Don’t like OneDrive occupying separate space in File Explorer? Here are the simple steps you can follow to remove OneDrive from the File Explorer sidebar.
Whether you are using OneDrive or not, you will see it as a separate option in the File Explorer’s sidebar. Typically, you will see it right under the Quick Access section or above the This PC section. As long as you don’t uninstall OneDrive, you will see this option no matter what.
Though the option itself is pretty harmless, it can be annoying at times. This is especially true if you don’t use OneDrive. For instance, the OneDrive option in File Explorer’s sidebar pushes down the useful ‘This PC’ section. Add to that, if you are not an OneDrive user, it prompts you to sign in every time you click on the OneDrive option.
If you don’t like this kind of behavior or if you just want to remove OneDrive in File Explorer sidebar, you can do that with a simple registry edit.
In this quick and simple guide, let me show you the steps to remove OneDrive from File Explorer sidebar in Windows 10. These steps will also work in Windows 8 and Windows 7 too.
Remove OneDrive from File Explorer Sidebar
To remove OneDrive from File Explorer, follow the steps below.
1. First, open the Registry Editor. On Windows, you can do that by searching for it in the Start menu or by executing the ‘regedit’ run command.
2. Expand the “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT” folder in the registry editor. You will see this folder in the sidebar.
3. Expand the “CLSID” folder under the “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT” folder.
4. Select the “{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}” folder under the “CLSID” folder. This is the folder that lets you remove OneDrive from the sidebar.
5. Double-click on the “System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree” value on the right panel. This is the value that is responsible for showing OneDrive in the File Explorer sidebar.
6. Replace 1 with “0” in the value data field and click the “Ok” button.
7. After making the changes, close the registry editor.
8. Finally, either restart Windows 10 or restart explorer. Doing either of those things will make sure the changes are applied to the File Explorer.
That is all. With the above changes, you will no longer see the OneDrive option in the File Explorer sidebar. However, you can still access it from your user folder. The default OneDrive location is “C:\Users\username\OneDrive”. Replace ‘username’ in the path with your actual username. Of course, if you have installed OneDrive in another location then the default location path will be different.
If you want OneDrive back in the sidebar, follow the same steps but change the value data from 0 to “1” in step 6. This shows the OneDrive option in the file explorer sidebar. Also, keep in mind that the option in the sidebar will automatically reappear if you reinstall OneDrive.
I hope that helps. If you are stuck or need some help, comment below and I will try to help as much as possible. If you like this article, check out how to remove quick access from the File Explorer sidebar.
