How to Uninstall OneDrive on Mac Without Losing Your Files

To uninstall OneDrive on Mac without losing files, let it finish syncing, download or copy any online-only files you want to keep, and stop Folder Backup for Desktop and Documents. Then choose Unlink this Mac in OneDrive's Account settings, quit OneDrive, drag it from Applications to the Trash, and clear the leftovers listed below.

Why dragging OneDrive to the Trash is not enough

Microsoft's Mac uninstall advice on its Turn off, disable, or uninstall OneDrive page is one line: drag the app to the Trash. That removes the app bundle only. Its sync folder, containers, cookies, updater and login item all stay behind.

Like Google Drive on Mac, OneDrive runs on Apple's File Provider system. From macOS 12.1, Microsoft says, Files On-Demand is part of macOS and cannot be turned off.

That means many files you see in Finder may be only placeholders, with the real copy in the cloud. So the bigger risk when you remove OneDrive is losing files, not leaving clutter behind.

Before you uninstall OneDrive on Mac: keep your files safe

Check that everything has finished syncing

Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the menu bar. It should show no uploads waiting, no errors and no pause. If the icon is missing, Microsoft suggests opening OneDrive with Spotlight first. Then sign in to OneDrive on the web and open two or three recent files.

Have a personal and a work account? Check each one. Each has its own settings, per Microsoft's settings guide.

Know which files are really on this Mac

Microsoft's Files On-Demand guide for Mac names three states, each with its own icon in Finder:

• Online-only: a cloud icon. The file takes no space and will not open offline.
• Locally available: it came down when you opened it, so it opens offline.
• Always available: you chose Always Keep on This Device, so it stays on your Mac.

To keep local copies, Control-click files or folders and choose Always Keep on This Device. To download everything at once, if your Mac has room for it, open Preferences and choose Download all OneDrive files now (in app version 22.033 and later). Then open a sample file to be sure it works.

Then copy, not move, what you want to keep to a folder outside OneDrive, such as on an external drive. Per Microsoft, moving files out of that folder removes them from OneDrive. For anything you could not replace, make a Time Machine backup too.

Synced to an external drive? Copy the files you kept on this device out now as well. Step 2 explains why.

Stop Folder Backup for Desktop and Documents

OneDrive can back up your Desktop and Documents folders, which needs the standalone edition. Skip this step and your Desktop can look almost empty after the uninstall. Microsoft's steps:

1. Click the OneDrive cloud icon, then the three dots, then Preferences.
2. Open the Backup tab and click Manage backup.
3. Click Stop backup for each folder, then confirm.

Microsoft says files already backed up stay in the OneDrive folder and no longer appear in your Desktop or Documents folder. A Where are my files shortcut takes their place. Microsoft's way to get them back is to open that shortcut and drag the files into your Desktop or Documents folder, but moving files out of OneDrive removes them from OneDrive online.

To keep a copy in both places, copy instead: select the files, press Command-C, open your Desktop or Documents folder, then press Command-V. Open a few of the copies to check them, all before you unlink. Personal accounts can also back up Photos and videos and Screenshots folders, so check those too.

Do not delete files from the OneDrive folder to tidy up

Microsoft says deleting an online-only file there deletes it on every device and online. Its recycle bin is no substitute for copying your files first.

On a work or school Mac, ask IT first

IT may have installed OneDrive with a tool such as Intune or Jamf, as Microsoft's deployment guide covers. If so, managed settings may bring it back. Ask your IT team before you start.

Step 1: Check which OneDrive edition you have

There are two editions: one from the Mac App Store and a standalone one from Microsoft's website or Office. Microsoft's two versions article says to install only one at a time. Your edition decides which leftovers you will find in Step 5.

Open Terminal (in Applications, then Utilities) and run Microsoft's check:

/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c 'Print CFBundleIdentifier' /Applications/OneDrive.app/Contents/Info.plist

A result of com.microsoft.OneDrive means standalone, and com.microsoft.OneDrive-mac means Mac App Store.

