[9 Ways] How to Stop OneDrive from Syncing?

Quick Search:

• Why Need to Stop OneDrive from Syncing?
• [9 Ways] How to Stop OneDrive from Syncing?
• Bonus Tip: Best Way to Transfer OneDrive to Other Clouds
• Conclusion

Why Need to Stop OneDrive from Syncing?

No matter which situation you are in, you might need to turn off OneDrive syncing.

• Sometimes, OneDrive keeps syncing your files as cloud backup but with slow speed; it seems never to finish.
• Sometimes, you may choose the wrong items to sync to OneDrive. 
• Or, OneDrive has been automatically syncing files that you don’t want to.

[9 Ways] How to Stop OneDrive from Syncing?

Sick of OneDrive constantly syncing files in the background? You're not alone. While Microsoft OneDrive is super helpful for backing up and accessing files across devices, it’s not always welcome. Whether it’s draining your internet bandwidth or hogging system resources, there are times when you just want it to stop.

In this guide, I’ll show you 9 foolproof ways to stop OneDrive from syncing—plus a bonus tip. Whether you're looking for a temporary fix or a permanent solution, you're covered.

Method 1. Pause OneDrive Syncing Temporarily

If you want to temporarily and quickly suspend OneDrive’s work, rely on its Pause feature to do so.

Step 1. Click the OneDrive icon in your taskbar.

Step 2. Hit the Settings gear, then select Pause syncing.

Step 3. Choose a time frame: 2, 8, or 24 hours.

Method 2. Unlink OneDrive Account

Want to cut ties without deleting anything? This is your move. Unlinking stops all sync activity but leaves your files untouched on your device. Here’s how:

Step 1. Click the OneDrive icon > Settings.

Step 2. Go to the Account tab.

Step 3. Click Unlink this PC.

Done. OneDrive won’t touch your files unless you relink.

Method 3. Disable Sync for Specific Folders

You don’t have to stop everything. Pick and choose what gets synced.

Step 1. Open OneDrive settings.

Step 2. Under the Account tab, click Choose folders.

Step 3. Uncheck folders you don’t want to sync.

This is perfect if only a few things are causing issues.

Method 4: Stop OneDrive from Starting at Boot

OneDrive kicking in every time your PC starts? Let’s fix that.

Step 1. Open OneDrive settings.

Step 2. Under the Settings tab, uncheck Start OneDrive automatically....

Step 3. Hit OK.

Next time you reboot, OneDrive will stay put.

Method 5: Use Group Policy Editor (Windows Pro)

Looking for a more permanent fix? If you’re on Windows Pro or Enterprise, this method is gold.

Step 1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter.

Step 2. Navigate to:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > OneDrive

Step 3. Double-click Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage.

Step 4. Choose Enabled > Apply > OK.

This disables OneDrive system-wide.

Method 6: Use Registry Editor (Advanced)

Tech-savvy? This method’s for you.

Step 1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.

Step 2. Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\OneDrive

Step 3. Right-click and create a DWORD (32-bit) Value named DisableFileSyncNGSC.

Step 4. Set the value to 1.

Restart your computer and OneDrive will stop syncing.

Method 7: Disable File On-Demand

This one often flies under the radar but can affect sync performance and drive space. With File On-Demand, OneDrive shows files that aren’t really on your device. Disabling it downloads everything, which can slow you down.

To turn it off:

Step 1. Open OneDrive settings.

Step 2. Go to the Settings tab.

Step 3. Uncheck Save space and download files as you use them.

Method 8: Disable OneDrive via Task Manager

Need a quick kill? Task Manager has your back.

Step 1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.

Step 2. Find Microsoft OneDrive under Processes.

Step 3. Right-click > End Task.

This stops it immediately—until you restart your system.

Method 9: Uninstall OneDrive Completely

If you’re done with OneDrive, uninstalling is the cleanest break.

Step 1. Press Win + I to open Settings.

Step 2. Go to Apps > Installed apps.

Step 3. Find Microsoft OneDrive and click Uninstall.

Poof! No more sync. No more OneDrive.

Bonus Tip: Best Way to Transfer OneDrive to Other Clouds

When you stop OneDrive from syncing, do you need to transfer important data to other cloud drives? MultCloud, a multiple cloud storage manager based on the web page, can help you easily and automatically transfer, sync or backup data between up to 30+ cloud accounts. such as:

Dropbox, Dropbox Business, Google Drive, Google Workspace, Google Photos, iCloud Photos, iCloud Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, MEGA, Flickr, Box, Box for Business, pCloud, Amazon S3, Wasabi, SugarSync, 4shared, Icedrive, Evernote, CloudMe, Cubby, MyDrive, WEB.DE, Yandex, HiDrive, MySQL, Egnyte, Putio, Backblaze, MediaFire, ownCloud, ADrive, Baidu, even NAS, WebDAV, FTP/SFTP, Shared with me and Shared Drive.

Let's see how it works.

Step 1. Create one MultCloud account. And, sign into it

Step 2. Add OneDrive to MultCloud. Then, add other cloud accounts to MultCloud in the same way.

Step 3. Click "Cloud Transfer", choose files or folders in OneDrive as source, then select the subdirectories in another cloud account as the destination. Finally, click "Transfer Now".

Moreover, you can sync files directly from one OneDrive to another without downloading and re-uploading by using "Cloud Sync".

If you are interested in other features, you can learn more details below.

Conclusion

If you need to stop OneDrive from syncing while using OneDrive, the 9 methods mentioned in this article can help you do it easily. During the operation, to prevent data damage and loss, you can use MultCloud to transfer important data from OneDrive to other cloud accounts in advance.