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Microsoft is automatically turning on OneDrive Backup in new Windows 11 installations.
Your files aren't stolen -- they've just been moved to a new folder and synced to the cloud.
This article includes step-by-step instructions to turn off OneDrive Backup and reset your local folders.
Microsoft is getting more aggressive about tying its flagship productivity products to the Microsoft cloud. In the most recent release of Windows 11, the OneDrive Backup feature is turned on automatically when you sign in with a Microsoft account; as a result, some of the most common data folders -- Documents, Pictures, and Desktop -- are moved out of their normal location and into OneDrive.
When I looked at this feature a year ago, Microsoft's setup procedure for a new account on Windows 11, (also known as the Out of Box Experience, or OOBE) included an option labeled "Only save files to this PC." It was a small link, easy to miss, but it was there.
Also: Is OneDrive sending your Windows files to the cloud? Here's why
On the latest public releases of Windows 11, that option is gone. When you get to the page where you add your Microsoft account, there's a paragraph of extremely fine print that includes this text: "We'll also back up your files and photos on this device to OneDrive to help keep them safe."
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