Microsoft confirms it accidentally installed new OneDrive app on Windows 11 PCs, and there's no easy way to remove it yet
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Microsoft told Windows Latest that it accidentally shipped the AI-powered OneDrive Photos app on Windows 11 more broadly than it should have, which explains why enterprise PCs, where the app doesn’t even work, now have to deal with it.
I’m told that Microsoft is going to "fix it," which possibly suggests that the app will be rolled back, but I think it’ll stay on most consumer PCs. If you haven’t seen the app yet, here’s what it looks like out of the box (yes, it has access to all your folders by default):
"OneDrive Photos" isn’t exactly new because it first showed up on Windows Insider machines earlier this year, and it’s still in beta.
Starting August 1, 2026, OneDrive Photos quietly showed up on some consumer PCs, and it eventually rolled out to almost everyone with the OneDrive sync client installed.
Microsoft has now confirmed that this broad rollout wasn’t intentional.
"We are incubating a new photos experience in OneDrive that went more broadly than it should have in Windows," Microsoft told Windows Latest in a statement. "We’re fixing that. Windows Photos will always give you the option of local and cloud photos and the choice to use OneDrive or not.”
Microsoft also told Windows Latest that OneDrive Photos cannot currently be removed from PCs unless you delete OneDrive entirely, but there are plans to let you remove one without the other.
Of course, the company won’t explain why it made sense to force an app onto PCs when the "feature" to easily remove it wasn’t ready.
What is the OneDrive Photos app on Windows 11?
OneDrive Photos shows photos from your local storage, including your personal folders, as well as those in the cloud. By default, if you choose not to sign in and open the app, it’ll already have access to all photos on your PC, including those outside the usual locations, like Pictures.
OneDrive Photos loads OneDrive.com’s Gallery and is powered by Microsoft Edge-based WebView2, so it’s a web app, but it’s quite well made. Most of the time, it uses less than 1GB of memory on a PC with 32GB of RAM, although it can reach 1-2GB when you’re browsing a lot of images and going back and forth.
Our experience aligns with the statement the company shared:
"It brings the photo experience you already have on OneDrive web and mobile to the Windows desktop, so your photos feel consistent everywhere you use OneDrive," Microsoft explained in a statement.
OneDrive Photos is not exactly a terrible app, as it works well. If you need an app that lets you manage OneDrive and local storage in one place and supports search that understands your images, this may be a good app for you. It also comes with OneDrive features you have on the web, such as Moments, which groups older pictures and randomly shows them to you.
OneDrive Photos UI/UX
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You can also create albums, group images under Favourites, and block OneDrive from scanning specific locations on your PC.
How and why do you even have the OneDrive Photos app on your PC?
By default, Windows 11 comes pre-installed with multiple OneDrive-powered features, but there are mostly two apps involved. One is Windows Backup, which syncs your personal folders, settings, and account credentials like Wi-Fi credentials to OneDrive. If you aren’t aware of this app, you can find it in your Windows Search results:
The second is "OneDrive Sync," which can be running in the background on most PCs even if it’s not syncing...