To find a second copy, run both of these. Each prints the path of any copy it finds:

mdfind kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier = "com.microsoft.OneDrive"
mdfind kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier = "com.microsoft.OneDrive-mac"

Step 2: Unlink this Mac (sign out of OneDrive)

Unlinking is how you sign out of OneDrive on Mac. Microsoft's steps:

1. Click the cloud icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Help & Settings (a gear or three dots, by version), then Preferences.
3. Open the Account tab and click Unlink this Mac.
4. Repeat for each account.

Microsoft says you won't lose files or data by unlinking. They stay in OneDrive online.

Microsoft's OneDrive team explains the rest in a post on Files On-Demand for macOS. Files that had data on this Mac move to a plain folder at the spot you picked when you first set up OneDrive, often in your home folder. Online-only files are not copied, and the hidden cache is removed.

On an external drive, files you kept on this device sit in that hidden cache, and unlinking removes it. That is why you copied them out first. They stay in the cloud either way.

Step 3: Quit OneDrive

Click the cloud icon, click Help & Settings, then choose Quit OneDrive. Some versions call it Close OneDrive.

If it will not quit, find it in Activity Monitor and quit the process. The guide to force quit an app on Mac covers other ways.

Step 4: Move OneDrive to the Trash

Microsoft documents no separate OneDrive uninstaller for Mac. Its method is to drag the app from Applications to the Trash. That matches Apple's advice for apps without an uninstaller, and it works for both editions.

Select the app itself, not a folder of your files. Drag it to the Trash and enter an admin password if asked.

Step 5: Remove OneDrive's leftover files and folders

In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder, paste a path and press Return. Move only the named item to the Trash. If Finder cannot find a path, your Mac does not have that item, so skip it. If you cannot see your Library folder, the guide to show hidden files on Mac explains why.

1. Sync folders in ~/Library/CloudStorage. Open each folder whose name begins OneDrive-, such as OneDrive-Personal. A banner with a Delete button means, per Microsoft, the folder is from a version no longer installed, so click Delete. No banner, or cloud icons still showing? That account may still be linked, so go back to Step 2. Trash a folder with no banner only once every account is unlinked and it holds nothing you need. Leave other apps' folders alone.
2. Your first sync location and any OneDrive (Archive) folder. These sit in your home folder, often as ~/OneDrive, and hold your own files after an unlink or reset, so they are not leftovers. Move the files where you want them, then delete the folder once it is empty.
3. ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.OneDrive-mac: the Mac App Store edition's container.
4. ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.onedrive.findersync: the Finder add-on.
5. ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.OneDriveStandaloneSuite: OneDrive's group settings, whichever edition you had.
6. ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.OfficeOneDriveSyncIntegration: shared with Office. Remove it only if Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook are going too.
7. ~/Library/Cookies/com.microsoft.onedrive.binarycookies and ~/Library/Cookies/com.microsoft.onedriveupdater.binarycookies: the app's and the updater's cookie files.
8. ~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.OneDrive.plist and ~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.OneDriveUpdater.plist, if present: the standalone app's settings.
9. /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.microsoft.onedriveupdaterdaemon.plist: the standalone updater. It needs an admin password.
10. Synced to an external drive? Microsoft's OneDrive team says a hidden cache folder starting .ODContainer sits next to the OneDrive folder on that drive. Microsoft says not to change it, so check it only after you have copied out your files and unlinked.

Items 4 to 7 and 9 come from Microsoft's Office for Mac troubleshooting article, and the settings files from its deployment guide. Leave alone any folder this list does not name. When you are done, empty the Trash and restart.

Step 6: Clear the login item, File Provider entry and Finder sidebar

Choose Apple menu > System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions. On macOS Ventura 13 and Sonoma 14 it is called Login Items.

