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

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Key takeaways of zdnet

• Microsoft is automatically turning ondrive backup in the new Windows 11 installation.
• Your files have not been stolen – they have just been taken to a new folder and sinking in the cloud.
• This article includes step-by-step instructions to shut down onedrive backup and reset your local folders.
  

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Microsoft Microsoft is becoming more aggressive about tying its major productivity products on the cloud. In the most recent release of Windows 11, when you sign in with a microsoft account, the onedrive backup feature is automatically turned on; Consequently, some most common data folders – documents, pictures and desktops – are moved from their normal place and to ONEDRIVE.

When I saw this feature a year ago, the Microsoft’s setup process for a new account on Windows 11, (also known as out of the box experience, or OOBE) included “Save Files for this PC” only included an option. It was a small link, which was easy to remember, but it was there.

Also: Is ONEDRIV sending your windows files to the cloud? here’s why

On the latest public release of Windows 11, that option is gone. When you reach the page where you add your Microsoft account, there is a paragraph of very fine print that includes this lesson: “We will back to Onedrive to help keep your files and photos safe on this device.”

Here, see for yourself.

There is a close eye on that great print here.

It is no longer the option to specify that you like your files locally saved.

Meanwhile, Microsoft 365 individual or family account will be found soon. New files are auto-service by default in Onedrive (Or your favorite cloud destination, if you have set that option). This change is rolling for Words for Windows this month and will arrive for Excel and PowerPoint later this year.

You can change this option so that files are saved locally by default, but this requires a trip to some-thorns/Excel/PowerPoint option dialog box.

Why is Microsoft doing this?

Skptics will suggest that these changes are in supernatural alignment with commercial interests of Microsoft. The company collects revenue from its cloud services, and steering user files in the cloud encourage customers to pay for more storage, therefore … do maths.

Also: How to upgrade a ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 – 2 free options

But Microsoft in these changes is also a significant advantage for customers. Locally stored and are not backup, if the device they are stored on, it is stolen, it is stolen, victims of a ransomware attack, or experiences a terrible storage failure. All those things happen!

On the other hand, some customers of Microsoft do not want only their files to be stored outside their control. They may be concerned about privacy or security or those files can be used for AI training, but the reasons do not really matter. If you do not want your files upload to the cloud, you can’t just say. Once you close those features, your files are locally stored, and it comes back safely on you.

How to undo on Windows 11 on Windows 11

Here’s some good news: Onedrive Backup does not remove any file from your local storage – it just takes those files into a separate folder in your user profile and then sinks that folder on Onedrive. The undoing the change is usually a direct process, closing the backup feature for each folder and then taking the contents of those folders back into the default folder in your local profile.

These instructions believe that you are signed with an individual microsoft account and that onedrive backup is capable.

Start by opening the file explorer.

1. Open Onedrive Backup Settings

In the left navigation pane of the file explorer, find the icon for your individual onedrive account – it must be designated something like this User name – Personal. Right-click on that icon and then click on the ondrive> settings. This top category opens a dialog box with “sink and backup”. Click on Backup Manage.

It opens a dialog box as shown here.

Note which folders have been configured for Onedrive Backup, but do not change any settings yet.

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

Let us take advantage of the fact that the file explorer in Windows 11 supports several tabs. Here, I have opened three tabs, for each of the local folders currently set to use ondrive backup.

3. Turn off Onedrive Backup for all folders

Go back to the dialog box you opened in step 1 and slide the switch to the off position for the first folder on the ondrive backup list – in this case, the document folder. Click on stop backup to confirm the change.

Repeat this process for each of other back-up folders. When you do, each folder of the list should have a “back up” position.

4. Open a new file explorer window for your local folders

Press Windows Key + E to open the second file explorer window. In the address bar, to display the list of local folders in your user profile, type a % userprofile % and press Enter. Open a tab for each folder that you are going back to your local PC – in this case, documents, pictures and desktops. Organize the window you have made in step 2, as I have done here.

Use the icon and label in the address bar (I have highlighted each in red) to see which folder is in Onedrive and which is in your local user profile.

5. Take ondrive files to your local folder

Click anywhere in Onedrive \ Documents folders, then press CTRL+A to select all files in that window and Ctrl+C to copy them. Then right-click the document in the document folder for your local profile and press CTRL+V to copy the files back to your local home.

Also: How to upgrade from Windows 11 Home to Pro – How to OverPing

Repeat that process for pictures and desktop folders. Do not copy any duplicate subfolders (such as screenshots or camera rolls) from the picture folder; If there is a file in those subfolders, then copy your content separately from the ondrive folder to its local counterpart.

When you confirm that all your files are intact in your local user profile, you can safely remove duplicate copies in Onedrive.

How to undo the Autosave-to-Cloud option of Microsoft Word

At this time, this feature is available only to customers running preview of Microsoft 365. This will not roll on the current channel by the end of this year, and then for Excel and PowerPoint.

But if and when you look at this feature, you can turn it off by going to word options and clicking on Sev tab.

Clean the checkbox that reads “Create new files automatically in the cloud.” When you do, you will see a “Save to Local Location” box that you can choose. Specify your favorite home folder for the word, and you are good to go.

Any question?