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If you don't pay careful attention when setting up a new Windows PC or completing installation after a feature update, you could find many of your data files suddenly relocated to the cloud. That might be a good thing, or it might be a mess. And, of course, Microsoft is frustratingly unhelpful when it comes to explaining how this feature works.
Also: How to upgrade your 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11: Two ways
Should this happen to you, please follow the one simple rule Douglas Adams set down so many years ago: Don't panic. Before you do anything, it helps to understand exactly what's going on.
Which folders are affected? When you set up a new user account on a Windows PC, Windows creates a set of standard folders for you: Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Music, Videos. These "known folders" are stored on your system drive, as part of your user profile (C:\Users\Username), just as they have been in every version of Windows for the past few decades. Also: The ultimate Windows 11 upgrade guide: Everything you need to know When you sign in with a Microsoft account on Windows 10 or 11, Windows creates one additional folder in your profile, OneDrive, and gives that folder a prominent link in the navigation bar on the left side of File Explorer. When you sign in to OneDrive for the first time, that folder's name changes to reflect your username. After setup is complete, clicking Home in File Explorer should look something like this: Show more
This is what a fresh user profile looks like in Windows 11. Notice the wording under all those standard folders: "Stored locally". Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNET
The label under each of those known folders tells you they're stored locally. All well and good, right?
Well, yes, until OneDrive decides to get involved.
Windows really wants you to back up your folders to OneDrive When you set up a brand-new PC, it's all too easy to blow right past the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) screen for this feature, which encourages you to click the "Back up now" button, as shown here. Show more
If you click the "Back up now" button, some of your files move to the OneDrive folder and begin syncing to the cloud. Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNET
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