What Is OneDrive on My Computer?

If you see a small cloud icon near the clock, or a OneDrive folder in File Explorer, that's OneDrive: Microsoft's cloud storage service. It comes with Windows, so it's there even if you never installed it. This guide explains what OneDrive does with your files, what its icons mean, and how to change what it syncs or stop using it.

1. What OneDrive Does on Your PC

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OneDrive keeps a copy of the files in your OneDrive folder in your Microsoft account online. That means:

• You can reach your files elsewhere. Sign in at OneDrive.com, use the OneDrive mobile app, or sign in to OneDrive on another PC with the same account.
• Changes follow you. Edit a file on one device and the updated version shows up on the others.
• Your main folders can be backed up. OneDrive can back up folders such as Desktop, Documents and Pictures, so they're safe if something happens to your PC.
• It can save disk space. Files can stay online until you open them, so they don't fill your drive.

Every Microsoft account includes 5 GB of free cloud storage. Microsoft 365 subscriptions include much more.

2. What the OneDrive Icons Next to Your Files Mean

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Open your OneDrive folder in File Explorer and look at the small icon shown with each file. Microsoft uses three main icons:

• Blue cloud: an online-only file. It doesn't take up space on your PC, but you can't open it without an internet connection.
• Green check mark: a locally available file. It downloaded when you opened it, and you can open it any time, even offline.
• Solid green circle with a white check mark: a file you've set to always keep on this device. It stays downloaded and is always available offline.

3. Keep Files Offline or Free Up Space

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OneDrive's Files On-Demand feature lets you choose, file by file, what stays on your PC.

1. Open your OneDrive folder in File Explorer.
2. Right-click a file or folder.
3. Select Always keep on this device to keep it available offline, or Free up space to make it online-only again.

To check that Files On-Demand is on, select the OneDrive cloud icon, then Help & Settings > Settings > Sync and back up > Advanced settings, and turn on Files On-Demand.

Expected result: the file's icon changes to a solid green circle (always on this device) or a blue cloud (online-only). Choosing Free up space doesn't delete the file from OneDrive.

4. Choose Which Folders OneDrive Backs Up

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1. Select the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area, then Help & Settings > Settings.
2. Open the Sync and back up tab and select Manage backup.
3. To start backing up a folder, turn on its switch and select Save changes.
4. To stop backing up a folder, turn off its switch, then choose Keep the files only in OneDrive (removing them from your computer) or Keep the files only on my PC (removing them from OneDrive).

You can also start from the Windows Backup app: select Start, type backup, open Windows Backup and use the switches under Folders.

Expected result: Manage backup shows the folders you chose as backed up.

5. Share a File With a Link

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Instead of attaching a big file to an email, you can share a link to it.

1. Right-click the file or folder in your OneDrive folder and select Share a OneDrive link. The link is copied, ready to paste into an email or message.
2. For more control, sign in at OneDrive.com, select the file, then Share. Use the link settings to allow or block editing before you select Copy.

A link from Share a OneDrive link lets people edit by default. To stop sharing later, select the file on OneDrive.com, open its details, choose Manage access and remove the link.

6. Pause, Unlink or Remove OneDrive

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• Pause it for a while: right-click the OneDrive icon on the taskbar and choose to pause for 2, 8 or 24 hours. Syncing starts again on its own when the time is up. OneDrive also pauses by itself in battery saver mode or on a metered network.
• Stop using it on this PC: select the OneDrive icon, then Help & Settings > Settings > Account > Unlink this PC > Unlink account. Microsoft says you won't lose files or data by unlinking, and you can still sign in at OneDrive.com.
• Uninstall it: open Start, search for Programs, select Add or remove programs, find Microsoft OneDrive and select Uninstall. On some versions of Windows, OneDrive is built in and can't be uninstalled; you can unlink it and hide it instead.

Expected result: after pausing, the OneDrive cloud icon shows that syncing is paused; after unlinking, it no longer syncs files on this PC.

7. What Happens When OneDrive Is Full

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The free 5 GB covers your OneDrive files and photos as well as Outlook.com attachments. If you go over your limit, Microsoft says you can't upload, edit or sync new files, existing files become read-only, and you can't send or receive Outlook.com email. To fix it, delete files you don't need from OneDrive, stop backing up a folder and choose Keep the files only on my PC, or add storage with a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Want to understand cloud storage in general? Read What Is the Cloud?