Microsoft Hides Forced OneDrive Photos App in Windows 11 and 10
Microsoft has quietly hidden the OneDrive Photos app it had force-installed on Windows 11 and 10 computers, removing it from the Start menu and search results. The company acknowledged the rollout was accidental and is developing a separate uninstall option. The app, a WebView2-based client, remains installed and can still be launched manually, but Microsoft says future removal will not affect OneDrive sync or user files.
Microsoft has quietly hidden the OneDrive Photos app that was previously force-installed on Windows 11 and Windows 10 computers. Users can no longer find the app in the Start menu app list or in Windows search results. The move is intended to reduce the app's visibility, after it was accidentally pushed out widely, even to enterprise devices where it could not run because it requires a personal Microsoft account.
Microsoft subsequently acknowledged the rollout was a mistake and that it had not intended to release the app on such a large scale. The company said it is actively working to fix the issue and stressed that the built-in Windows Photos app will always give users the option to manage local and cloud photos. It also said it is listening to feedback and will continue to improve the photo display experience across OneDrive on all devices.
The app is essentially a WebView2-based client that loads the OneDrive web gallery with local storage access. In testing, the app typically kept memory usage below 1GB, performed well, and could automatically retrieve photos from folders on the computer. However, users can already access OneDrive directly through File Explorer or use the existing Microsoft Photos app, so the new app's features overlap with existing functionality.
More problematic is that the new app is deeply tied to the OneDrive main sync client that comes with Windows. In the latest testing, although OneDrive Photos has disappeared from the Start menu and search results, it has not been truly removed. Users can still launch it by opening the OneDrive installation directory and double-clicking a specific executable file.
To address the difficulty of removal, Microsoft previously issued guidance to administrators saying it is adding controls that will allow users to uninstall the OneDrive Photos experience separately from the main OneDrive app. The company explained that removing the photo experience independently will not uninstall the OneDrive main program, interrupt file sync, or delete any photos or files. This means that when the experience returns in the near future, users will have a clear and safe option to remove it completely.