How to Add or Remove OneDrive from the File Explorer Navigation Pane in Windows 11
Hide or restore the OneDrive icon in the Windows 11 File Explorer navigation pane with a single registry value - safely, reversibly, and without deleting any files.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Time required
- 5 minutes
- Steps
- 7
- Platform
- Windows 11
- Last tested
- July 4, 2026
Table of contents
Quick Answer
Go to the stepsOpen Registry Editor and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}. Set the DWORD System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree to 0 to hide OneDrive, or 1 to show it. On 64-bit Windows, apply the same value under the Wow6432Node mirror if it exists. Restart File Explorer to apply. Your files are untouched.
- Back up the key or create a restore point
- Go to HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-...}
- Set System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree to 0 (hide) or 1 (show)
- Repeat under Wow6432Node on 64-bit Windows if present
- Restart File Explorer to apply
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6} > System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTreereg add "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}" /v System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /fExpected result: After restarting Explorer, the OneDrive entry disappears from (0) or reappears in (1) the File Explorer navigation pane; synced files remain fully intact.
Key takeaways
- You will hide the OneDrive icon from the File Explorer navigation pane by setting a single registry DWORD, cover the extra 64-bit key that makes the change stick, restart Explorer to apply it, and reverse the change to bring OneDrive back.
- OneDrive is pinned to the navigation pane by default. Hiding it declutters File Explorer and suits people who use local storage or a different cloud provider - without uninstalling OneDrive or losing access to synced files.
- One DWORD controls the OneDrive sidebar icon; set it in both the CLSID key and its Wow6432Node mirror on 64-bit Windows, and the change is clean and reversible.
Introduction
In Windows 11, OneDrive appears in the File Explorer navigation pane by default, pinned there by a shell registration rather than by a setting you can toggle in the Settings app. A single registry value - System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree on OneDrive's CLSID key - decides whether the icon shows: set it to 0 to hide it, 1 to show it. This does not uninstall OneDrive, stop syncing, or delete a single file; it only controls the sidebar entry. This tutorial does it the safe, reversible way and covers the detail most guides skip: on 64-bit Windows you often have to set the value in a second Wow6432Node location too, or the icon quietly comes back. You'll hide OneDrive for your own account, learn the all-users variant, and know exactly how to restore it.
Who this is for: Windows 11 users who want a cleaner File Explorer, and IT admins who need to standardize the navigation pane across managed devices.
Before you start
- Access
- Sign-in to the Windows 11 account you want to change. No admin rights are needed for the current-user method; local administrator rights are needed only for the all-users variant.
- Required roles
- Standard user (current-user change)
- Local administrator (all-users change only)
- Standard user (for the current-user change); local administrator (only for the all-users change)
- Environment
- Windows 11 with OneDrive installed and having run at least once for the user (the CLSID key is created on first run).
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Tested environment
- Verified against Microsoft support/Q&A documentation and confirmed registry paths for Windows 11, July 2026.
- Last tested
- Backup required
Registry paths verified for Windows 11 against Microsoft support and community documentation, July 2026.
About 5 minutes.
Warning: Create a registry backup first
Editing the registry incorrectly can cause problems, so make a backup before changing anything: right-click the {018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6} key and Export it to a .reg file, or create a System Restore point. To undo, double-click the exported .reg backup.
Note: This does not delete files
Setting the value to 0 only hides the navigation-pane icon. OneDrive keeps running and syncing, and your files stay in the OneDrive folder and in the cloud.
1Back up the registry key
Give yourself a one-click way to undo the change.
Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter (accept the UAC prompt). In Registry Editor, paste HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6} into the address bar and press Enter. Right-click that key in the left pane, choose Export, and save a .reg file (for example to your Desktop). Alternatively, create a System Restore point.
Expected result: A small .reg file is saved that re-applies the current setting if you double-click it.
Note
Exporting a single key produces a small file (a few KB) - that's expected; you're backing up just this key, not the whole registry.
2Open the OneDrive CLSID key for your account
Reach the per-user shell registration that controls the icon.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}In Registry Editor's address bar, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}. In the right pane you should see the DWORD value System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree. This CLSID is OneDrive Personal; editing it under HKEY_CURRENT_USER affects only your account and needs no admin rights.
Expected result: You see the System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree DWORD in the right pane.
Note
If the value isn't there, OneDrive may not have run for this user yet, or you're viewing OneDrive for Business, which can use a different CLSID - see Troubleshooting. Don't create the value manually if it's genuinely absent.
3Set the value to hide (0) or show (1) OneDrive
Make the actual change that hides or restores the icon.
Double-click System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree. In the Edit DWORD dialog, set Value data to 0 to hide OneDrive from the navigation pane, or 1 to show it, and click OK. You can also do it from a terminal with the command shown here.
reg add "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}" /v System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /fExpected result: The value shows 0x00000000 (0) to hide, or 0x00000001 (1) to show.
Note
Change 0 to 1 in the command to reverse it. Base (hex/decimal) doesn't matter for 0 and 1.
4Apply the same value under Wow6432Node (64-bit Windows)
Prevent the change from silently reverting on 64-bit systems.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}On 64-bit Windows (virtually all modern PCs), check for a mirrored key and set the same value if it exists. Look under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6} for the current user. If the DWORD System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree is present there, set it to the same value (0 or 1) you used above.
Expected result: If the mirror key exists, its System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree matches the value you set in the main key.
Note
If the Wow6432Node key or the value isn't there, skip this - don't create it. Its absence is fine; when present and left at the old value, it's the usual reason the icon reappears.
