Stop OneDrive Backup in Windows 11

Of course, the EU has no intention of following the US down the path of a trade war with China.

OneDrive is one such service, which Microsoft created and manages. When you install Windows 11, you get a file-storage-and-sync service that lets you back up, synchronize, and retrieve your photos, documents, and other data across all devices connected to it.

You can save your important files and access them from anywhere using the cloud storage service OneDrive or the OneDrive storage that comes with Windows 11. However, the “Backup and Restore” and “File History” options in the Windows 11 Settings no longer exist. You'll have to access them through the Settings menu, as Microsoft has replaced the backup feature in Settings with OneDrive syncing.

What's the difference between OneDrive on Windows 10 and Windows 11? Functionally, not much. The only difference is that in Windows 11, there's now a OneDrive entry in Settings.

How to Disable OneDrive Backup in Windows 11

Instead of permanently removing OneDrive, you can choose to pause it. You can pause background sync in OneDrive for up to 2 hours, 8 hours, or 24 hours, including uploads and downloads.

1. Stop using OneDrive from the navigation bar

First, tap the More options button (the icon that looks like a triangle made of three lines) in the bottom-right corner of the Status bar (the area at the bottom of the screen that usually shows the time, network status, and notifications), then tap OneDrive (or the button with the cloud icon).

If the OneDrive overlay isn't visible in the system tray, click the “Microsoft (Start)” icon, type “OneDrive” in the search box, and then click OneDrive in the results.

2. This will open the OneDrive folder. Close this folder, then click the “More” button in the top-right corner of the navigation pane.

Step 3: You'll see the Microsoft OneDrive icon. Click on it, and then, in the OneDrive window, select “Help & Settings.”

Then, click Suspend sync and choose the length of time you want syncing to be disabled.

This will pause the synchronization for the specified time, after which it will automatically resume.

How to Set Up OneDrive Automatic Backup in Windows 11/10/8/7

This page offers solutions to set up OneDrive automatic backup in Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP. Meanwhile, a more straightforward method - using the tool Todo Backup - will also be listed if you prefer an easier way to back up.

2. Stop OneDrive from Starting Automatically

When you turn on your computer and log in to Windows 11, OneDrive starts running immediately. You can disable OneDrive from launching at startup in Windows 11 through the OneDrive settings, the app itself, or Task Manager.

To prevent OneDrive from starting automatically,

Step 1: Click the overflow menu and select the OneDrive icon.

Step 2: Then, from the displayed options, choose 'Settings' from 'Help & Settings'.

Step 3: In the Microsoft OneDrive window, go to the Settings page and uncheck the box for Start OneDrive automatically when I log on to Windows.

Step 4: Press the OK button.

Use Windows Settings to stop OneDrive

You can easily prevent OneDrive from starting automatically when Windows 11 boots up by disabling it from the Startup Apps list in the Settings app.

Step 1: Right-click the Windows icon and select "Settings," or use the Windows + I shortcut to open Settings.

Step 2: In the left sidebar, click on Apps, then select Startup Apps on the right.

Step 3: Then, under the Startup tab, slide the toggle next to Microsoft OneDrive to Off.

4. Stop OneDrive using Task Manager If you need to stop OneDrive from running, you can do so using the Task Manager. Here's how: 1. First, press `Ctrl + Shift + Esc` on your keyboard to open the Task Manager. 2. In the Task Manager window, click on the "Details" tab. If you don't see it, you may need to click on the "More details" button in the top-left corner to expand the view. 3. Within the processes, locate `OneDrive.exe`. It might appear as "Microsoft OneDrive" or simply "OneDrive." 4. Select the OneDrive process and click on the "End Task" button in the bottom-right corner. 5. A confirmation dialog will appear; click "End Task" to confirm. Please note that this will only temporarily stop OneDrive from running. It will start again when you restart your computer or if the OneDrive service automatically resumes. To disable OneDrive permanently, you may need to make further configurations in the Services management or System settings.

You can also use the Task Manager to remove OneDrive from the list of startup programs. Open Task Manager by searching for "Task Manager" in the Windows search bar, pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc, or right-clicking the Start button and selecting "Task Manager."

Step 1. From the Task Manager window, click on the "Startup" tab.

Step 2: To prevent it from running at startup, right-click on "Microsoft OneDrive" and select "Disable", or choose the Microsoft OneDrive add-on.

Step 3: Click the "Disable" switch in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

When you reopen the device, OneDrive won't start automatically. After that, it runs only when you start it explicitly.

Online Backup vs. Offline Backup

Offline backup

Any method of data preservation that is both localized and does not require an internet connection is considered an “offline backup.” This includes disks, Blu-rays, hard drive storage, external drives, USB sticks, and memory cards, among others. Each type of backup usually has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages

Speed of backup and restore: No matter how you back up, downloading or retrieving 200 GB will take some time. Offline backups can be faster than online ones for uploading and restoring data, which with the latter depends almost entirely on the quality of your internet service.

Easy to access: Most people would keep an offline backup copy at home or in the office. You would just plug in an external hard drive or insert a USB thumb drive, and your files would start backing up immediately.

Portability: Most offline-backup devices are small and light enough to be kept in a bedside drawer or carried in a briefcase, enhancing their safety by dint of sheer mobility.

Greater security: An offline backup is safe from cyberattack as long as the drive to which it is connected is not hooked up to the Internet.

Drawbacks

Fragile: Any major disaster, or even a spilled cup of water, can destroy the most expensive and sophisticated offline backup media. Given the physical vulnerability of CDs and external hard drives, it is not a good idea to rely on them alone to store your information – once they are damaged, your data are gone for good.

Vulnerable to theft: Though most offline backups are worth less than thousands of dollars, they could be sold for a reasonable price on eBay or even at a pawnshop, making them attractive to thieves. And many such backups are not encrypted and require no authentication, meaning that a thief could easily access any personal information you have stored on them.

Online Backup

In recent years, online backup services have proliferated, offering individuals and organizations a range of options and packages. While each provider has its own strengths and weaknesses, some general points apply to cloud storage.

Advantages

Encryption: Any reputable online backup service will encrypt your data with strong encryption – such as 256-bit AES or 448-bit Blowfish – while it's in transit. This is the same kind of encryption used by corporations and governments!

Access anywhere, anytime: With Wi-Fi available in almost every playground, restaurant, café, and alleyway, data is now easy to get at. And many companies have gone beyond standard web-based interfaces and client applications to develop mobile apps that make it easier and faster to view files on the go than to carry around external drives.

Keeps your information safe: Even if there's a tornado or theft, your personal details are securely stored in the cloud.

Drawbacks

No direct control: When you move data to the cloud, whether it's iCloud, JustCloud, or something else, you are placing a huge amount of trust in your preferred provider – an unsettling thought for some. On a minor level, that means you have less control over it than you would with an external drive sitting next to your computer. More seriously, it means that if their systems go down, your data goes down with them.

Dependent on the network: This is a big one, but there's no getting around it. If your connection goes down, you can't back up or retrieve your files.

Conclusions

File History and Backup and Restore in Windows 11 have been supplanted by OneDrive in Settings, which lets you easily sync local files to an online backup and vice versa. Online backup is clearly the new trend in data protection, but it's best to have both online and offline backups. For an offline backup, for those who don't want to spend too much time learning how to use software, tools like Todo Backup are a perfect choice. It's simple, clean, secure, and powerful.