667+00:00

Sorry Brian. didn't give up, rather, I don't think I got the email alert for the comment you made on the 7th. Very sorry. I rely solely on email notification as I don't go through every thread I touched to find new replies. looks like the email notification is not 100% reliable. I am glad you nudged me.

The 69MB tidbit didn't bother me as if OnDemand is turned on for OneDrive, it can take very little space on the local computer.

The path you shared for your oneDrive is actually good and helpful, at least I can confirm where OneDrive is currently installed on.

You said - The ‘Documents folder under the folder with just my name, shown in the middle column screen shot above, also shows C:\Users\Brian\OneDrive\Documents with E:\OndeDrive\Documents\Financial underneath it.

Can you grab a screenshot of this? In this screenshot, I want to be able to see specifically the E drive path listed under the C drive path. Thanks!
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-13T00:01:34.8933333+00:00

EmilyS_726,

No bother as I have had the same issue. Here is the screen shot again. From left to right is what is shown vertically in File explorer, e.g., the 2nd column is right under 'RealPlayer Downloads' and the 3rd column is the expanded detail for the 'Local Disk (C:). Below the 1st screen shot is the reconfigured E:\ drive w/the folder EDriveData that I want OD to backup. So, you can see the E drive path listed under the C drive path in the 2nd column. Does this help? Thank you.
EmilyS_726 14,860 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-13T00:32:35.9466667+00:00
Ok, so I see that your second column, the Brian folder is basically the exact same as the Brian folder in third column under Users folder. This is not duplicate folders, but just duplicate presentation, which can be turned off by going to File Explorer > Three dots > Options > View tab. Turn off the option "Show all folders".

Your OneDrive looks fine, there's no issue there. The yellow folder Documents is a standard OneDrive folder, it comes with every OneDrive account, just like the Attachment folder, they cannot be deleted. The gray-ish Documents folder is the Windows user shell folder, meaning your OneDrive is backing it up at the moment, or it was backed up at one point.

===========

now let's talk about your other goals:

Backup your E drive Data folder .
My original suggestion still applies. create a folder called EDriveData in E:, then put files and folders you want to back up to OneDrive into E:\EDriveData.

Then in C:\users\YourName\OneDrive folder, create a folder also called EDriveData.

Then, Please type cmd in the search on the taskbar. Don't press enter key yet. Instead, choose "run as administrator" to launch Command Prompt.

Run this command:

mklink /d "C:\Users\Brian\OneDrive\EDriveData" "E:\EDriveData"

This will allow OneDrive to backup everything that lives in E:\EDriveData.

**Backing up ****C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Outlook Files.

**You cannot just backup one folder, or selective files in C:\Users\Brian\Documents\ to OneDrive. It is either the entire folder, or none. You can instead, move the OUtlook Files to C:\Users\Brian\OneDrive\Documents instead, but by doing so, you need to make sure you update your Outlook's user profile file. Are you using Outlook Classic?
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-13T14:31:08+00:00

EmilyS_726,

Thank you. I will take a look at this & get back to you!

Outlook Classic.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-13T15:11:06.6266667+00:00
EmilyS_726,

Okay 2 things:

The only folder/file in C:\Users\Brian\Documents\ is the Outlook Files. So, would I need to do anything now or would OD just back it up?

Under the C:\users\YourName\OneDrive folder is the following, which has a grey Documents folder. Should I delete this and add an EDriveData folder to the C:\users\YourName\OneDrive folder.

Thank you.
EmilyS_726 14,860 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-13T17:22:58.3833333+00:00

I am going to answer item 2 first. Do not delete anything. And the E drive data should be handled using the instruction I laid out in my reply from earlier. Don't move anything from E drive here, it is more about a symbolic link you create.

As for item 1, I see that you also have Outlook Files under the gray Documents folder, can you see if they are the same as the Outlook files that live in C:\users\brian\Documents
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-14T12:57:07.8533333+00:00
EmilyS_726,

Thak you again for hanging in there with me.

You mean the instructions you gave me on 02.12.26?

The Outlook file in C:\users\brian\Documents is just the current Outlook .pst file of my main email address, whereas the Outlook Files under the gray Documents folder are a combination of 'Newer', i.e., all 4 of my individual email addresses .pst files & my backup files in 'OLD'.
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EmilyS_726 14,860 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-14T16:00:31.6433333+00:00

Thanks.

Item 1 - yes, my instruction from Feb 12.

Item 2 - You want to move the .pst from yellow documents folder to gray documents folder. And use this instruction to move it. https://www.slipstick.com/outlook/config/to-move-an-outlook-personal-folders-pst-file/

Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-14T17:44:43.4566667+00:00

EmilyS_726,

I ran mklink /d "C:\Users\Brian\OneDrive\EDriveData" "E:\EDriveData" and go this: "Cannot create a file when that file already exists." Does that command create the folder because your instructions were to create the folder first & then run the command? Aye yi yi ;-)
EmilyS_726 14,860 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-14T17:56:21.9566667+00:00

ah yes, if you don't have anything in C:\Users\Brian\OneDrive\EDriveData, delete this folder for now, then run the command.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-14T18:04:30.7866667+00:00

EmilyS_726,

Before I do that, you are going to love this! ;-) When I try to access a folder from the Brian - Personal folder shown below, a popup states, "Can't open this file. Make sure OneDrive - Personal is running on your PC, then try again." and I can see that the folders are not syncing with the folders on my laptop. In programs, I only have Microsoft OneDrive so I do not know about OneDrive - Personal. And when I look at what I have for OD in the task bar, I get what is further below. I checked & OD is supposed to be syncing.

