OneDrive removing in Windows 10 and Windows 11, if you don’t need the pre-installed cloud app, OneDrive can be completely uninstalled from Windows, the icons are also removed from the taskbar and Explorer as well as from the Start menu. We’ll show you how to remove OneDrive from Windows – here’s how it works.

To removing OneDrive from Windows, in the first step, insert the following lines into an editor, just do it with the text editor notepad.exe.

@echo off
REM OneDrive uninstall
taskkill /f /im OneDrive.exe
IF EXIST %SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe %SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall
IF EXIST %SystemRoot%\System32\OneDriveSetup.exe %SystemRoot%\System32\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall
REG ADD "HKCR\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}" /v "System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree" /t REG_DWORD /d "0" /f
REG ADD "HKCR\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}" /v "System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree" /t REG_DWORD /d "0" /f

Insert the Code lines Copy Paste into the Notepad editor.

Save the contents of Notepad as onedrive-uninstall.cmd file, i.e. to the Documents folder.

Removing OneDrive from Windows Now

Then, in the second step, run the batch file onedrive-uninstalll.cmd. To do this, press the key and type Command Prompt on your keyboard, and select Run as administrator.

In the open command prompt, switch to the directory where the file onedrive-uninstall.cmd is stored, with enter the change directory command cd %userprofile%\documents press enter then run the batch file. This will completely removing OneDrive from your Windows.

The saved batch file can now be copied to other systems to remove OneDrive for additional computers if necessary.

What is Microsoft OneDrive? (formerly SkyDrive) is a file hosting service operated by Microsoft. First launched in August 2007, it enables registered users to share and synchronize their files. OneDrive also works as the storage backend of the web version of Microsoft Office. The app offers 5 GB of storage space free of charge, with 100 GB, 1 TB. OneDrive provide 6 TB storage options available either separately or with Microsoft 365 subscriptions.

Privacy concerns, complete loss of access to data

Data stored on OneDrive is subject to monitoring through technologies like PhotoDNA. Any content that is in violation of Microsoft’s Code of Conduct is subject to removal, and may lead to temporary or permanent shutdown of the associated Microsoft account. Closing an account without pre-notice is in most cases illegal in many jurisdictions, like in Germany. This has led to privacy concerns in relation to data stored on OneDrive. Microsoft has responded by indicating that “strict internal policies in place to limit access to a user’s data”, and that advanced mechanisms, such as Microsoft’s automated PhotoDNA scanning tool, are utilized to ensure users abide with the Code of Conduct and that their account does not contain files in contravention thereof, such as partial human nudity (including art or drawings), or any online surveys.