How to Hide or Show OneDrive in Windows 11

Hiding or showing OneDrive in Windows 11 lets you clean up the left-hand sidebar in File Explorer 📁 by removing or restoring the cloud storage folder. OneDrive is Microsoft’s online storage service that connects straight to your PC so you can save and open files online.

Turning off this shortcut removes the icon from File Explorer 📁 but leaves your actual files safe in your user folder at 📁C:\Users\OneDrivecopy. You can bring the icon back at any time with the exact same steps.

How to show or hide the OneDrive folder on the File Explorer navigation pane in 🪟 Windows 11

Modifying the Windows Registry controls whether the cloud storage directory appears in the sidebar.

OneDrive typically appears automatically when configured in Windows.

OneDrive folder on File Explorer 📁 navigation pane picture below:

Press the Win, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Windows Registry. Navigate to the following key path.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}

If the {018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6} folder key is missing, right-click the CLSID key and create a new subkey named {018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6} folders.

Right-click any empty space in the right-hand pane, select New - › DWORD (32-bit) Value (a type of registry entry), and name it System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree.

Double-click the new key and change its value. Setting the Value data to 1 will show the OneDrive folder in File Explorer. Setting it to 0 will hide it.

Restart your PC to apply the changes.

Registry tweaks offer a permanent way to tidy up File Explorer without uninstalling cloud sync features entirely.

Conclusion:

• This article has provided step-by-step instructions on how to show or hide the OneDrive folder on the File Explorer navigation pane in Windows 11.
• The tutorial included detailed guidance on using the Windows Registry to make the necessary changes.
• Readers are encouraged to leave comments if they encounter any errors in the instructions or wish to contribute additional insights or tips.