How to Stop OneDrive Syncing My Documents: 6 Ways

Why Does OneDrive Keep Syncing My Files?

OneDrive has attracted many users with its free cloud storage, file synchronization, and superior file collaboration functions. Its file sync feature not only lets you sync folders from your computer to the cloud and vice versa but also access data from any networked device.

However, for some reason, such as insufficient storage space, adding wrong files, and so on, some people may want to stop syncing certain folders. Thus, in this article, we will focus on how to stop OneDrive from syncing a folder, like Documents, without deleting files.

How to Stop OneDrive Syncing My Documents without Deleting in 6 Ways

How do I stop OneDrive from syncing my Documents is an easy question that can be done in a few steps. You can choose to stop OneDrive sync temporarily or disable OneDrive on your computer permanently. Learn how to prevent OneDrive syncing my Documents below.

Way 1. Pause OneDrive Sync Temporarily

To stop OneDrive syncing certain files and folders in a short time, the best option is to use the “Pause” option. This can help you troubleshoot OneDrive when OneDrive is always syncing or OneDrive does not sync certain files.

To pause OneDrive and stop OneDrive sync the Documents folder, you could follow the steps below:

Step 1. Tap on the OneDrive icon on the menu bar, and click Help & Settings.

Step 2. Click on Pause Syncing and select how long you want to stop OneDrive sync.

Way 2. Disable Network Connection

OneDrive is an online file storage platform, which means it requires a stable internet connection to upload files correctly. If you want to let OneDrive stop syncing Documents folder quickly, you can cut off your Wi-Fi or metered network connection to get that.

Way 3. Remove Documents Folder from OneDrive Backup

The OneDrive desktop app allows you to backup important PC folders, like Documents, Pictures, and Desktop to OneDrive. If you want to stop syncing Documents to OneDrive permanently, you can simply remove the Documents folder from OneDrive backup.

Step 1. Go to OneDrive settings on the desktop app.

Step 2. Select Sync and backup and click on Manage backup.

Step 3. Toggle the switch next to Documents to stop backing it up and click Save changes.

Way 4. Choose not to Sync Documents to Computer

If the reason why you want to stop OneDrive syncing my Documents is that the local-synced files eat up a lot of hard drive space. You are able to choose only these needed folders to remain on computer, so to make OneDrive keep files online only to save local storage space.

Step 1. Open OneDrive Settings and head to the Account tab.

Step 2. Click on Choose folders.

Step 3. Untick the folder that you don’t want to sync to PC and hit OK.

Way 5. Unlink Account to Turn off OneDrive Sync Permanently

How to stop OneDrive sync permanently? If you want to get how to stop syncing a folder in OneDrive, like Documents, completely, you’d better use the “unlink” function.

This could totally disconnect the computer from your OneDrive account, making it possible for you to use OneDrive for backup only without synchronizing data locally. This can also prevent accidental file deletion and unwanted file synchronizations.

Notes:✎...

You can also try to quit OneDrive to stop syncing folders, just click Help & Settings > Quit OneDrive. But you should be aware that if you set autostart for OneDrive, it may start itself and resume file syncing when you next turn on your computer.

Step 1. Click Help & Settings and then Settings.

Step 2. Tap the Unlink this PC button on the Account page.

Step 3. Then, hit Unlink account to confirm it.

Way 6. Uninstall OneDrive

Uninstalling OneDrive is another way for how do I stop OneDrive from syncing without deleting. In order to avoid loss of OneDrive files after the uninstallation, we strongly recommend that you save the data to other locations on the hard disk or other hard disks beforehand.

Then, go on with the following guide to uninstall OneDrive and stop OneDrive from syncing Documents:

Step 1. Search for “control panel” in the Windows search box and open it.

Step 2. Select Uninstall a program beneath Programs.

Step 3. Locate Microsoft OneDrive, right-click it, and press Uninstall.

Try CBackup to Sync Folders to OneDrive More Flexibly

For more flexibility in syncing files to OneDrive, we strongly recommend you use the CBackup free cloud backup service. This tool gives you the ability to automatically upload files to OneDrive from any location selectively, and it will not create local file copies on your computer. To stop OneDrive syncing my Documents or other folders, you can simply not add them to the sync directory.

You can also take a look at other powerful features of CBackup:

• In addition to OneDrive, CBackup supports you to upload to Dropbox, Google Drive, and more mainstream cloud drives.

• It also provides you with backing up files to CBackup Cloud, which gives 5GB of free backup space for every account, OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox.

• It offers flexible sync schedules, such as one time only, daily, weekly, and monthly, so you can perform OneDrive schedule sync for certain files according to your needs.

• It is widely compatible with all Windows operating systems, including Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, and XP.

How to synchronize folders and files to OneDrive with CBackup:

Step 1. Download and install CBackup on your computer. Sign up for it and log in.

Step 2. To sync files to OneDrive, click Storage > OneDrive > Authorize Now to add your OneDrive account to this software.

Step 3. Go to the Sync section and select Sync PC to Public Cloud.

Step 4. Select the folders and files to sync, and choose a OneDrive folder as the destination. Then, hit Start Sync to upload to OneDrive instantly.

★Tips:

To set up an auto sync to OneDrive, click Settings and enable Scheduler to select an appropriate sync mode.

If you want to exclude files from OneDrive sync, you can use the File Filter in CBackup Settings to exclude file types easily.

In the End

That’s all about how to stop OneDrive syncing my Documents. You can try any of the above methods to stop OneDrive from syncing specific folder without deleting them. If you need a more flexible and simple solution to sync files to OneDrive, CBackup is a nice option. You can download it and give it a try!