How to Remove “Start backup” from File Explorer in Windows 11

To remove the Start backup reminder in File Explorer, open a folder where it appears, right-click Start backup (also shown as Start back up on some builds) in the address bar, and choose Turn off. Choose Snooze only when you want to hide the reminder temporarily. This documented control is available on Windows 11 24H2 builds that include Microsoft’s KB5052093 servicing changes and is offered when OneDrive folder backup is not already active.

The File Explorer command hides the reminder; it does not by itself stop folders from synchronizing with OneDrive. To stop that synchronization, change the folder selections under OneDrive’s Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup.

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What the “Start backup” message means

File Explorer’s address bar can display a Start backup prompt when Windows detects that common user folders are eligible for OneDrive PC folder backup. Depending on the Windows build, the text may read Start back up. Selecting the prompt opens OneDrive’s folder-backup setup rather than creating a local Windows backup.

OneDrive’s PC folder-backup feature can synchronize folders such as Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos, and Music to your OneDrive storage. The reminder is therefore a signpost to that cloud-sync configuration, not a warning that File Explorer itself is failing or that your files are currently being deleted.

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There are two separate decisions:

• Reminder visibility: whether File Explorer shows the Start backup prompt.
• Folder synchronization: whether OneDrive is backing up selected Windows folders.

Turning off the reminder addresses only the first decision. If your objective is to stop OneDrive from handling folders, use the Manage backup controls described below.

Remove the reminder with the supported Windows control

Microsoft documents a right-click command for this feature in the KB5052093 release notes. It is the preferred method because it is a normal Windows interface setting rather than a registry edit.

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Browse to a folder in which the address bar shows Start backup or Start back up.
3. Right-click the reminder text in the address bar. Make sure you click the reminder itself, not an empty area of the address bar and not the folder name.
4. Select Turn off.
5. Close and reopen the folder, or navigate away and back, to confirm that the prompt is no longer displayed.

Turn off is the persistent choice exposed by this menu. It removes the recurring File Explorer reminder for that user account and build. It does not uninstall OneDrive, remove files, or change any folder’s synchronization state.

Use Snooze when you only need a temporary reprieve

Select Snooze from the same right-click menu when you want to postpone the reminder rather than disable it. Snooze is intended as a temporary hide option; Windows can show the prompt again later. Use it when you are postponing a decision about OneDrive, sharing a PC temporarily, or troubleshooting the backup setup.

When “Turn off” is missing

If the right-click menu contains no Turn off or Snooze command, the computer may be running an older Windows build, may not have the relevant servicing update, or may be using an account/build combination for which the control has not been enabled. The command is not guaranteed merely because File Explorer displays a Start backup label.

Check the Windows version and servicing level

1. Press Windows key + R, type winver, and press Enter.
2. Check that the edition is Windows 11 and note the version and OS build shown in the dialog.
3. Run Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates, install applicable updates, and restart when Windows requests it.
4. Open File Explorer again and right-click the reminder.

KB5052093 describes this reminder control for Windows 11 24H2 servicing. A device on a different release, a delayed enterprise update ring, or a staged feature rollout may not expose the same menu. Do not assume that manually editing the registry is necessary until Windows Update and a restart have been completed.

Confirm that you are clicking the correct element

The command appears only when the reminder is visible in the address bar. It will not appear in the ordinary folder context menu, the left navigation pane, or the three-dot File Explorer menu. Open a folder that visibly contains the Start backup text, then right-click directly on those words.

Account and policy limitations

The reminder is tied to the signed-in Windows user and OneDrive state. On a managed PC, an organization may control OneDrive, Windows Update, or Explorer policies. If the prompt is present but its context menu is restricted, contact the administrator rather than changing a system-wide policy or registry key.

Stop OneDrive from backing up folders

Use this procedure when you want to stop synchronization itself. It is independent of the File Explorer reminder switch.

1. Find the OneDrive cloud icon in the Windows notification area. If it is hidden, select the notification-area overflow arrow.
2. Select the cloud icon, then select Settings.
3. Open Sync and backup.
4. Select Manage backup.
5. Review the listed Windows folders and turn off backup for each folder you no longer want OneDrive to synchronize.
6. Read the prompt about where to keep existing files, then choose the option that matches your intent: retain the files on the PC or retain them in OneDrive.
7. Allow OneDrive to finish applying the change before moving or deleting files manually.

Manage backup controls the folder relationship; it does not necessarily remove the File Explorer reminder on an older build. On a current Windows 11 24H2 build, use Turn off in the address bar as a separate step if the reminder remains.

What happens to existing files

When you stop backup for a folder, OneDrive asks how you want to handle files that are already associated with the cloud copy. Read that dialog carefully. Choosing to keep files on the PC changes their local availability, while choosing to keep them in OneDrive leaves them online and may remove local copies depending on the state of the files and the option selected. Do not empty the local folder until you have verified where the files now reside.

