Fed up with OneDrive in Windows 11? Microsoft clarifies that you can easily remove the cloud storage app

Windows 11 users can uninstall OneDrive – in case you weren’t aware of that – and Microsoft has made this clearer with a change to a support document.

Neowin picked up on this alteration Microsoft made to its guide on how to ‘Turn off, disable, or uninstall OneDrive’ which is part of its library of troubleshooting support documentation.

Now, as Neowin informs us, previously this document did not mention Windows 11 – it only referred to Windows 10. And that might have given some users the impression that it was only possible to remove OneDrive on Windows 10, and not Windows 11.

This isn’t the case, of course, and you can unhook OneDrive from Windows 11, removing it completely, just as you can with Windows 10. By mentioning both operating systems, Microsoft is now making it clear that this is the case.

Microsoft has also fleshed out this support document with further instructions on how to stop syncing OneDrive and other details relating to its cloud storage service.

Oddly, though, another support document on how to ‘Turn off OneDrive in Windows’ still only mentions Windows 10, and not Windows 11. However, it might be the case that Microsoft is in the process of updating this sprawling library of content, and just hasn’t reached that page yet.


Analysis: Removing OneDrive is a cinch

This is useful confirmation to get from Microsoft, as it was easy enough to make negative assumptions about hidden agendas here – when in truth the likelihood is the software giant just hadn’t got round to updating the support info (and still hasn’t with some articles, as we just noted). Although Neowin also points out, it’s possible that this updating process has been prompted by Microsoft now having to comply with new European regulations (the Digital Markets Act).

If you haven’t popped over to view the links to the support info, you may be wondering what the process for uninstalling OneDrive from either Windows 10 or Windows 11 is. Fortunately, it’s simple: just go to ‘Add or remove programs’ (type that in the search box on the taskbar, then click on it), scroll down the list of apps to find Microsoft OneDrive (it’s under ‘M’ and not ‘O’ just to clarify), and then select Uninstall.

This doesn’t mean that you’re completely nuking your OneDrive account, in case there’s any doubt. All your files will still be in OneDrive when you visit the site on the web (or from another, say mobile, app), just as normal – all you are doing is removing the app from Windows 11, and this way of accessing your files on your Windows PC (and any syncing or related features therein).

Some of the confusion about not being able to uninstall OneDrive in Windows 11 at all may have sprung from the fact that it wasn’t possible to remove the cloud storage app from Windows 8.1.

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Microsoft Store update brings a useful way to more easily find Windows 11 apps and games you’ll enjoy

Windows 11 users are getting a rejig for the Microsoft Store to make it easier to find apps or games that might be relevant or interesting.

As posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Rudy Huyn, Principal Architect for the Microsoft Store, there’s a holiday update inbound for testers.

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This means that the store will no longer show apps and games installed on your device – or at least, it won’t show nearly as many – and will instead favor new apps and games that you might enjoy based on your past download history.

Hopefully, this adjustment won’t take long to arrive with a broader rollout to Windows 11 users who aren’t testers.

Note that the Microsoft Store did already show apps you might want to grab, it’s just that the balance has shifted more towards displaying these, rather than installed software.


Analysis: Another (small) step forward

This is another useful move for the Microsoft Store, as it’s not much help to show the user what they’ve already got installed on their PC. While we’re not keen on Microsoft’s ‘suggestions’ throughout Windows, in the case of an app store, recommendations can be more useful to glance at than a list of what you already know about.

That said, this change alone is obviously not going to do much in terms of persuading folks to use the Microsoft Store if they don’t bother with it. The move is hardly a major selling point in itself.

Still, Microsoft has been doing a lot of work on the store of late, and those improvements are building momentum. The store now loads up way faster, and we’ve seen meatier chunks of work, too. Most notably the introduction of AI (it’s getting everywhere) in the form of a dedicated hub for AI software – and also AI-generated review summaries.

The latter could be pretty handy indeed, as wading through a bunch of reviews isn’t much fun, so it’s a useful task where AI can do the proverbial grunt work.

Via Windows Central

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This Photoshop alternative for Mac now lets you remove colors easily

The latest update to popular photo editor Pixelmator Pro gives macOS users another reason to avoid defaulting to Photoshop.

Codenamed Mosaic, version 3.3 of the photo editing app for Mac has introduced a raft of new features – with the Remove Color adjustment taking center-stage. The tool lets users strip out solid colors from images and videos just by selecting the color with an eyedropper tool. 

According to the developer, users can adjust how much of a selected color is taken out using three controls: Color Range, Luminance Range, and Intensity sliders. Showcasing its use in a YouTube demonstration, the developer detailed how creatives can use the latest addition to remove a green screen in videos.  

What’s new in Pixelmator Pro 3.3?  

Remove Color, which apparently deploys “a state-of-the-art texture-aware algorithm”, isn’t the only update to make its way into version 3.3. 

The Clarity, Selective Clarity, and Texture adjustments first made their way into the company's mobile photo editing app Pixelmator Photo, and now they are set to join the Photoshop alternative; while Shadows, Highlights, Exposure, and Brightness adjustments have also seen enhancements for creating more natural-looking edited images.  

