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 automatically turning connected OneDrive Backup successful caller Windows 11 installations.
Your files aren't stolen -- they've conscionable been moved to a caller files and synced to nan cloud.
This article includes step-by-step instructions to move disconnected OneDrive Backup and reset your section folders.

Microsoft is getting much fierce astir tying its flagship productivity products to nan Microsoft cloud. In nan astir caller merchandise of Windows 11, nan OneDrive Backup characteristic is turned connected automatically erstwhile you motion successful pinch a Microsoft account; arsenic a result, immoderate of nan astir communal information folders -- Documents, Pictures, and Desktop -- are moved retired of their normal location and into OneDrive.

When I looked astatine this characteristic a twelvemonth ago, Microsoft's setup process for a caller relationship connected Windows 11, (also known arsenic nan Out of Box Experience, aliases OOBE) included an action branded "Only prevention files to this PC." It was a mini link, easy to miss, but it was there.

Also: Is OneDrive sending your Windows files to nan cloud? Here's why

On nan latest nationalist releases of Windows 11, that action is gone. When you get to nan page wherever you adhd your Microsoft account, there's a paragraph of highly good people that includes this text: "We'll besides backmost up your files and photos connected this instrumentality to OneDrive to thief support them safe."

Here, spot for yourself.

Here's a person look astatine that good print.

There's nary longer an action to specify that you for illustration your files saved locally.

Meanwhile, anyone pinch a Microsoft 365 Personal aliases Family relationship will soon find that new files are auto-saved by default successful OneDrive (or your preferred unreality destination, if you've group up that option). That alteration is rolling retired to Word for Windows this period and will get for Excel and PowerPoint later this year.

You tin alteration this action truthful that files are saved locally by default, but that requires a travel to nan ever-confusing Word/Excel/PowerPoint Options dialog box.

Why is Microsoft doing this?

Skeptics will constituent retired that these changes are successful uncanny alignment pinch Microsoft's business interests. The institution collects gross from its unreality services, and steering personification files into nan unreality encourages those customers to salary for much storage, truthful ... do nan math.

Also: How to upgrade an 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 - 2 free options

But there's besides a important use for Microsoft customers successful these changes. Files that are stored locally and not backed up will beryllium mislaid and unrecoverable if nan instrumentality they're stored connected is stolen, falls unfortunate to a ransomware attack, aliases experiences a catastrophic retention failure. All of those things happen!

On nan flip side, immoderate of Microsoft's customers simply don't want their files stored extracurricular of their ain control. They mightiness beryllium concerned astir privateness aliases information aliases having those files utilized for training AI, but nan reasons don't really matter. If you don't want your files uploaded to nan cloud, you tin conscionable opportunity no. Once you move disconnected those features, your files are stored locally, and it's connected you to backmost them up safely.

How to undo OneDrive Backup connected Windows 11

Here's immoderate bully news: OneDrive Backup doesn't delete immoderate files from your section retention -- it conscionable moves those files to a abstracted files successful your personification floor plan and past syncs that files to OneDrive. Undoing nan alteration is usually a straightforward process, turning disconnected nan backup characteristic for each files and past moving nan contents of those folders backmost to nan default files successful your section profile.

These instructions presume that you are signing successful pinch a individual Microsoft relationship and that OneDrive Backup is enabled.

Start by opening File Explorer.

1. Open OneDrive Backup settings

In File Explorer's near navigation pane, find nan icon for your individual OneDrive relationship -- it should beryllium named thing like Username - Personal. Right-click that icon and past click OneDrive > Settings. That opens a dialog container pinch nan apical category, "Sync and backup," selected. Click Manage Backup.

That opens a dialog container for illustration nan 1 shown here.

Make a statement of which folders are configured for OneDrive Backup, but don't alteration immoderate settings yet.

2. Open a tab for each files you want to reset

Let's return advantage of nan truth that File Explorer successful Windows 11 supports aggregate tabs. Here, I've opened 3 tabs, 1 for each of nan section folders presently group up to usage OneDrive Backup.

3. Turn disconnected OneDrive Backup for each folders

Go backmost to nan dialog container you opened successful measurement 1 and descent nan move to nan Off position for nan first files successful nan OneDrive Backup database -- successful this case, nan Documents folder. Click Stop Backup to corroborate nan change.

Repeat this process for each of nan different backed-up folders. When you're done, each files successful nan database should person a position of "Not backed up."

4. Open a caller File Explorer model for your section folders

Press Windows cardinal + E to unfastened a 2nd File Explorer window. In nan reside bar, type %userprofile% and property Enter, to show a database of nan section folders successful your personification profile. Open a tab for each of nan folders you're moving backmost to your section PC -- successful this case, Documents, Pictures, and Desktop. Arrange that model adjacent to nan 1 you created successful Step 2, arsenic I've done here.

Use nan icon and explanation successful nan reside barroom (I've highlighted each 1 successful red) to spot which files is successful OneDrive and which is successful your section personification profile.

5. Move nan OneDrive files to your section files

Click anyplace successful nan OneDrive\Documents folder, past property Ctrl+A to prime each files successful that model and Ctrl+C to transcript them. Then right-click successful nan Documents files for your section floor plan and property Ctrl+V to transcript nan files backmost to their section home.

Also: How to upgrade from Windows 11 Home to Pro - without overpaying

Repeat that process for nan Pictures and Desktop folders. Don't transcript immoderate copy subfolders (such arsenic Screenshots aliases Camera Roll) from nan Pictures folder; if those subfolders incorporate immoderate files, transcript their contents separately from nan OneDrive files to its section equivalent.

After you corroborate that each your files are intact successful your section personification profile, you tin safely delete nan copy copies successful OneDrive.

How to undo Microsoft Word's autosave-to-the-cloud action

At this time, this characteristic is only disposable to customers moving preview releases of Microsoft 365. It won't rotation retired to nan Current Channel until later this year, and to Excel and PowerPoint aft that.

But if and erstwhile you spot this feature, you tin move it disconnected by going into Word Options and clicking nan Save tab.

Clear nan checkbox that sounds "Create caller files successful nan unreality automatically." When you do, you'll spot a "Save to section location" container that you tin select. Specify your preferred location files for Word, and you're bully to go.

Any questions?