Windows 10: Windows 11 set up is automatically enabling OneDrive folder back up for users

Microsoft has made yet another silent change to the way the initial setup of Windows 11 works. The operating system is enabling the automatic folder backup to OneDrive, without informing the user about it.

When you set up Windows 11, you will come across a screen that is captioned "unlock your Microsoft experience", it lists the benefits of using a Microsoft account. You can't skip this sign-in process, as Microsoft has made it difficult for users to install Windows 11 with a local account, so you will need to sign in to a Microsoft account to set up your PC.

Once Windows 11 is installed, you will likely see a notification pop-up in the Action Center that reminds you to back up your PC. This is related to OneDrive, which you can set up to back up your data.

OneDrive will back up your folders automatically on new installations of Windows 11


Neowin reports that a new installation of Windows 11 automatically turns on the OneDrive folder backup, so your Desktop Pictures, Documents, Music, and Videos directories get uploaded to the cloud without your permission.

You may ask, what is the big deal if Microsoft silently enabled automatic backup of folders to OneDrive? Well, if a user has a lot of data in their folders, they are going to hit the 5GB storage limit pretty quickly, and most people will not know what to do. This will allow the company to promote the Microsoft 365 plan, which non-tech savvy users may think is a good idea to pay for.

This is not the first time Microsoft has pushed OneDrive aggressively to users. The Redmond company began adding notifications in the Start Menu last year, which informed users that Windows can back up your files. The ad had a start backup button, which when interacted with, opens OneDrive and sets it up for the user. If you thought those Start Menu ads were annoying, imagine how the notifications if OneDrive is automatically enabled would look like.

Microsoft also briefly tested a new way to close the OneDrive app, where you had to select a reason for quitting OneDrive. This change did not last long after the company received backlash from users.

OneDrive is not a bad app or service per se. I use it with a slightly higher storage limit, but I can definitely see why it can be annoying for users with a free account, who may have to put up with the constant reminders nagging them to upgrade their storage. Google does this too, especially if you use Google Photos on your Phone.

Anyway, if you want to opt out of OneDrive's folder backup. Open OneDrive and go to the app's Settings > Sync and backup > and click on Manage Backup. This will allow you to turn off all the user folders that you don't want to back up to the cloud storage service. The only problem I have with OneDrive is that it does not allow users to select the local folders that we want to back up. Why limit it to the user folders?



I wonder if this automatic folder backup to OneDrive will play a part when Windows Recall is released to the stable channel of Windows 11. That could be a recipe for disaster.

Do you use OneDrive?

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Windows 10 - OneDrive

Right click on the app and one of the properties has an option to not automatically start it. Uncheck, restart the computer, and it should stop. If you want to go another step further, find the OneDrive app in the start menu, right click on it and uninstall.

If that is still insufficient, there is a batch uninstaller for OneDrive available online. I can copy the code here if you need it.

 

Windows 10 - OneDrive

Anyone know how to remove "OneDrive - For Business" from the Explorer navigation panel? I've tried just about every registry modification, and windows policy for "Onedrive" but they only seem to work for the consumer product, not for onedrive for business.

The onedrive product alone is so damn annoying and continues to load itself upon startup, even when it's explicitly remove from startup. It continues to automatically load and unload itself from within the startup folder... while I'm actively watching it load itself into the startup folder.

 

Move the OneDrive Folder

Move the OneDrive Folder in Windows 10

When you set up OneDrive to sync with your computer, a folder C:\Users\XXXX\OneDrive will be created to store the contents. XXXX denotes your username. To move this folder to another location follow these simple steps:

1. Unlink OneDrive from your PC:

• Go to the taskbar notification area
• Right-click on the OneDrive icon
• Select settings
• Click: Unlink this PC

2. Delete the C:\Users\XXXX\OneDrive folder

3. Create a new folder (target folder) for OneDrive contents, e.g. D:\OneDrive

4. Create Directory Junction for the new folder

• In the search area of the taskbar type CMD and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter
• In the command window type

mklink /J C:\Users\XXXX\OneDrive D:\OneDrive

adjusting it to your specific username and selection of the target folder

5. Link again OneDrive to your PC using the OneDrive icon in the taskbar notification area