Folders covered by PC folder backup

Windows Backup documentation identifies common user folders that can be synchronized through this feature:

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• Desktop
• Documents
• Pictures
• Videos
• Music

The exact choices shown in Manage backup can vary with the OneDrive account, Windows configuration, and current client version. Only turn off the folders you have reviewed; a folder can contain files that other applications expect to find at its normal Windows path.

Supported control versus registry workaround

The two approaches have different scope and support status. Use the File Explorer menu whenever it is available.

These methods are not interchangeable. Disabling a reminder does not disable OneDrive backup, and disabling folder backup does not guarantee that an older File Explorer build will stop showing its prompt.

Older-build registry workaround

For systems that lack the right-click commands, Microsoft Q&A and Microsoft Community participants have reported a per-user registry workaround. It is unsupported compared with the documented UI, and it may stop working after a Windows update. Use it only when the supported command is unavailable and you are comfortable restoring a registry backup.

Before editing the registry

• Sign in to the Windows account that displays the reminder; the change is under HKEY_CURRENT_USER and is not a machine-wide setting.
• Create a restore point or, at minimum, export the specific OneDrive registry key before changing anything.
• Close File Explorer windows and OneDrive settings dialogs.
• Do not delete unrelated values or keys while navigating to the target location.

Apply the reported change

1. Press Windows key + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Approve the User Account Control prompt.
2. In Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StorageProvider\OneDrive.
3. In the right pane, look for the value named StorageProviderKnownFolderSyncInfoSourceFactory.
4. Export the OneDrive key: right-click the key in the left pane, choose Export, and save the .reg file somewhere you can find later.
5. If the value exists, right-click StorageProviderKnownFolderSyncInfoSourceFactory and choose Delete, or rename it so the original name is preserved in the exported backup.
6. Close Registry Editor.
7. Restart Windows Explorer. You can sign out and back in, restart the computer, or use Task Manager to restart the Windows Explorer process.

If the named value is absent, this workaround does not apply. Do not create a replacement value based on guesswork. Windows updates can recreate the value or alter the behavior, so a registry change is not a permanent substitute for the supported menu.

Restore the registry change

If OneDrive or File Explorer behaves unexpectedly, double-click the exported .reg file and accept the import prompts, or restore the value manually under the same key. Restart Windows Explorer after restoring it. If you exported the entire key, importing that file returns the saved values for that user account; avoid importing a file from a different Windows account.

Verify what changed

After using Turn off, open several folders and check the address bar. The reminder should no longer be offered in the locations where it appeared. Then open OneDrive’s Sync and backup > Manage backup page and verify the folder switches separately. This two-part check prevents a common mistake: assuming that a hidden prompt proves that synchronization has stopped.

If the reminder returns

• Confirm that you selected Turn off, not Snooze.
• Check whether Windows recently installed an update or the device changed to another user account.
• Verify that OneDrive is signed in to the account you intended to configure.
• On an older build, expect a registry workaround to be reset by servicing and use the supported control after it becomes available.

If files appear in unexpected locations

Stop moving or deleting files until you inspect OneDrive’s Manage backup status and the folder’s local path. Disabling synchronization can leave files in OneDrive, on the PC, or in both places depending on the choice made in the confirmation dialog. Check the OneDrive web or local folder view before treating a missing shortcut or an online-only file as lost data.

Use File History for a local backup instead

Turning off OneDrive folder backup does not leave you without every backup option. Microsoft documents File History as a separate local/manual approach that uses a connected backup drive.

1. Connect an external hard drive or SSD with enough capacity for the files you want to protect.
2. Open the File History settings available in your Windows installation and select the connected drive as the backup destination.
3. Review the folders included by File History and adjust them to match your needs.
4. Use the documented Run now action to start a manual backup.
5. Keep the drive connected long enough for the initial copy to complete, then disconnect it when it is not being used so a device failure or ransomware event is less likely to affect both the computer and backup.

File History is a local backup path, not a way to remove the File Explorer reminder. The reminder must still be turned off with the address-bar command, or handled with the older-build workaround when that command is unavailable.

Which option should you choose?

• You only dislike the address-bar prompt: Right-click it and choose Turn off.
• You want the prompt hidden for now: Choose Snooze.
• You do not want OneDrive copying Desktop, Documents, or other folders: Open OneDrive Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup and turn off the selected folders, then respond carefully to the file-location prompt.
• You are on an older build with no menu choices: Update Windows first. If the control remains unavailable, consider the community registry procedure only after exporting the relevant key.
• You want local backups without folder synchronization: Configure File History with a connected backup drive; treat this as a separate backup decision.

The safest sequence is to use the documented File Explorer command for the reminder, manage OneDrive folders in OneDrive’s own settings, and reserve registry editing for older systems where the supported control is genuinely absent.

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