How to Turn On or off OneDrive in Windows 11

How to Turn On or Off OneDrive Using the Local Group Policy Editor

The Local Group Policy Editor changes OneDrive for every user account with one policy, so you don’t have to edit each profile. It is not included in Windows 11 Home. If you can’t find it, skip to the registry method below. This method requires administrator privileges.

1. Click the Start button⊞ and type Edit group policy.

   

2. Click the Edit group policy app in the search🔍 results. The Local Group Policy Editor opens. If Windows asks for permission, click Yes.
3. In the left pane, open the folders to follow this path:
   Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OneDrive
4. In the right pane, double-click Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage. A settings window opens.

   

5. Choose one of the three options:

   • Not Configured (default) – OneDrive works normally.
   • Enabled – OneDrive is turned off and cannot be used.
   • Disabled – OneDrive is turned on and works normally.
6. Click OK, then close the Local Group Policy Editor.

   

7. Restart your🔄 computer to apply the change.

The labels are easy to misread. Enabled means the block is enabled, so OneDrive is off. While the block is active, OneDrive stops syncing and disappears from the File Explorer navigation pane. Your files are not deleted. They stay in the local OneDrive folder and in the cloud.

To undo the change, open the same policy, choose Not Configured, click OK, and restart. This returns the PC to its default state.

How to Turn On or Off OneDrive Using the Windows Registry

1. Press Win+R, type regedit, and press Enter. Click Yes if User Account Control asks for permission. The Registry Editor opens.
2. Back up the registry first. This step is optional but wise. Click File › Export and save the file somewhere you can find it. If something goes wrong, restore it with File › Import.
3. In the left pane, expand the folders to reach this path:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\OneDrive
4. Check whether an OneDrive key already exists under Windows. If it doesn’t, right-click Windows, choose New › Key, and name it OneDrive. The new key appears in the left pane.
5. Click the OneDrive key to select it. In the empty area of the right pane, right-click and choose New › DWORD (32-bit) Value.
6. Name the new value DisableFileSyncNGSC and press Enter. It appears in the list with a value of 0.
7. Double-click DisableFileSyncNGSC and enter the value data:

   • 1 to turn OneDrive off
   • 0 to turn OneDrive on
8. Click OK, close the Registry Editor, and restart your🔄 computer.

Keep the value name exactly as written, including the capital letters. To undo the change, set the value back to 0, or right-click the value and choose Delete, then restart. The Group Policy method sets the same value, so you can use whichever tool your edition has.

What Happens When OneDrive Is Disabled?

• You can’t open OneDrive from its app or the file picker window.
• Apps from the Microsoft Store can’t use OneDrive.
• OneDrive does not show up in the File Explorer sidebar.
• Your files don’t sync with the cloud.
• Photos and videos don’t upload automatically from your camera roll.

How to Uninstall OneDrive from 🪟 Windows 11

To remove OneDrive from your PC completely, follow this guide: How to uninstall and remove OneDrive from Windows 11

More Help and Official Information

For Microsoft’s official help, see this page: Microsoft OneDrive Support

What to do next

If OneDrive still appears or runs after a restart, check that the policy is set to Enabled or that DisableFileSyncNGSC is set to 1. To reverse the change, set the policy to Not Configured or the value to 0, then restart. If the OneDrive shortcut in File Explorer stops working when File Explorer runs in administrative mode, update Windows. The optional preview update KB5095093 fixes that issue on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2.