Windows 10: I can't remove my Desktop and Documents folder from OneDrive

When I attempt to take Desktop and Documents out of the OneDrive folder, they are not moved due to the fact that they are still in the process of syncing. I have tried everything. I've tried pausing syncing, selecting "Always keep folders on this device", everything that would make sense. I have tried deselecting both my desktop and my documents in "choose folders" as well, but they can't be deselected because they are syncing. They can't sync due to storage issues. I am currently being forced to use OneDrive because of this.In summary, I want OneDrive to let me move Desktop and Documents out.

:)

 

OneDrive moved my Desktop into a OneDrive folder and removed Google Drive

To revert the shell folder locations to default, open OneDrive and do the following:

Important: Before proceeding, copy the files in those special folders to another folder or external drive. Please don’t copy them anywhere under Desktop/Documents/Pictures. This is because disabling OneDrive backup for a folder would erase the local copies of the files. Copying them to a different location beforehand will ensure that you don’t need to download them again from the OneDrive cloud.

1. Right-click the OneDrive icon in the Notification area and click Settings.
   
2. Select the Backup tab, and click Manage Backup
   
3. In the Manage folder backup dialog, click on the Stop backup link under the special folder (Desktop, Documents, or Pictures)
   
4. Click Stop backup in the confirmation dialog that appears.
   
5. Repeat the step for each shell folder you want to revert to the original location.
   

See also:

• Error “The folder can’t be moved here” Moving Documents/Pictures, Caused by OneDrive
  
• Libraries are placed in onedrive folder instead of local folder - Microsoft Community
  

 

How do I remove Desktop and Document folders from OneDrive?

Kindly let me know how to remove Desktop and Documents folders from OneDrive. Please note that I use OneDrive - Personal in Windows 11. There are some very big files in Desktop and Documents folders, and I don't want any of the files in those folders to be saved to OneDrive. Further, these two directories were originally not in OneDrive folder, and I want the original location to be restored. Please note that originally it was running Windows 10, and later got upgraded to Windows 11

 

How to restore original Documents folder (not Onedrive's) if I had not enough space in onedrive?

It sounds like your Documents folder may have been synced to OneDrive at some point, and now your computer is configured to use the OneDrive version of the folder instead of the local version.

To restore the original Documents folder on your computer, you will need to unsync or unlink the Documents folder from OneDrive. Here are the steps to do this:

1. Open the OneDrive settings by right-clicking on the OneDrive icon in the system tray and selecting "Settings".
   
2. Go to the "Account" tab and click on "Unlink this PC".
   
3. Confirm that you want to unlink the PC from OneDrive.
   
4. After unlinking, OneDrive will ask you if you want to keep a copy of the files on your PC or remove them. Choose to keep a copy of the files on your PC.
   
5. OneDrive will then start to remove the sync relationship with your Documents folder. This may take some time depending on how many files you have in the folder and your internet connection speed.
   

Once the sync relationship has been removed, you should be able to access the local version of the Documents folder on your computer. You can then configure your computer to use the local version of the folder instead of the OneDrive version by following these steps:

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the OneDrive folder on your computer.
   
2. Right-click on the Documents folder and select "Properties".
   
3. In the "Location" tab, click on the "Move" button.
   
4. Choose a location for the local version of your Documents folder (e.g. C:\Users\YourUsername\Documents).
   
5. Click on "Apply" and confirm that you want to move the files from the old location to the new location.
   
6. After the files have been moved, your computer should start using the local version of the Documents folder instead of the OneDrive version.
   

I hope this helps you restore your Documents folder to its original state!

Do let me know if you need further assistance.