5Restart File Explorer to apply
Force Explorer to reload the navigation pane.
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. On the Processes tab, find Windows Explorer, right-click it, and choose Restart. Alternatively, sign out and back in.
Expected result: The taskbar flickers as Explorer restarts, and the navigation pane now reflects your change.
Note
Restarting Explorer is faster and less disruptive than a full reboot.
7Optional: apply the change for all users
Hide OneDrive for every account on a shared machine.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}To affect all users, edit the machine-wide keys instead, which requires administrator rights: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6} and, on 64-bit Windows, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}. Set System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree to 0 in both. If you can't edit a key, take ownership: right-click it > Permissions > Advanced > change Owner to Administrators, grant Full Control, then edit.
Expected result: OneDrive is hidden from the navigation pane for all users after each signs in and Explorer refreshes.
Note
A per-user setting (HKCU) overrides for that user. Only change permissions when a key genuinely blocks editing, and note the original owner so you can restore it.
How to Confirm the Change Took Effect
Confirm configuration
The change is applied when, after restarting Explorer, the File Explorer navigation pane matches the value you set: no OneDrive entry at 0, OneDrive present at 1. Because the value is per-user under HKEY_CURRENT_USER, it affects only the account you edited unless you also changed the machine-wide HKLM keys. The most common reason a change appears not to work on a 64-bit PC is an untouched Wow6432Node mirror still holding the old value - if the icon reverts after a restart or sign-in, that mirror (or, on managed devices, a management policy re-applying the setting) is almost always why. In every case, your OneDrive folder and cloud data are unaffected; only the sidebar shortcut changed.
Normal result: Navigation pane matches the value (hidden at 0, shown at 1) after an Explorer restart, with the OneDrive folder still accessible directly.
Abnormal result: The icon reappears after a restart or next sign-in - usually an unmatched Wow6432Node value, or an MDM/Group Policy on a managed device re-pinning OneDrive.
0
OneDrive hidden
Icon removed from the navigation pane; sync continues in the background.
1
OneDrive shown
Default state; the OneDrive entry is pinned in the sidebar.
Troubleshooting
The OneDrive icon comes back after restarting Explorer or signing in
Warning
Cause: On 64-bit Windows the Wow6432Node mirror still holds the old value, or a management policy re-applies it.
Set System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree to the same value under the Wow6432Node key. On a work device, check whether Group Policy or Intune is re-pinning OneDrive.
System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree isn't present under the CLSID
Note
Cause: OneDrive hasn't run for this user yet, or you're looking at a different (Business/SharePoint) CLSID.
Launch OneDrive once so the key is created, and confirm the CLSID name reads OneDrive. Don't manually add the value if it's genuinely missing.
OneDrive for Business or a synced SharePoint library still shows
Note
Cause: Business and synced-library entries can register under separate CLSIDs from OneDrive Personal.
Search HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID for keys named after OneDrive/your tenant and set System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree to 0 on the matching one.
Windows won't let you edit the value (all-users method)
Warning
Cause: The machine-wide HKLM key is owned by the system and you lack write permission.
Take ownership: right-click the key > Permissions > Advanced > set Owner to Administrators and grant Full Control, then edit. Restore the original owner afterward.
The 'Prevent the usage of OneDrive' Group Policy didn't remove the icon
Note
Cause: That policy disables OneDrive functionality but doesn't reliably clear the navigation-pane shell entry.
Use the System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree registry value to hide the icon; treat the GPO as a separate action for disabling OneDrive entirely, not as an icon-hiding method.
Frequently asked questions
Will hiding OneDrive from File Explorer delete my files?
No. Setting System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree to 0 only hides the navigation-pane icon. OneDrive keeps syncing, and your files stay in the OneDrive folder and in the cloud, reachable at C:\Users\<you>\OneDrive.
Why does the OneDrive icon keep coming back on my 64-bit PC?
Because the change also needs to be made in the Wow6432Node mirror of the CLSID key. If that copy still holds the old value, Explorer re-shows the icon. Set both to the same value.
Do I need administrator rights to hide OneDrive?
Not for your own account - editing under HKEY_CURRENT_USER needs no admin rights. You only need administrator rights to hide it for all users via the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE keys.
How do I bring OneDrive back to the navigation pane?
Set System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree back to 1 in the same CLSID location(s) you changed, then restart File Explorer. If you exported a backup .reg first, double-clicking it restores the previous state.
Is editing this registry value safe?
Yes, when done correctly. This DWORD only controls the sidebar icon and doesn't affect OneDrive's core functionality or your files. Back up the key or create a restore point first as a precaution.
Does the 'Prevent the usage of OneDrive' Group Policy remove the icon?
Not reliably. That policy disables OneDrive functionality but often leaves the navigation-pane entry visible. To hide the icon specifically, use the registry value instead.
Conclusion
Hiding or restoring OneDrive in the Windows 11 File Explorer navigation pane comes down to one registry value: System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree on the OneDrive CLSID key, set to 0 to hide or 1 to show, under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6} - plus the matching Wow6432Node key on 64-bit Windows so the change sticks. Restart Explorer to apply, and remember nothing about your files changes. For all users, edit the equivalent HKLM keys with admin rights.
One DWORD controls the OneDrive sidebar icon; set it in both the CLSID key and its Wow6432Node mirror on 64-bit Windows, and the change is clean and reversible.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6} > System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree = 0 (hide) / 1 (show)Sources4
