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OneDrive "Unlink this PC": what happens to your files

"Unlink this PC" disconnects OneDrive from a computer. It does not delete anything in the cloud, but every file that is only online leaves your folders. Here is what stays, what goes, and how to unlink without losing a file.

Unlink this PC

The short answer

  • Cloud files stay in your account. Nothing is deleted on onedrive.com.
  • Files that were on your disk stay on your PC. Online-only files do not.
  • Bring every file to the PC and copy it first, then unlink.

What stays and what goes

Microsoft says you won't lose files or data by unlinking OneDrive from your computer, and the cloud copy is indeed untouched. On the PC, files that were locally available or always available stay in the folder. Files that were online-only were never on the disk: after unlinking, they are no longer in your folders.

In our tests on Windows 11, 19 of 37 files left the folders after unlinking, all of them online-only.

How to unlink this PC without losing files

  1. Bring every file to the PC. Right-click the OneDrive folder, choose "Always keep on this device" and wait until every icon is a solid green circle. Salvako's free Check tells you first how many files are online-only and how much space they need.
  2. Copy, do not move. Copy the folders you care about outside OneDrive and check that the copy has the same number of files and the same size.
  3. Unlink. Select the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area, then the gear, then Settings. Open the Account tab, choose "Unlink this PC", then "Unlink account".
  4. Check your folders. Open Desktop, Documents, Pictures and your copy, and make sure your files open.

Want OneDrive gone for good, app included? See how to turn off and remove OneDrive safely.

Unlink, pause or sign out

Pausing the sync stops it for a while and restarts by itself. Unlinking this PC disconnects your account on this computer until you sign in again. Neither touches your files in the cloud. If OneDrive is only in the way for a while, pausing is enough.

If the PC was already unlinked

The missing files are still in your OneDrive. Sign in at onedrive.com and download them, or sign in to OneDrive on the PC again: if you choose the same folder, OneDrive offers to use the files already there, then make them local.

Giving away or selling the PC

After unlinking, the files that were on the disk stay on the PC. Before you give the computer away, copy what you need, then delete those files or reset Windows. Unlinking alone does not remove them.

If OneDrive is just causing trouble

People also look for this command when the storage is full, when the Desktop ended up in OneDrive, or when files seem to vanish. Each of these has a fix that keeps OneDrive: freeing full storage safely, choosing which folders OneDrive backs up, finding deleted files in the recycle bin.

How Salvako does it for you

Salvako does the risky part in the right order and shows you the numbers. The free Check reads, without changing anything, where every file really is, how many are online-only and how much space you need. The verified copy brings every file, online-only ones included, to the destination you choose and compares each copy with the original, by size and SHA-256 fingerprint. If the PC switches off, it resumes where it stopped. With the receipt in hand, you unlink knowing nothing is lost.

If you decide to keep OneDrive, the guardian keeps watch: it updates the copy and warns you when files become online-only again or the storage gets close to the limit. Your files never leave your PC.

Questions

Does unlinking OneDrive delete files?

Not in the cloud. On the PC, online-only files are no longer in your folders after you unlink. Bring them to the PC and copy them first, and you lose nothing.

What is the difference between unlinking and pausing?

Pausing stops the sync for a while and restarts by itself. Unlinking disconnects your account on this PC until you sign in again.

How do I get my files back after unlinking?

They are on onedrive.com. Download them, or link the PC again and make them local.

Does unlinking this PC stop OneDrive on my phone?

No. It only disconnects this computer. Your phone and other PCs keep syncing.

Unlink knowing nothing is lost.

Salvako's free Check shows in two minutes how many files would leave your folders and how much space you need to keep them. It changes nothing.

Run the free Check

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