While the problem of High CPU Usage by OneDrive is more common on older and budget computers with low RAM and CPU, it can also occur on computers equipped with high RAM and processing power.
This usually happens due to the default tendency of OneDrive app to startup with the computer and continue running in the background, unnecessarily using up resources on the computer.
Fix High CPU Usage By OneDrive in Windows 11
If you are noticing High CPU Usage by OneDrive.exe on your computer, you can find below the steps to fix the problem of High CPU Usage by OneDrive in Windows 11.
1. Stop OneDrive from Starting up
The easiest way to prevent OneDrive from using up resources on the computer is by preventing OneDrive from starting up with the computer.
1. Click on System Tray icon (1) > Right-click on OneDrive Icon (2) and click on Settings (3).
2. On the next screen, uncheck Start OneDrive automatically when I Sign in to Windows option and click on OK.
3. Next, click on App Tray (1) Icon > Right-click on OneDrive Icon (2) and click on Exit (3).
After this, you will no longer find OneDrive automatically starting up with the computer and remaining active in background.
2. Uninstall OneDrive
If you are another cloud storage service and unlikely to use OneDrive, you can uninstall the OneDrive app from your computer.
1. Open Settings > select Apps in the left-pane and click on Installed Apps in the right-pane.
2. On the next screen, click on 3-dots menu icon located next to OneDrive and select Uninstall option in the menu that appears
On the confirmation pop-up, click on Uninstall to confirm and wait for Windows to Uninstall OneDrive from the computer.
If you change your mind, you can always install OneDrive back on your computer from Microsoft Store and start using Microsoft’s Cloud Storage service.
3. Restart OneDrive
If you are using OneDrive and it is causing High CPU usage, the problem might simply be due to the app or a process being stuck.
1. Right click on the Start Button and click on Task Manager.
2. On the Task Manager screen, right-click on Microsoft OneDrive Setup and click on End Task.
3. After this, restart OneDrive and see if it is still causing High CPU Usage problem on your computer.
4. Reset OneDrive
If OneDrive is consistently using up 10 to 20% CPU on your computer, the problem can be fixed by Resetting OneDrive service.
1. Right-click on Start button and click on Run.
2. Type %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset in the Run Command window and click on OK.
You should now see the OneDrive Icon on the Taskbar or System Tray disappearing and re-appearing after 30-60 seconds or more.
3. If OneDrive Icon does not re-appear, type %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe in the Run Command window and click on OK.
After this, monitor CPU Usage by OneDrive on your computer in the Task Manager.
5. Unlink OneDrive
Users have reported fixing OneDrive High CPU Usage problem by unlinking their OneDrive Account from OneDrive app and linking it back again.
1. Click on System Tray Icon > right-click on OneDrive Icon and select Settings in the menu that appears.
2. On OneDrive Settings screen, switch to Account tab and click on Unlink this PC link.
3. On the confirmation pop-up, click on Unlink Account button to confirm.
Restart the computer > open and login to OneDrive and see if it is still using up High amounts of CPU on your computer.
6. Delete OneDrive Setup Files
In certain cases, the problem is due to OneDrive constantly trying to complete File Operations that are failing due to non-English characters in Account Usernames or in the File Profile Paths.
1. Open the File Explorer on your computer.
2. In the File Explorer screen, click on the View Tab and make sure Hidden items is selected.
3. Next, navigate to C:\Users\Admin\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneDrive\setup\logs > scroll down to bottom and delete userTelemetryCache.otc and userTelemetryCache.otc.session files.
4. After deleting the files go to C:\Users\Admin\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneDrive and double-click on OneDrive.exe file.
After this, you should find CPU usage by OneDrive being drastically reduced on your computer.
7. Switch OFF Diagnostic Data & Tailored Experiences
If above solutions did not help, Disable Telemetry services on the computer and see if this helps in fixing the problem.
While this fix is not exactly related to OneDrive, users have reported reduced CPU Usage, when services related to Microsoft’s Tailored Experiences services were disabled.
1. Open Settings on your computer.
2. On the Settings screen, select Privacy & Security in the left-pane. In the right-pane, scroll down and click on Diagnostics & Feedback Card.
3. On the next screen, disable Diagnostic data, Improve inking & typing and Tailored experiences.
Hope you were able to fix the High CPU usage issue on your computer using the above steps.