How to Reinstall OneDrive on Windows 11

If OneDrive stops responding or you can’t open the synced folder, reinstalling the OneDrive app can usually fix it. However, reinstalling isn’t as simple as running the setup file again — you must first remove all leftover files. Here’s a step-by-step guide to completely refresh your OneDrive installation on Windows 11.

Step 1: Uninstall OneDrive Completely

Start by removing the existing installation:

Press Windows + R, type appwiz.cpl, and hit Enter.
In the list of installed apps, find Microsoft OneDrive, right-click it, and select Uninstall.
Alternatively, open Settings → Apps → Installed Apps, select Microsoft OneDrive, and uninstall it from there.
You can also uninstall it via Command Prompt (Run as Administrator):

%systemroot%\System32\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall

or use Winget:

winget uninstall Microsoft.OneDrive

This ensures that the core application files are removed from the system.

Step 2: Delete All Leftover Files

Even after uninstalling, OneDrive’s configuration and cache files may remain. To avoid conflicts during reinstallation, delete them manually:

Press Windows + R, type the paths below one by one, and delete the entire folders:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft OneDrive
C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneDrive
C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\OneDrive

Press Shift + Delete to permanently remove the files.
Restart your PC to clear the cache and reset related background services.

Step 3: Download and Install OneDrive

Now that all old files are gone, install a fresh copy of OneDrive:

Visit the official Microsoft OneDrive download page:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/onedrive/download
Click Download to get the latest OneDriveSetup.exe.
Right-click the file and select Run as administrator.
Follow the on-screen steps to complete installation.

Step 4: Reconnect and Set Up

Once installation finishes:

Open OneDrive from the Start menu or system tray.
Sign in with your Microsoft account.
Select the folder location where you want to sync your files.
Choose which folders you want to keep offline and click Next to finish setup.

Step 5: Use Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (Optional)

If you still face setup or syncing issues:

Download and run the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant:
https://aka.ms/SaRA-OneDrive
The tool automatically scans for OneDrive problems and repairs any configuration or registry errors that block installation.

Advanced Fix (Only if Setup Still Fails)

If the setup fails even after cleanup, you can force-remove residual app packages using PowerShell:

Get-AppxPackage *OneDrive* | Remove-AppxPackage

Then restart your PC and reinstall using the steps above.

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