How to Exclude Specific File Extensions from Backing up to OneDrive in Windows 11

Why exclude files from OneDrive?

Excluding heavy media projects or scratch files keeps gigabytes of local-only work out of the cloud. This leaves breathing room for the documents that actually need to travel between machines.

What happens when you are done?

Adding an extension to the exclusion list tells OneDrive to stop uploading new files of that type to the cloud. Files already sitting in cloud storage remain untouched, so old items require manual cleanup.

How to exclude file types

1. Click the OneDrive icon in your taskbar 🖥️.
2. Select the Help & Settings (gear) icon and choose Settings.
3. Click Sync and backup on the left side, then click the Advanced settings link.
4. Find the Excluded file extensions section and click Exclude.
5. Type the file extension you want to block (for example: “png”) into the box and click Exclude.

How to stop excluding file types

1. Follow the steps above to return to the Excluded file extensions section.
2. Look for the extension you want to allow again.
3. Click the X button next to that extension.
4. Click Ok to save your changes.

Summary

OneDrive syncs entire folders by default unless configured otherwise. Managing the Excluded file extensions menu stops unwanted items from crossing device boundaries.