For illustrators and artists, the drawing software sees a significant bump in stroke styles and options for customizing them. Sidecar file support has also been introduced: by attaching a Pixelmator Pro document to images, users can open, edit, and save images in the original file format, while saving any non-destructive edits and layers to Mac or iCloud.

“Images with sidecar edits look and behave just like regular images. For example, you can easily share such images online or open them in other apps without having to export them first,” the firm explained. 

Elsewhere, the graphic design software, which includes logo maker tools and a RAW image editor, received a new Pattern fill style and the ability to use shortcuts when applying LUTs, color adjustments, effects, and auto-color adjustments to videos. 

Pixelmator Pro 3.3 is free to all existing users. New users can download it from the App Store by clicking here

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5 hints and tips to easily nail today’s Wordle answer (#261)

Worlde is a fun word game, but it isn't necessarily easy. Sometimes, we need a little help. Consider me your Wordle Yoda. I want to help you solve the Wordle answer #261.

What follows is a hint-based guide that can help you get off to a good Wordle start, get unstuck, or take you all the way to an early win. How you use my hints and tips is up to you.

Wordle, which is now owned by The New York Times, asks you to guess a five-letter word in six tries. Correct letter guesses appear as orange. Correct letters in their correct spot appear as green. Unless you play in “Hard Mode,” you don't have to use guessed letters in subsequent attempts.

For those who don't want my help – just answers – you can check out today's Wordle answer. I bet, though, you return here for more of my sage guidance.

What I teach here is not the one method for every Wordle win. Instead, we'll build a toolkit. Part of your training is understanding the difference between vowels and consonants, and why certain combinations of the two make more sense (or less) than others. 

I'll teach you how to look, with more of an analytical eye, at what you've gained and lost in each turn. Remember, every guess matters – even the bad ones.

Feel free to share this guidance with others – if you want them to beat you at Wordle.

Spoiler Alert: If you do not want to know today’s Wordle answer, STOP READING IMMEDIATELY.

A fresh start

Over the weekend, I only Wordled on Saturday (solved in four), trying to preserve my brain strength for a strong start today. I also learned that my wife starts her games almost the same way as I do: with a word that “just comes to me.” 

She's struggled with some of the same words as I have but has been known to “solve-in-three,” more frequently than me. Perhaps she should be writing this diary.

If learned anything last week (#258 “AHEAD), it's to slow down and, relax. I can get pretty tense when solving a Wordle, especially as I try to give you a play-by-play. 

The mantra for today is deep breaths.

The Wordle Game Board

(Image credit: Future)

1. Choosing the right first word

Your biggest leap will always be that first word. I can choose any five-letter word but, generally, dismiss anything with double letters, as per our guide on how to win at Wordle

There are two goals: Get as many correct letters in the right spots as possible and miraculously guess the word on the first try. Thus far, I've never accomplished the latter.

While I want to practice patience and not leap to any word choice conclusions, I do have a start word ready to go: WEIRD. I know, why that word? 

1) It popped into my head

2) It has two vowels (“E” and “I”)

3) I like the “D,” it has potential

4) I don't often try “W”

5) It's as good as any other word

First word

(Image credit: Future)

2. RD is in the right place

Not terrible. It's not often I get two letters correct and in the correct position on the first guess. On the other hand, there are A LOT of words that end with “RD.”

I may have my work cut out for me.

If I decide to go with Wordle's Hard Mode restrictions (I'm not officially playing in that mode), I'd have to use “RD” in my next guess. Knowing which letters are now excluded, though – “WEI” – I might attempt a full-blown guess.

First word result

(Image credit: Future)

3. It's time to consider new vowels

I feel like I'm in a great position here. The two letters at the end give me a solid direction, as does the exclusion of two vowels and that “W.” 

I scan my remaining letters for a couple of minutes and spot the “B.” Almost immediately a word pops into my head: BOARD. It's a good choice because it's all-new letters and even if I'm wrong, I've excluded one-to-three more letters and am in a better position for my third guess.

I hit “Enter.”

Second word guess

(Image credit: Future)

4. _OARD is nearly there

You would think having four letters in the right spot would be a golden ticket to “solved-in-three.” it should be, but there may be more than a few words that look like this: _OARD.

Second word result

(Image credit: Future)

5. It has to start with a consonant… but which?

I quickly realize that there aren't that many options here. I try to follow my new mantra of pausing, taking a breath, and not leaping to any conclusions. I want this done in three.

The start letter must be a consonant. I have quite a few to choose from – “P,” “S,” “F,” “G,” and more. As you might've noticed, none of them work. “H” does.

I type in “HOARD”  and confidently hit “Enter.”

Third word guess

(Image credit: Future)

Done in three… or four

Look, I'm not gonna lie. Getting Wordle #261 in three was equal parts savvy and luck. I started off strong and had an excellent second guess. Basically, I was a letter away from getting it in the mythical two.

Time to go celebrate but not HOARD my winnings.

Wordle 261

(Image credit: Future)

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