OneDrive Photos is a photo browsing experience that Microsoft ships inside the OneDrive sync client on Windows 10 and Windows 11. It runs from OneDrive.App.exe, not from a Store package, so Windows gives it no entry under Installed apps. That's the whole problem. You can't uninstall it on its own today, and Microsoft confirmed in August 2026 that the rollout reached far more devices than intended.
What you can do is take it off the Start Menu and stop anyone signing into it. This guide covers both: an Intune remediation that deletes the shortcuts on a schedule, and the OneDrive sync policies that block personal Microsoft accounts. Neither one touches file sync.
Before you start
What you will learn
- You'll learn where the OneDrive Photos binary lives, why it has no uninstaller, and how to remove its shortcuts with an Intune remediation that survives OneDrive updates.
- OneDrive Photos landed on managed devices in August 2026 without an admin asking for it. Every unexplained icon in the Start Menu turns into a help desk ticket.
Requirements
- You need the Microsoft Intune admin center with rights to create Settings catalog profiles and remediation script packages, plus one test device that already has the OneDrive sync client installed.
- Windows 10 or Windows 11, Microsoft Entra joined or Microsoft Entra hybrid joined, enrolled in Intune, running an Enterprise, Professional or Education edition.
- Intune Administrator
- Local administrator on the device for manual testing
Good to know
- Around 30 minutes to build and assign the remediation, plus one check-in cycle to see results.
Quick answer
OneDrive Photos runs from OneDrive.App.exe inside the OneDrive sync client, so there's no separate uninstaller. Don't delete the executable, because that breaks the sync client and the next update restores it anyway. Deploy an Intune remediation that removes the Start Menu and Desktop shortcuts on a recurring schedule, then enable DisablePersonalSync so nobody can sign in with a personal Microsoft account.
Microsoft Intune admin center > Devices > Manage devices > Scripts and remediations > Create script packageStep-by-step tutorial
6 stepsConfirm that OneDrive Photos is present
Find out whether the device runs a machine-wide or a per-user OneDrive install before you build anything.
Open PowerShell on a device that reports the app and test both install locations. A machine-wide OneDrive install puts the binary under Program Files. A per-user install puts it under the user's LocalAppData.
Run the command below. Any path it prints is a location where OneDrive Photos exists.
$paths = @(
"$env:ProgramFiles\Microsoft OneDrive\OneDrive.App.exe",
"${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\Microsoft OneDrive\OneDrive.App.exe",
"$env:LocalAppData\Microsoft\OneDrive\OneDrive.App.exe"
)
$paths | Where-Object { Test-Path -LiteralPath $_ }The sync client itself is OneDrive.exe in the same folder. The two names look nearly identical, so read carefully before you touch anything. The Program Files (x86) entry only returns a result on machines still running a 32-bit OneDrive build.
Block personal Microsoft accounts in OneDrive
Neutralise the app itself, since the Photos experience currently signs in with personal Microsoft accounts only.
Microsoft Intune admin center > Devices > Manage devices > Configuration > Create > New policy > Windows 10 and later > Settings catalogIn the Microsoft Intune admin center, go to Devices > Manage devices > Configuration, then select Create > New policy. Choose Windows 10 and later as the platform and Settings catalog as the profile type.
Add these two settings from the OneDrive category:
- Prevent users from syncing personal OneDrive accounts (
DisablePersonalSync), set to Enabled - Disable a toast and activity center message to encourage a user to sign in OneDrive using an existing credential that is made available to Microsoft applications (
DisableNewAccountDetection), set to Enabled
Assign the profile to your pilot group first, then widen it.
Per Microsoft Learn, DisablePersonalSync stops a user setting up sync for a personal OneDrive account. Anyone already syncing one gets a message that syncing stopped, and files already on the disk stay put. DisableNewAccountDetection suppresses the prompt that invites users to add a detected personal account. Both are user-scoped settings, so assign them accordingly.
Write the detection script
Report a device as non-compliant when any shortcut still points at the Photos binary.
Rather than matching on a shortcut filename, which Microsoft can rename at any time, resolve each .lnk target and match on OneDrive.App.exe. The script below walks the all-users Start Menu, the public Desktop, and every user profile's Desktop and Start Menu.