And when I look at my E:\EDriveData folder, I do not get the option to "Keep Always on this Device" Maybe I should just start all over. How would I do that?

Thank you.
EmilyS_726 14,860 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-14T19:10:50.9233333+00:00

Yes, you can run the OneDrive app in your screenshot. The very top one.

Then try to delete the EDataDriver folder in C:\users\brian\OneDrive.

You will not find E:\EDataDrive right click keep files on drive option because it hasn't been set up yet to link to OneDrive.. not sure why you asked this?? I hope I didn't include that from anywhere in my instruction.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-14T19:34:27.9366667+00:00

EmilyS_726,

I was able to delete the EDataDrive folder in C:\users\brian\OneDrive.

As for this: "You will not find E:\EDataDrive right click keep files on drive option because it hasn't been set up yet to link to OneDrive.. not sure why you asked this?? I hope I didn't include that from anywhere in my instruction." I am just confused. If not setup how come I have all the folders/files under the OneDrive - Personal folder and am able to right click to keep files on drive? Well, not all because I created a "OneDrive docs" folder just to keep my info there and it is not under the OneDrive - Personal folder. So, where so these reside on the computer?

Should I just start over?
EmilyS_726 14,860 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-14T19:50:44.72+00:00

Anything under the OneDrive folder will have the right click > keep files option. Anything outside of the OneDrive folder will not have that option.

If you want to start over, i would recommend backing up all your files to E drive first.

Otherwise, you can continue running the command to build symbolic link to your EDriveData on E drive.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-17T15:22:41.65+00:00

EmilyS_726,

I am not sure why I am not getting notice that you responded.

Now I understand the keep files concept, I hope! And just to be clear, I would do that in the C:\users\brian\OneDrive folder?

I'm confused again! Everything on my E:/ drive is current so why would I have to back that up if I am only deleting the OD files?

When you respond I think I will be ready to run the command! [fingers crossed]
EmilyS_726 14,860 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-18T02:07:07.9666667+00:00

I am afraid you confused me.. i thought all along you wanted to include E drive data in your OneDrive, that seems to be what I understood from your original post.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-18T13:09:32.68+00:00

EmilyS_726,

Welcome to my world! ;-) I do want to include E drive data in OD. I was just trying to say that if I was starting over why would I have to backup my E drive because that is all on my computer. Just in case? I check "Always keep on this device" to keep everything on my computer.

And just to be clear, I would keep files option in the C:\users\brian\OneDrive folder? Because the Brian - Personal OD folder is just a dupe or whatever?

I hope this helps. I apologize for the confusion.
EmilyS_726 14,860 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-18T19:32:06.3366667+00:00

I see. No worries.

You can restart over.. but I don't see the need to do so. I think it is ok to just run what we discussed on the 12th.
Craig Long 17,705 Reputation points

2026-02-18T21:46:53.77+00:00

I couldn't help following. Quoting:

I was just trying to say that if I was starting over why would I have to backup my E drive because that is all on my computer.

How are your files going to sync to the cloud? If you want to use OneDrive to back up your E drive, you must have a copy of those files in the cloud. You cannot have OneDrive files that are not in the cloud. You can have files on your computer that are not in OneDrive, but they won't be backed up to OneDrive.

Or do you want to upload files from your E drive directly to the cloud?
Craig Long 17,705 Reputation points

2026-02-18T22:00:06.99+00:00

"Always keep on this device" is a OneDrive file designation. A file with this solid green icon with a check mark is always in the cloud since it's a OneDrive file, but there is also a synced copy on my device, unlike a file with a cloud icon that is only in the cloud.
Craig Long 17,705 Reputation points

2026-02-18T22:07:10.3966667+00:00

I have no experience with symbolic links, so I can't help with that.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-02-18T23:30:56.82+00:00

Craig Long,

Thank you for your assistance & patience. With your guidance and that of EmilyS_726, I will use that to try and make my life easier with OD! ;-)

Answer 3

Craig Long 17,705

If you don't want the standard folders—Desktop, Documents, Pictures—backing up to OneDrive, go to the OneDrive cloud icon on the taskbar > OneDrive settings > Sync and Backup tab > Manage Backup and turn off the syncing of your standard folders. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/back-up-your-folders-with-onedrive-d61a7930-a6fb-4b95-b28a-6552e77c3057

OneDrive can only be in one location, but you can move it:

Change the location of your OneDrive folder - Microsoft Support

Brian 60 Reputation points

2025-12-06T13:34:19.9033333+00:00

Craig,

Thank you for your response. I did all that yet want to be able to choose my drive, folders, & files.

