OneDrive is a Microsoft cloud storage service that syncs your Desktop, Documents, and other folders to the cloud. While this can be convenient on a general-purpose home computer, it can cause serious problems on a court reporter or captioner laptop.

Why We Remove OneDrive on Court Reporter Systems

• Unwanted background activity: OneDrive constantly syncs files in the background, which can steal resources from your realtime software.
• File location confusion: Important files may be stored in the cloud instead of on the local drive, causing missing or slow-loading files during jobs.
• Offline problems: If you are in a courtroom or location with poor internet, cloud-only files may not be available when you need them.
• Performance impact: Syncing, indexing, and conflict resolution can all interfere with low-latency audio and realtime performance.

For these reasons, M-Tech strongly recommends unlinking and disabling OneDrive on court reporter and captioner laptops.

Important Note Before You Begin

These steps will stop OneDrive from syncing your files on this laptop. Your existing files in OneDrive will remain in your Microsoft account and can still be accessed from other devices or from the web at onedrive.live.com.

If you have important files stored only in OneDrive, make sure you have a backup or local copy before making changes.

Step 1: Unlink OneDrive from Your Account (Windows 10 and 11)

This stops the laptop from syncing with your OneDrive account.

1. Look for the OneDrive cloud icon in the lower-right corner of the screen (near the clock). It may be a white or blue cloud.
2. Right-click the OneDrive cloud icon.
3. Click Settings.
4. In the window that opens, go to the Account tab.
5. Click Unlink this PC or Unlink this device.
6. Confirm when prompted.

After this, OneDrive will no longer sync files on this laptop.

Step 2: Disable OneDrive from Starting with Windows

This prevents OneDrive from running in the background every time you start the computer.

1. Right-click an empty area on the taskbar and click Task Manager. If you see a simple view, click More details.
2. Click the Startup tab.
3. Find Microsoft OneDrive in the list.
4. Right-click Microsoft OneDrive and choose Disable.
5. Close Task Manager.

OneDrive will no longer start automatically when you log in.

Step 3: Confirm Your Documents Are Stored Locally

We want your important files stored on the local drive, not only in the cloud.

1. Open File Explorer (yellow folder icon on the taskbar).
2. Click This PC on the left side.
3. Open your Documents folder and confirm that your files are present.
4. If you see a OneDrive icon next to your folders, or if your Documents folder is under OneDrive, you may need to move your files to a local folder such as C:\Users\YourName\Documents.

If you are not sure whether your files are local or cloud-only, make a backup copy to an external USB drive before making changes.

Optional: Hiding or Uninstalling OneDrive

On some versions of Windows, OneDrive can be uninstalled from Apps & Features. On others, it is built into the system and cannot be fully removed. For most court reporters, unlinking and disabling OneDrive is enough.

If you are unsure whether you should uninstall OneDrive on your specific system, please contact M-Tech support before proceeding.

Need Help?

If you are a court reporter or captioner and are not comfortable changing these settings, we can assist you during your M-Tech optimization session.

M-Tech Laptops, Inc.
Technical Support
231-547-5562
www.m-techlaptops.com