Save it as Detect-OneDrivePhotos.ps1 in UTF-8. It exits with code 1 when it finds something, which is the signal Intune uses to trigger remediation.
$roots = @(
(Join-Path $env:ProgramData 'Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs'),
(Join-Path $env:Public 'Desktop')
)
$userRoots = foreach ($p in Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath (Join-Path $env:SystemDrive 'Users') -Directory -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
Join-Path $p.FullName 'Desktop'
Join-Path $p.FullName 'AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs'
}
$roots += $userRoots
$shell = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
$found = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
foreach ($root in $roots) {
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $root)) { continue }
foreach ($lnk in Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $root -Filter '*.lnk' -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
try {
if ($shell.CreateShortcut($lnk.FullName).TargetPath -like '*\OneDrive.App.exe') {
$found.Add($lnk.FullName)
}
} catch { }
}
}
if ($found.Count -gt 0) {
Write-Output "Non-compliant: $($found.Count) OneDrive Photos shortcut(s) found"
exit 1
}
Write-Output 'Compliant: no OneDrive Photos shortcut found'
exit 0Intune runs the remediation script only when detection uses exit 1. Keep output short: the maximum output size Intune records is 2,048 characters. Save the file as UTF-8 without a byte order mark if you plan to enable the signature check.
Write the remediation script
Delete the shortcuts that detection found, and nothing else.
The remediation repeats the same discovery logic and removes each matching shortcut. It reports how many it deleted so the Intune report stays readable.
Save it as Remediate-OneDrivePhotos.ps1, also in UTF-8. Note that it never touches OneDrive.App.exe or any other file inside the OneDrive folder.
$roots = @(
(Join-Path $env:ProgramData 'Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs'),
(Join-Path $env:Public 'Desktop')
)
$userRoots = foreach ($p in Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath (Join-Path $env:SystemDrive 'Users') -Directory -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
Join-Path $p.FullName 'Desktop'
Join-Path $p.FullName 'AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs'
}
$roots += $userRoots
$shell = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
$removed = 0
$failed = 0
foreach ($root in $roots) {
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $root)) { continue }
foreach ($lnk in Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $root -Filter '*.lnk' -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
try {
if ($shell.CreateShortcut($lnk.FullName).TargetPath -like '*\OneDrive.App.exe') {
Remove-Item -LiteralPath $lnk.FullName -Force -ErrorAction Stop
$removed++
}
} catch {
$failed++
}
}
}
if ($failed -gt 0) {
Write-Output "Removed $removed shortcut(s), $failed could not be removed"
exit 1
}
Write-Output "Removed $removed OneDrive Photos shortcut(s)"
exit 0Test it interactively on one device before you upload it. If a shortcut sits in a loaded user profile that's currently locked, the script counts it as failed and exits 1, so Intune retries on the next run.
Deploy the pair as an Intune remediation
Get the two scripts running on a recurring schedule so the shortcut stays gone after OneDrive updates.
Microsoft Intune admin center > Devices > Manage devices > Scripts and remediations > Create script packageGo to Devices > Manage devices > Scripts and remediations, open the Remediations tab and select Create script package. Give it a clear name such as Remove OneDrive Photos shortcuts.
On the Settings page, upload both files and configure:
- Run this script using the logged-on credentials: No, so it runs as SYSTEM and can reach
C:\ProgramDataand every user profile - Enforce script signature check: No, unless you sign your scripts
- Run script in 64-bit PowerShell: Yes
Assign it to a device group and set the schedule to Daily.
Running as SYSTEM is deliberate. A user-context run can't delete shortcuts from the all-users Start Menu, and it only sees one profile. Remediations are capped at 200 script packages per tenant, so reuse rather than duplicate.
Verify on a target device
Confirm the shortcut is gone and that file sync survived.
Microsoft Intune admin center > Devices > All devices > (device) > Run remediationForce a sync from Settings > Accounts > Access work or school on the device, or use Run remediation from the device page in Intune. Then open the Start Menu and search for OneDrive Photos.
Confirm the sync client is still alive with the command below, and open the OneDrive folder in File Explorer to check that files still show their sync status icons.
Get-Process -Name OneDrive -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
Select-Object Name, Id, PathRun remediation on demand is a preview feature at the time of writing. If it isn't available in your tenant, wait for the scheduled run instead.
