I can't unpin the Desktop shortcut from Quick Access in File Explorer. It doesn't point to C:\Users\myusername\Desktop but instead to C:\Users\myusername\OneDrive\Desktop even though I uninstalled OneDrive after a day or two of trying it. Any folders or shortcuts I put in the first folder above are ignored. But folders/shortcuts deleted from the OneDrive subfolder vanish from the desktop. I would like to restore the first folder to be the functioning desktop directory. And also to delete the OneDrive folder and other traces of OneDrive that uninstall missed.

@Ron Sipherd , This is because your OneDrive is connected to your Microsoft account as a service in Office 2019. Please close and save all Office files firstly, then try to add the following registry and type the corresponding value to have a check. Type Run in search bar, Enter. Then type regedit in Run box to open Registry Edit. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Internet . Right-click on empty space to create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value . Rename it to OnlineStorage and change the value to 3 . Then use the same steps to add the following in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\General . SkipOpenAndSaveAsPlace (Value 1 ) PreferCloudSaveLocations (Value 0 ) SkyDriveSignInOption (Value 0 ) Hope the information could be helpful to you. If an Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it. Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

I have tried all these suggestion here (and many others) but Windows 11 still saves document I create to my Onedrive folder, not to my Documents folder. What more can I do?

Removing OneDrive traces remaining after uninstall

Accepted answer

Viki Ji_MSFT 4,441 Reputation points

2021-06-18T05:20:31.057+00:00
@Ron Sipherd ,

This is because your OneDrive is connected to your Microsoft account as a service in Office 2019.

Please close and save all Office files firstly, then try to add the following registry and type the corresponding value to have a check.

Type Run in search bar, Enter. Then type regedit in Run box to open Registry Edit.

Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Internet.

Right-click on empty space to create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value. Rename it to OnlineStorage and change the value to 3.

Then use the same steps to add the following in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\General.

SkipOpenAndSaveAsPlace (Value 1)

PreferCloudSaveLocations (Value 0)

SkyDriveSignInOption (Value 0)

Hope the information could be helpful to you.

If an Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it. Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.
Please sign in to rate this answer.

5 people found this answer helpful.
Eric McBrearty 0 Reputation points

2023-05-08T19:32:57.22+00:00

I have a very similar problem as ron(above) had. For me, I have already deleted one drive, then I blocked it under "start" gpedit> computer config>admin templates>one drive... then I removed traces with "Revo Uninstaller"....... Then I ran "Ccleaner to trash cookies, temps, and un-used reg files.... I thought I was good.. I still have onedrive attached to my This PC> Pictures folder. It lets me delete it under the users folder, but it wont let me reassign the Pictures folder to its Default location.. I get an error saying the folder doesn't exist. Would you like to create it? Yes.... Then another error saying the folder already exists..... Don't know what to do from here. Also, everytime I R.click on Pictures> Properties>location> Find Target.... OneDrive folder is re-installed under the User File.

Will Chapman 5 Reputation points

2023-10-02T21:03:40.52+00:00

Could I ask for more detail how to enter the second set of three values, namely

SkipOpenAndSaveAsPlace (Value 1)

PreferCloudSaveLocations (Value 0)

SkyDriveSignInOption (Value 0)

I've managed to get to ...16.0\Common\General but can't figure out how to enter these 3 values as I am a near beginner at registry 'science'.

Wesley Myers 0 Reputation points

2024-05-15T17:44:48.23+00:00

OneDrive, McAfee, and all the other garbage you force on us are the closest things to malware I've seen on my computer in years. Users shouldn't have to jump through hoops to delete this disgusting malware. It's malicious and vile.

Alphan V 0 Reputation points

2024-05-20T21:56:11.5733333+00:00

Thank you for the information. I am using MS office 2013 and have the same problem. Should I try this fix or try something else?
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Removing OneDrive traces remaining after uninstall

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