How to Quit and Close OneDrive in Windows 11

This guide explains how to stop OneDrive from running on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer.

Why quit OneDrive?

You might want to stop OneDrive if you are trying to save battery life, fix a syncing error, or if you simply prefer not to have your files automatically uploaded to the cloud.

What happens when you quit?

When you close OneDrive, it stops running in the background. Your files will no longer sync between your computer and the cloud. Any changes you make to your local files will not be updated online until you start the program again.

Follow these steps to shut down the application:

1. Click the OneDrive icon located in your taskbar system tray.
2. Click the Help & Settings (gear) icon

3. Depending on your current status, follow the steps below regarding your Personal Vault:

• If your Personal Vault is locked, click Pause syncing to expand the menu, then click Quit OneDrive.
• If your Personal Vault is already unlocked, simply click Quit OneDrive.

4. A window will appear asking why you want to quit. Select a reason from the drop-down menu and click Quit OneDrive to confirm your choice.

Summary

Quitting OneDrive is a simple way to pause cloud syncing and stop the application from running in the background. Note that this does not delete your files; it simply disconnects your computer from the online storage until you manually restart the OneDrive app.