The OneDrive cloud storage client comes pre-installed on your Windows 11 computer. By default, you'll notice a OneDrive shortcut in the left pane of File Explorer, allowing quick access to your OneDrive files and folders.

However, if you find the shortcut cluttering or ruining your File Explorer experience, you can remove it using a registry hack. Here's how to remove the OneDrive icon from File Explorer without uninstalling OneDrive.

How to Remove OneDrive Shortcut From File Explorer via the Registry Editor

You can remove the OneDrive icon from File Explorer using a registry hack. This way, you can get rid of the icon in File Explorer without uninstalling the OneDrive client. If you would rather remove the app entirely, follow our guide on removing OneDrive on Windows 11.

Note that modifying the Windows registry involves risk. We recommend you create a system restore point on Windows before you proceed with the steps below. A restore point will help you restore your computer in case something goes wrong.

Once done, follow these steps to remove the OneDrive shortcut from File Explorer:

  1. Press Win + R to open Run.
  2. Type regedit and click OK to open Registry Editor. Click Yes if prompted by User Account Control (UAC).
  3. Next, in the Registry Editor, navigate to the following location. Copy and paste the registry path in the editor for quicker navigation: 
            HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}
  4. In the right pane, right-click on System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree DWORD value and select Modify.
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  5. In the Value data field, type 0 and click OK.
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  6. Next, navigate to the following location in Registry Editor: 
            HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace
  7. In the left pane, right-click on {018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6} and select Delete to remove the entry.
    remove onedrive icon windows 11 registry editor delete key under name space
  8. Once done, close the Registry Editor.
  9. When you open File Explorer, the OneDrive icon will not be visible anymore.

How to Show the OneDrive Icon Again in File Explorer

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To show the OneDrive icon in File Explorer, you’ll need to modify a registry entry again. Here’s how to do it.

  1. Press Win + R to open Registry Editor.
  2. Next, navigate to the following location: 
            HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}
  3. In the right pane, double-click on System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree DWORD value.
  4. Next, type 1 in the Value data field and click OK to save the changes.
  5. Relaunch File Explorer to see the changes.

Remove OneDrive Icon Without Uninstalling OneDrive

This registry hack is a handy way to make the OneDrive icon disappear without deleting the app entirely from your PC. Alternatively, if you don’t use the service, you can completely remove OneDrive on Windows 11 or disable the service using Group Policy Editor.