How do I completely remove OD & ALL its files? I uninstalled the app, I unsynced it from the computer yet there is still a remnant folder & file for which sometimes it states I need admin permission & sometimes it states it is being used.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-03-10T18:59:38.46+00:00

Craig,

Sorry to bug you again! I do not have a blue or white OneDrive icon in the taskbar or notification area. So how do I access OneDrive settings. In File Explorer I see a OneDrive Personal folder & under C:\Users\Brian there is a OneDrive folder yet no settings! :-( Why so many folders of the same thing!
Craig Long 17,705 Reputation points

2026-03-10T19:17:51.5966667+00:00

Right-click OneDrive Personal in the File Explorer Navigation Pane, go to "Show more options." Then click ⚙️Settings. If you don't see ⚙️Settings, then maybe OneDrive is not running. If that is the case, go to Windows Start and type 'OneDrive' in the search bar. Look for this icon shown below and select it to start OneDrive.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-03-10T20:39:43.22+00:00

Craig,

I did this - Right-click OneDrive Personal in the File Explorer Navigation Pane, go to "Show more options." Then click ⚙️Settings. No settings!

I did this - Windows Start and type 'OneDrive' in the search bar. Look for this icon shown below and select it to start OneDrive. **It brought me to **OneDrive Personal.

It appears OD is running, yet maybe not because files are not being updated! What am I doing wrong?
Craig Long 17,705 Reputation points

2026-03-10T20:44:23.65+00:00

If you are running OneDrive, you can get to the settings this way, as shown in this video, but click on the white cloud icon for OneDrive Personal. The settings are at the ⚙️ icon.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/sync-files-with-onedrive-in-windows-615391c4-2bd3-4aae-a42a-858262e42a49
Craig Long 17,705 Reputation points

2026-03-10T20:52:49.3366667+00:00

If you can't get OneDrive running, you probably have Windows file corruption.

Try using the DISM Command Prompt Tool to Repair Windows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ka-FIiZK2k
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-03-10T21:32:13.15+00:00

Craig,

I ran DISM in December for what may have been another issue. Right now, I just want to remove OD and everything with it so that I may start over. Howe may I accomplish that?

Thank you,
Craig Long 17,705 Reputation points

2026-03-10T23:29:04.3166667+00:00

Frankly speaking, getting rid of OneDrive is a losing battle. When Windows updates itself, OneDrive is simply installed once again.

If you want to reinstall OneDrive, I suggest using an uninstaller such as Revo Uninstaller Free to completely remove those leftover files. Then you can reinstall OneDrive from here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/download-onedrive-579d71c9-fbdd-4d6a-80ba-d0fac3920aac

If you don't want to use OneDrive, I suggest avoiding the Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos folders, except for a small amount of data you don't mind storing online. This is my favorite video to give to those who hate OneDrive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yXgyrsqraE

If you want to use OneDrive, you should pay for at least 100GB of storage since the free OneDrive provides only 5GB.

If you want to use symbolic links, please ask EmilyS726.
Brian 60 Reputation points

2026-03-11T16:12:21.1566667+00:00

Craig,

Thank you. Very good video along with a few of his others. I actually followed Chris Waite's video to disable OD. Have you seen this one? What are your thoughts? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psWoEdOSqBA
Craig Long 17,705 Reputation points

2026-03-11T17:14:49.58+00:00

The video is fine. OneDrive will always reinstall itself, no matter what you try. That's why I suggest you avoid it if you don't want to use it.

Answer 4

Arlene D 30,705 Independent Advisor

Oh, sorry. OneDrive can’t pick individual folders on E:\ or C:\ for backup. It only backs up standard folders and may include old files. To back up only what you want, create a folder inside OneDrive and move or copy your current E:\ folders and the C:\ file there. OneDrive will sync them to the cloud and keep them on your PC.

Brian 60 Reputation points

2025-12-05T15:37:43.74+00:00

Wow, that is horrible that one does not have a choice. Heck, one can buy an external drive and have those choices! Every time I create an OD folder it automatically starts backing up the standard files. :-( How do I completely remove OD folder/files? I uninstalled OD yet it is not letting me delete the folder/files. And how do I remove the OD files online?

Thank you for your assistance. Maybe you can tell MS to fix the issue of us not having control! ;-)

Answer 5

Arlene D 30,705 Independent Advisor

Which folders on E:\ and which file on C:\ do you want backed up?

OneDrive can copy folders to the cloud while keeping them on your PC.

Open OneDrive settings, go to Backup, and choose “Manage backup.” Pick the folders you want from E:. For the single C:\ file, put it in a folder OneDrive backs up, or create a new folder in OneDrive and move the file there.

Make sure in Settings > Account > Choose folders that everything you want is selected. This way, OneDrive saves your files online but leaves them on your computer.

Brian 60 Reputation points

2025-12-05T14:24:56.86+00:00

Arlene D,

Thank you for your response; however, ARGH! I selected the E:\ as the folder to put OD yet I had no choice as to which folder/files in either the C:\ or E:\ drive to choose to back up. And OD backed up files that are not even current.

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