What This Actually Removes, and What Stays
This removes the shortcuts, not the software. OneDrive.App.exe stays on disk inside the OneDrive folder, because it's shipped and serviced as part of the sync client. What changes is that users have no visible entry point, and with DisablePersonalSync enabled they can't sign in even if they find the binary.
That split matters for how you judge success. A device is in the state you want when detection exits 0 and the Settings catalog profile reports Succeeded, not when the executable disappears. Expect the shortcut to return after some OneDrive client updates. The daily schedule is what keeps the fix in place, and it's the reason a one-off script isn't enough here.
- Detection exits 0, the Intune report shows No issue found or Issue remediated across the assigned group, OneDrive.App.exe is still on disk, and file sync is unaffected.
- Devices flip back to Issue detected a day or two after a OneDrive client update. That's the expected churn, not a failure. A device stuck on Issue detected across several runs usually means the script ran in user context or the device hasn't checked in.
- No shortcut on the device resolves to OneDrive.App.exe.
- At least one shortcut still points at the Photos binary, so the remediation script runs.
- The binary belongs to the sync client. Only the shortcuts are in scope.
Troubleshooting
The shortcut comes back a few days after you remove it
Cause: The OneDrive client updates itself and recreates its shortcuts. A one-time script or a manual delete never holds.
Set the remediation schedule to Daily rather than Once. Check the run history in Scripts and remediations to see how often devices flip back, which also tells you roughly how often the client is updating.
The remediation reports success but users still see the icon
Cause: The script ran with logged-on credentials, so it couldn't touch the all-users Start Menu under C:\ProgramData, or the device hasn't checked in since the package was assigned.
Open the script package settings and set Run this script using the logged-on credentials to No. Then trigger a sync from the device or use Run remediation from the device page and re-check.
OneDrive misbehaves after someone deleted OneDrive.App.exe
Cause: The Photos binary is part of the sync client installation. Removing it leaves the client in an inconsistent state.
Reinstall the OneDrive sync client from Microsoft's official download page, then let it sign back in. Files already synced locally aren't deleted by a reinstall, but confirm nothing was online-only before you start.
The script package never reaches the devices
Cause: Remediations have hard prerequisites: Microsoft Entra joined or hybrid joined, Intune enrolled or co-managed, an Enterprise, Professional or Education edition, and a qualifying license.
Check the device's join type with dsregcmd /status and confirm the user holds Windows Enterprise E3 or E5, Windows Education A3 or A5, or Windows VDA per user. Devices that fail any of these simply won't run the package.
DisablePersonalSync doesn't seem to apply
Cause: It's a user-scoped policy written to HKCU, and the sync client reads it at startup.
Confirm the profile is assigned to users rather than devices, check that HKCU\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\OneDrive\DisablePersonalSync is set to 1, then quit and relaunch OneDrive from the notification area so it re-reads the policy.
Frequently asked questions
Can I uninstall OneDrive Photos on its own?
Not today. It's delivered inside the OneDrive sync client as OneDrive.App.exe, not as an MSIX or Store package, so it has no entry under Settings > Apps > Installed apps. Microsoft 365 roadmap item 568934 lists a standalone uninstall option for general availability in September 2026.
Does removing the shortcut break OneDrive file sync?
No. The shortcut is just a launcher. Deleting it leaves OneDrive.exe, the sync engine, the local OneDrive folder and all synced files untouched.
Is there a Group Policy or Microsoft Store policy that blocks OneDrive Photos?
There's no dedicated policy for the Photos experience yet, and Store app policies don't apply because it isn't a Store app. The closest control is DisablePersonalSync, since the experience currently works with personal Microsoft accounts only. Microsoft's Message Center post MC1462925 says upcoming OneDrive builds will bring existing sync policies to bear on it.
Should I just uninstall OneDrive instead?
Only if your organisation doesn't use OneDrive at all. Uninstalling the client removes the Photos experience with it, but it also ends file sync on that device. On a fleet that relies on Known Folder Move, that trade is far worse than an unwanted shortcut.
Does OneDrive Photos affect work or school accounts?
Microsoft's Message Center post MC1462925 states the experience is available to personal Microsoft accounts only, with work and school account support planned for later. That's precisely why the app appearing on Intune-managed devices annoyed so many admins: most users there couldn't have signed in anyway.
