Cloud Storage

How to Completely Uninstall Microsoft OneDrive on Mac

To remove Microsoft OneDrive, quit the app and drag it to the Trash. Deleting the application bundle does not remove your synced files or configuration data from your system.

Last updated: November 1, 20263 min read

Remove Microsoft OneDrive and everything it leaves behind

Microsoft OneDrive data usually takes 500 MB – 20 GB on a Mac. The free scan shows the exact size on your Mac before you change anything.

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Free scan · No account · Nothing is deleted without your OK · Moves to the Trash first · macOS 14+

Application: Microsoft OneDrive
Typical data size: 500 MB – 20 GB
Category: Cloud Storage
File Location: ~/Library/Application Support/OneDrive

Manual cleanup steps

Quit the app completely (⌘+Q in the menu bar).
Move Microsoft OneDrive from the Applications folder to the Trash.
Remove the folders Microsoft OneDrive left behind, listed in the table below.
Empty the Trash to free up the space.

Everything Microsoft OneDrive keeps on your Mac

7 locations. Tick each one as you remove it; back up anything marked as your data first.

~/Library/Application Support/OneDrive App data · settings, sync state and logs Yes, once the app is gone~/Library/CloudStorage Your files · OneDrive folder for each signed-in account Back up first: your data~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.OneDriveStandaloneSuite Shared container · data shared with OneDrive's Finder and File Provider extensions Yes, once the app is gone~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.OneDriveSyncClientSuite Shared container · sync client data shared with OneDrive extensions Yes, once the app is gone~/Library/Logs/OneDrive Logs · OneDrive sync logs Yes, rebuilt automatically~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.OneDrive-mac.FinderSync Sandbox container · Finder sync extension data Yes, once the app is gone~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.OneDrive.plist Settings · OneDrive settings Yes, settings reset

Locations are the standard macOS folders Microsoft OneDrive uses; some appear only after you use the matching feature.

What Microsoft OneDrive leaves behind

Specific to Microsoft OneDrive

Dragging the app to the Trash leaves behind several folders in your hidden Library directory, including settings, sync state, and logs. It also retains data shared with Finder and File Provider extensions across multiple Group Containers. Your personal data remains stored in the CloudStorage folder, which typically ranges from 500 MB – 20 GB. These items stay on your Mac until you remove those specific directories manually.

Background items: OneDrive adds Finder and File Provider extensions that macOS manages.
License: OneDrive storage beyond the free tier comes with a Microsoft 365 subscription, which deleting the app does not cancel.
Account and sync: Files are stored in your Microsoft account; online-only files are not on the Mac.

Preparing to uninstall Microsoft OneDrive

Before removal, ensure all pending uploads are finished to save recent edits to your account. Because some files exist as online-only placeholders via the macOS File Provider, you must identify which ones need to be available offline. You should also unlink your account within the app settings to disconnect the Mac. Note that deleting the app does not cancel a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Make necessary online-only files available offline or copy themWait for all current uploads to finish syncingUnlink this Mac in the app settingsQuit the app before moving it to the Trash

0 of 4 done

By hand or with OptiClear

	By hand	With OptiClear
Places to check	7 folders, one by one	One scan
File sizes	You look them up yourself	Shown for every item
Removing the wrong thing	Easy to delete the wrong folder	Goes to the Trash first, so it can be restored
Cost	Free	Scan is free; cleaning needs Pro (yearly plan has a 7-day free trial)

See it working

OptiClear — Scan overview — every category on one screen — Scan overview — every category on one screen

OptiClear — Privacy audit: what each app has been allowed to reach — Privacy audit: what each app has been allowed to reach

OptiClear — Large and aging files, ranked by what they cost you — Large and aging files, ranked by what they cost you

Try it without risk

Download and scan for freeSee every Microsoft OneDrive file and its size. No account needed.
Clean free for 7 daysStart the 7-day free trial of the yearly plan inside the app.
Keep it or cancelCancel in your App Store settings at least 24 hours before the trial ends and you won't be charged.

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After the free trial, Pro costs $39.99 per year in your country's App Store; cancel any time.

Frequently asked questions

Not all of them. Folders marked “Back up first: your data” hold your own Microsoft OneDrive data: back them up before removing them. Folders marked “Yes, rebuilt automatically” are rebuilt automatically; removing them only makes the next start slower. Folders marked “Yes, settings reset” hold settings, which return to their defaults. Items marked “Yes, once the app is gone” only matter while Microsoft OneDrive is installed, so remove them after the app.

Will my files be deleted from the cloud?

No, your files are stored in your Microsoft account and remain there.

Does removing the app stop my paid subscription?

No, deleting the app does not cancel a Microsoft 365 subscription.