How to Remove Files from OneDrive but Not PC in 3 Ways

If you’ve ever wondered how to remove files from OneDrive but not PC, you’ve come to the right place. This comprehensive guide teaches you everything about safely removing files from your OneDrive account while keeping them on your computer.

Understanding the OneDrive Sync Feature

OneDrive is a useful tool for accessing and syncing files across multiple devices. This can sometimes lead to the misconception that deleting a file from OneDrive will also delete it from your PC, which isn’t always the case if managed correctly.

There are many reasons to remove files from OneDrive but not your PC: free up space on your computer, make room in your cloud storage account, avoid syncing issues, no longer need the files in OneDrive, or prefer keeping certain files private.

Please note if you have multiple computers linked to the same OneDrive account, disabling syncing for a folder on one PC will also turn off syncing for that folder on all other computers.

Preparation Steps Before Deleting Files from OneDrive

Before you start deleting files from your OneDrive account, make sure to back them up. Having a backup ensures that even if something goes wrong during the deletion process, your files will remain safe. Remember, the files on your PC are local files, while the ones in OneDrive are cloud files.

Method 1: Move the Files Outside of the OneDrive Folder

This is the simplest way to remove files from OneDrive but not your PC. All you need to do is move the files or folders you want to remove from the OneDrive directory to a different location on your computer. Here are the steps on how to do this:

1. Open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
2. Locate the OneDrive folder.
3. Select the files or folders you want to remove from OneDrive.
4. Right-click and select Move to.
5. Select a location on your PC that is outside of the OneDrive folder.
6. Click Move.

The files or folders will be removed from OneDrive, but they will still be stored on your PC. You can still access them by opening the location you moved them to.

Method 2: Disable syncing for the files or folders

This method is a bit more complicated – it allows you to keep the files or folders in the OneDrive folder on your PC, but they will not be synced to the cloud. So any files or folders you delete from your PC will remain in OneDrive. Here are the steps on how to do this:

1. Open the OneDrive app.
2. Click the gear icon in the top right corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. Click the Account tab.
5. Under Manage backup, select the folder or folders you want to disable syncing for.
6. Click the Stop syncing button.

The files or folders will no longer be synced to the cloud, but they will still be stored in the OneDrive folder on your PC. You can still access them by opening the OneDrive folder and double-clicking on the files or folders.

Method 3: Use the Files On-Demand Feature in OneDrive

1. Open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
2. Locate the OneDrive folder.
3. Right-click on the file or folder you want to remove from OneDrive.
4. Select Unlink from OneDrive.
5. A confirmation dialog will appear. Click Yes to confirm.

When using the Files On-Demand feature, you can also remove files from OneDrive by right-clicking them and selecting Free up space. This will remove the local copy of the file from your PC, but the file will still be stored in the cloud.

Verifying the Successful File Removal

After the process is complete, you should check that the files have been successfully removed from OneDrive but are still present on your PC. Also, be aware of possible issues that might occur, such as syncing errors, and know how to troubleshoot them.

Find out more about deleting files on OneDrive on this Microsoft support page.

How to Re-link OneDrive and Adjust Sync Settings

Follow these steps to re-link OneDrive to your PC, making sure to adjust the settings to prevent deleted files from syncing:

1. Open the OneDrive app.
2. Click the gear icon in the top right corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. Click the Account tab.
5. Under Manage backup, select the folder or folders you want to disable syncing for.
6. Click the Stop syncing button.
7. Close the OneDrive app.
8. Open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
9. Locate the OneDrive folder.
10. Delete the files or folders you want to prevent from syncing.
11. Open the OneDrive app.
12. Click the gear icon in the top right corner.
13. Select Settings.
14. Click the Account tab.
15. Under Manage backup, select the folder or folders you want to re-enable syncing for.
16. Click the Start syncing button.

The files or folders you deleted will no longer be synced to OneDrive. However, they will still be stored in the OneDrive folder on your PC. You can still access them by opening the OneDrive folder and double-clicking on the files or folders.

If you want to re-enable syncing for a folder that you have previously disabled, you can do so by following the steps above.

Tips for Managing OneDrive Storage

To avoid future OneDrive storage issues, there are a few strategies you can employ:

• Use Files On-Demand: Files On-Demand is a feature that allows you to access your files in OneDrive without having to download them all to your device. This can save a lot of space on your device, especially if you have a lot of large files.
• Delete old files: Go through your OneDrive folder and delete any files that you no longer need. This will free up space on your device and in your OneDrive account.
• Compress files: If you have a lot of large files, you can compress them to save space. This can be done using a compression tool like WinRAR or 7-Zip.
• Use the recycle bin: If you delete a file by accident, you can restore it from the recycle bin. However, if you empty the recycle bin, the file will be permanently deleted.
• Set up file syncing: File syncing allows you to keep your files up-to-date on all of your devices. This can be helpful if you work on your files from multiple devices.
• Upgrade your OneDrive plan: If you need more storage space, you can upgrade your OneDrive plan. This will give you more space to store your files.

Conclusion

In this article, we walked you through the process of how to remove files from OneDrive but not your PC. The importance of correctly managing your OneDrive storage cannot be overstated. We encourage you to explore other OneDrive features to optimize your use of this cloud service. For a more comprehensive understanding of OneDrive’s capabilities, check out this OneDrive review.