Thanasis Zovoilis/Getty Images
Summary List PlacementOneDrive is an essential part of Microsoft's Office suite, but there are a lot of reasons why you might want to disable the cloud storage service on your PC – not the least of which is that keeping your files in sync with OneDrive can slow down your computer.
Depending on why you want to disable OneDrive, you may want to disable the service temporarily or remove it permanently.
How to temporarily pause OneDrive on a PCYou can disable OneDrive for a period of time, which can be handy if you're not on Wi-Fi and have to pay for your internet access, or if you suspect OneDrive is slowing down your PC and you need to speed it up temporarily.
1. Click the OneDrive icon in the notification area of the taskbar in the lower right corner of your PC desktop.
2. In the OneDrive window, click "Help & Settings."
3. In the menu, click "Pause Syncing" and then choose 2, 8, or 24 hours.
Dave Johnson/Business Insider
4. OneDrive will be disabled for that time and start working again normally afterwards. You can re-enable OneDrive sooner by returning to "Help & Settings" and choosing "Resume Syncing."
How to permanently disable OneDrive on a PC by unlinking itIf you unlink your computer from OneDrive, any other devices linked to OneDrive will continue to sync normally, and no files will be deleted from your PC or OneDrive. But it will disable OneDrive on this PC so files are no longer kept in sync.
1. Click the OneDrive icon in the notification area of the taskbar in the lower right corner of your PC desktop.
2. In the OneDrive window, click "Help & Settings."
3. In the menu, click "Settings."
Dave Johnson/Business Insider
4. The OneDrive Settings window will appear. On the "Account" tab, click "Unlink this PC," and then confirm you want to do this by clicking "Unlink account."
Dave Johnson/Business Insider
How to uninstall OneDrive from your PCAfter unlinking OneDrive, you can keep OneDrive installed on your PC in case you want to re-enable it later, or you can delete the app from the computer.
1. In the Start search box, type "remove" and then select "Add or remove programs" when it appears in the search results.
2. Scroll down to find "Microsoft OneDrive" and click it.
3. Click "Uninstall."
Dave Johnson/Business Insider
Product Embed:Product Name: Samsung Chromebook 4+
Card Type: small
https://produktor.businessinsider.com/productCardService?id=5e1dfe1024fe12793569ebb3&type=small&live=true
Width: 100%
Height: 150%Product Embed:
Product Name: Microsoft Office 365
Card Type: small
https://produktor.businessinsider.com/productCardService?id=5e32061962fa813ae3629359&type=small&live=true
Width: 100%
Height: 150% Related coverage from Tech Reference:
- How to get the Microsoft Office Suite on your iPhone and use certain apps for free
- How to get all of the Microsoft Office suite apps on an Android device for free or with a paid subscription
- Yes, you can use Microsoft Word on a Chromebook — here's how to install it
- How to sign out of iCloud on all of your devices at once to keep your account secure
- How to cancel an iCloud storage plan in 3 ways and revert to the default storage or otherwise downgrade
NOW WATCH: How the suicide hotline saved my life
See Also:
- Why is my PC so slow? 7 ways to speed up a lagging computer
- Why won't my PC turn on? 10 ways to troubleshoot your Windows computer when it fails to start
- How to turn off autocorrect on a Windows computer and disable its built-in spell check and highlight tools
SEE ALSO: The best all-in-one PCs you can buy