How Do I Store Files on My Computer and Not OneDrive?

It should be less confusing than it is.

This question should have a simple answer. And for the most part, it does.

However, Microsoft is not one for simple answers, and they’ve set up OneDrive in ways that can easily confuse users.

OneDrive or not OneDrive?

To avoid having OneDrive manage your files, save them outside the OneDrive folder on your computer. Files within the OneDrive folder sync online automatically, while those outside it stay on your PC only. To control where files go, double-check the save location and adjust app default settings if needed.

One rule to guide them

It seems so simple.

• OneDrive manages files anywhere within the OneDrive folder.
• OneDrive does not impact any files outside of the OneDrive folder.

This rule is simple and accurate.

Files you place anywhere within the OneDrive folder will be managed by the OneDrive app on your PC. That means they will be synchronized with OneDrive.com online and to other computers using the same OneDrive account. It also means changes made on computers using the same OneDrive account appear on your computer. Since deleting a file in one place will delete it in all places, deleting a file within your OneDrive on another machine or online will cause it to be deleted on your PC.

Files not placed within the OneDrive folder — in other words, anywhere else — are not affected by OneDrive. Period.

So if you want your files to be unaffected by OneDrive, don’t put them in the OneDrive folder. Easy peasy. Right?

The OneDrive folder

We need to be clear about what I mean by “the OneDrive folder” on your PC.

The OneDrive folder is like any other folder on your computer’s hard disk. While its full path is typically hidden by Windows File Explorer, as shown above, you’ll always find it in a normal location like any other folder. For example, the location of the OneDrive folder in the example above is:

C:\Users\askle\OneDrive

It’s just hidden by the “OneDrive – Personal” shortcut. If you click on “OneDrive – Personal” in the address bar, you’ll see a tool-tip displaying the full physical path of OneDrive on your hard disk.

“Anywhere within”

When I refer to your OneDrive folder, that includes any folder, sub-folder, or sub-sub-folder that lives within the OneDrive folder.

Full paths make this a little easier to understand. My OneDrive folder path is:

C:\Users\askle\OneDrive

Any files I place there will be acted on by the OneDrive application.

C:\Users\askle\OneDrive\MyWordDocuments

“MyWordDocuments” is a folder within my OneDrive folder. Any document I save in  MyWordDocuments will be managed by OneDrive because it is inside my OneDrive folder.

Any file whose location begins with the path to my OneDrive folder is within my OneDrive folder.

C:\Users\askle\OneDrive – my OneDrive folder
C:\Users\askle\OneDrive\MyWordDocuments – a folder within my OneDrive folder
C:\Users\askle\OneDrive\MyWordDocuments\adocument.docx – a document within a folder within my OneDrive folder

These are all examples of files and folders that will be synchronized with OneDrive.com online because they all live within my OneDrive folder.

“Anywhere else”

The opposite rule of thumb, then, is this: any file whose location does not begin with the path to my OneDrive folder is not within my OneDrive. OneDrive will not touch, copy, modify, or delete these files. They are completely outside of OneDrive’s sphere of influence.

Thus, these are all examples of files and folders that are not within my OneDrive:

C:\Users\askle\NOTOneDrive
C:\Users\askle\MyWorkingDocuments
C:\Users\askle\MyWorkingDocuments\adocumentononlymymachine.docx
C:\MyData
D:\MyWorkData

That’s all it takes. Just don’t put your files anywhere within the OneDrive folder, and OneDrive will leave them alone.

Or will it? This is where Microsoft takes extra pains to confuse something simple.

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The Documents folder confusion

You’ll note that I did not use the popular “Documents” folder in my examples above. That’s because if you turn the OneDrive backup “feature”1 on, the Documents folder is moved from outside your OneDrive folder to inside your OneDrive folder.

Before the backup “feature” is turned on, “Documents” refers to:

C:\Users\askle\Documents

After the backup “feature” is turned on, “Documents” refers to:

C:\Users\askle\OneDrive\Documents

This simple rule still applies:

• OneDrive manages files anywhere within the OneDrive folder.
• Files outside of the OneDrive folder are not impacted by OneDrive.

Microsoft has moved the location of your Documents folder from a location OneDrive doesn’t operate on to one that it does.

Just looking at “Documents” in Windows File Explorer doesn’t tell you where it lives. However, if you click on “Documents” in the address bar, the true location is exposed.

The upshot is that if the OneDrive backup “feature” is turned on, then the files you place in your Documents folder (and possibly your Pictures, Desktop, Music, and Videos folders, depending on the choices made in the OneDrive backup “feature” configuration) live within OneDrive and will be synchronized to OneDrive.com.

It’s incredibly easy to overlook.

It gets worse. Even if you turn the OneDrive backup “feature” off, files and folders are not moved back to where they came from. What was placed within your OneDrive folder remains within your OneDrive folder.

It’s a confusing mess.

Application defaults

Microsoft Office apps have become increasingly aggressive about storing things in your OneDrive folders. For example, saving a newly created document defaults to the OneDrive folder.

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You can explicitly choose a different location, but it’s often an inconvenient sequence of the dialog above followed by:

• Clicking More options…
• Clicking More locations…
• Clicking Browse…

“Browse” brings up the traditional Save-as dialog that allows you to specify the file’s location and name.

Instead of awkwardly choosing a non-OneDrive location each time you want to save a new file, you can typically change the default save location in your application settings. How Do I Disable OneDrive in Office 365? includes the steps for Office apps.

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