• Open at Login: if OneDrive is still listed, select it and click the minus button.
• App Background Activity (Allow in the Background before macOS Tahoe 26): look for OneDrive entries. Leave Microsoft AutoUpdate on if other Microsoft apps stay.
• Extensions, File Providers (macOS Sequoia 15 and later): OneDrive should vanish once the app is gone. If it is still listed, restart.

In Finder, OneDrive shows under Locations and goes away after the restart. An old shortcut in Favorites from before macOS 12.1 comes off with Control-click, Remove from Sidebar.

Keep Office and Microsoft AutoUpdate if you still use Word or Excel

OneDrive often arrives with Microsoft 365, so some nearby folders belong to Office. Group containers such as UBF8T346G9.Office and UBF8T346G9.ms serve Office and Outlook, and Microsoft warns that Outlook data goes with them. Never select the whole UBF8T346G9 set.

Microsoft AutoUpdate also updates Office and Defender, as its msupdate guide lists. Leave it while any of them stay. To remove the whole suite, see how to uninstall Microsoft Office on Mac.

Confirm nothing from OneDrive is still running

Open Activity Monitor and search for OneDrive: nothing should be listed. Then run these two checks in Terminal, one for your user's jobs and one for the system. Both should print nothing:

launchctl list | grep -i onedrive
ls /Library/LaunchDaemons | grep -i onedrive

After the restart, recheck Login Items & Extensions and the Finder sidebar.

Reinstalling OneDrive cleanly later

Install one edition only, from the Mac App Store or Microsoft's website. If you are reinstalling to fix sync problems, a reset is the lighter option.

Switching editions? Microsoft's two versions article has you trash the old one, then install the other. After any reinstall, rerun both mdfind commands from Step 1. Only one path should print.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose my files if I unlink or uninstall OneDrive?

Microsoft says you won't lose files or data by unlinking or uninstalling, since they stay online. Online-only files live only in the cloud, while downloaded ones move to a plain folder when you unlink. The main risk is deleting files from the linked OneDrive folder, which deletes them everywhere. On an external drive, copy out files kept on this device before unlinking (Step 2).

Why won't my Mac let me delete OneDrive?

Most often it is still running, so quit it first. The Trash may also ask for an admin password. On a managed work Mac, IT tools can block the removal or put the app back.

Why are there two OneDrive apps on my Mac?

There is a Mac App Store edition and a standalone one, and Microsoft says to keep only one. Run the checks in Step 1 to see which copies you have.

Is it a bad idea to uninstall OneDrive?

Not once your files are safe. Microsoft's Office removal article notes you may or may not have OneDrive installed with Office, so Word and Excel do not need it. Sync and Folder Backup stop, but your Microsoft 365 plan stays: Apple notes that deleting an app doesn't cancel a subscription you bought with it.

Why do Word and Excel still show OneDrive after I remove it?

Word, Excel and PowerPoint can save straight to OneDrive through the account you use in Office, so OneDrive can still show up in their Save As box after the app is gone. To save to your Mac instead, choose File > Save As and click On My Mac, as Microsoft's guide to saving files in Office for Mac shows.

Can I turn off OneDrive without uninstalling it?

Yes. If you just do not want to use OneDrive, Microsoft says the easiest option is to unlink it, as in Step 2, and your files stay available at OneDrive.com. To stop it only for now, quit it as in Step 3. If it opens again at your next login, remove it from Open at Login as in Step 6.

Should I reset OneDrive instead of uninstalling it?

If the problem is sync, try a reset first: Microsoft's reset steps run a script inside the app that disconnects all your accounts. Files in the cloud are safe, but anything not yet synced may be lost. Afterwards you set OneDrive up again and pick your old sync location.

Removing other apps from this Mac

Google Drive works much the same way, as the guide to uninstall Google Drive on Mac shows. The guide to uninstall Dropbox on Mac covers its folder and helpers. If Word and Excel are next, start with how to uninstall Microsoft Office on Mac.

Ready for the next one? Browse all the uninstall guides and follow the same steps for every app you remove.