How to undo OneDrive Backup and restore your personal files to your Windows 11 PC

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ZDNET’s Key Takeaways

  • Microsoft is routinely turning on OneDrive Backup in new Home windows 11 installations.
  • Your information aren’t stolen — they’ve simply been moved to a brand new folder and synced to the cloud. 
  • This text consists of step-by-step directions to show off OneDrive Backup and reset your native folders.

Microsoft is getting extra aggressive about tying its flagship productiveness merchandise to the Microsoft cloud. In the newest launch of Home windows 11, the OneDrive Backup characteristic is turned on routinely if you check in with a Microsoft account; because of this, a few of the most typical knowledge folders — Paperwork, Footage, and Desktop — are moved out of their regular location and into OneDrive.

Once I checked out this characteristic a yr in the past, Microsoft’s setup process for a brand new account on Home windows 11, (also referred to as the Out of Field Expertise, or OOBE) included an choice labeled “Solely save information to this PC.” It was a small hyperlink, straightforward to overlook, nevertheless it was there.

On the newest public releases of Home windows 11, that choice is gone. While you get to the web page the place you add your Microsoft account, there is a paragraph of extraordinarily nice print that features this textual content: “We’ll additionally again up your information and photographs on this machine to OneDrive to assist hold them secure.”

Right here, see for your self.

This is a more in-depth take a look at that nice print.

There is no longer an choice to specify that you simply desire your information saved regionally.

In the meantime, anybody with a Microsoft 365 Private or Household account will quickly discover that new information are auto-saved by default in OneDrive (or your most well-liked cloud vacation spot, in the event you’ve arrange that choice). That change is rolling out to Phrase for Home windows this month and can arrive for Excel and PowerPoint later this yr.

You may change this selection in order that information are saved regionally by default, however that requires a visit to the ever-confusing Phrase/Excel/PowerPoint Choices dialog field.

Why is Microsoft doing this?

Skeptics will level out that these adjustments are in uncanny alignment with Microsoft’s enterprise pursuits. The corporate collects income from its cloud providers, and steering consumer information into the cloud encourages these clients to pay for extra storage, so … do the maths.

However there’s additionally a major profit for Microsoft clients in these adjustments. Information which can be saved regionally and never backed up shall be misplaced and unrecoverable if the machine they’re saved on is stolen, falls sufferer to a ransomware assault, or experiences a catastrophic storage failure. All of these issues occur!

On the flip facet, a few of Microsoft’s clients merely don’t desire their information saved outdoors of their very own management. They is perhaps involved about privateness or safety or having these information used for coaching AI, however the causes do not actually matter. If you do not need your information uploaded to the cloud, you may simply say no. When you flip off these options, your information are saved regionally, and it is on you to again them up safely.

Learn how to undo OneDrive Backup on Home windows 11

This is some excellent news: OneDrive Backup does not delete any information out of your native storage — it simply strikes these information to a separate folder in your consumer profile after which syncs that folder to OneDrive. Undoing the change is often an easy course of, turning off the backup characteristic for every folder after which shifting the contents of these folders again to the default folder in your native profile.

These directions assume that you’re signing in with a private Microsoft account and that OneDrive Backup is enabled.

Begin by opening File Explorer.

1. Open OneDrive Backup settings

In File Explorer’s left navigation pane, discover the icon on your private OneDrive account — it must be named one thing like Username – Private. Proper-click that icon after which click on OneDrive > Settings. That opens a dialog field with the highest class, “Sync and backup,” chosen. Click on Handle Backup.

That opens a dialog field just like the one proven right here.

Make a remark of which folders are configured for OneDrive Backup, however do not change any settings but.

2. Open a tab for every folder you need to reset

Let’s make the most of the truth that File Explorer in Home windows 11 helps a number of tabs. Right here, I’ve opened three tabs, one for every of the native folders at present arrange to make use of OneDrive Backup.

3. Flip off OneDrive Backup for all folders

Return to the dialog field you opened in step 1 and slide the change to the Off place for the primary folder within the OneDrive Backup listing — on this case, the Paperwork folder. Click on Cease Backup to verify the change.

Repeat this course of for every of the opposite backed-up folders. While you’re executed, every folder within the listing ought to have a standing of “Not backed up.”

4. Open a brand new File Explorer window on your native folders

Press Home windows key + E to open a second File Explorer window. Within the deal with bar, kind %userprofile% and press Enter, to show an inventory of the native folders in your consumer profile. Open a tab for every of the folders you are shifting again to your native PC — on this case, Paperwork, Footage, and Desktop. Organize that window subsequent to the one you created in Step 2, as I’ve executed right here.

Use the icon and label within the deal with bar (I’ve highlighted every one in purple) to see which folder is in OneDrive and which is in your native consumer profile.

5. Transfer the OneDrive information to your native folder

Click on anyplace within the OneDriveDocuments folder, then press Ctrl+A to pick all information in that window and Ctrl+C to repeat them. Then right-click within the Paperwork folder on your native profile and press Ctrl+V to repeat the information again to their native house.

Repeat that course of for the Footage and Desktop folders. Do not copy any duplicate subfolders (comparable to Screenshots or Digital camera Roll) from the Footage folder; if these subfolders comprise any information, copy their contents individually from the OneDrive folder to its native equal.

After you verify that every one your information are intact in your native consumer profile, you may safely delete the duplicate copies in OneDrive.

Learn how to undo Microsoft Phrase’s autosave-to-the-cloud choice

At the moment, this characteristic is just accessible to clients operating preview releases of Microsoft 365. It will not roll out to the Present Channel till later this yr, and to Excel and PowerPoint after that.

But when and if you see this characteristic, you may flip it off by going into Phrase Choices and clicking the Save tab.

Clear the checkbox that reads “Create new information within the cloud routinely.” While you do, you will see a “Save to native location” field you can choose. Specify your most well-liked house folder for Phrase, and also you’re good to go.

Any questions?

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