MS's Silent Rollout of OneDrive Photos App Sparks User Backlash

As first reported by Windows Latest, MS has been quietly installing the OneDrive Photos app on PCs. Our tests confirm that the app is tied to the OneDrive sync client, which is already pre-installed on Windows machines. Initially, it appeared that this rollout was targeting consumers; however, it has become evident that enterprise customers are also receiving the app.

Forced Installation: Impact on Enterprise Users

Windows Latest interviewed IT administrators who revealed that MS is force-installing the OneDrive Photos app on enterprise PCs, even those managed through MS Intune. This has led to widespread frustration, as the app is designed to work exclusively with a personal MS account, rendering it useless for Windows 11 Enterprise users.

An irate IT administrator expressed their frustration to Windows Latest: “MS never learns. We manage hundreds of PCs using Intune, and all of them now have this new ‘OneDrive Photos’ entry in the Start menu. How many mistakes will it take before they realize we do not want random apps across our organizations?”

Another administrator lamented, “This app doesn’t work with Entra accounts. Also, you can’t remove it without removing OneDrive entirely, as it’s somehow tied to the sync client we use across our organization. Unless MS wants us to dump OneDrive and this is bait, I do not see why it’s being forced onto PCs without an MSA.”

The complaints are piling up, with Reddit and other forums seeing a surge of similar grievances. Many users are unhappy with MS’s approach of slipping an app into their systems without prior notice or consent.

What Is OneDrive Photos for Windows 11?

The OneDrive Photos app for Windows 11 essentially acts as the Gallery section of OneDrive.com, making it a glorified web wrapper. Upon installation, the app automatically appears in the Start menu and even outranks MS Photos in Windows Search results for the term "Photos."

By default, OneDrive Photos gains access to all photos stored on the PC, indexing files in a manner reminiscent of traditional media players. While the app is well-designed, featuring a Windows 11-style Acrylic design for its context menu, it remains lightweight in terms of resource consumption, using less than 1GB of RAM on systems with 32GB of memory.

While some users may find the app acceptable, others, like myself, fail to see the point of its existence, even as heavy OneDrive users. Windows already offers alternative methods to access OneDrive photos, including through the MS Photos app and File Explorer. Unless MS plans to replace the MS Photos app with OneDrive Photos in the future, the app seems redundant.

Exclusive Features of OneDrive Photos

• Moments: Randomly surfaces previous photos for sentimental reflection.
• People: Uses AI to group similar faces, akin to features found in the Samsung Gallery app. This feature is optional and requires user opt-in.

Why IT Administrators Are Angry

IT administrators have expressed outrage over the forced installation of a beta app like OneDrive Photos on enterprise systems. The app is incompatible with enterprise accounts, and its rollout occurred without any prior communication from MS.

The unexpected appearance of OneDrive Photos in Windows 11 Enterprise installations has caused significant frustration. As one administrator wrote on Reddit, “This is NOT how you treat a Pro/Ent OS Edition or how a vendor should treat anything running in a managed environment.”

Another user pointed out, “There are hundreds of improvement ideas waiting to be implemented in the feedback portal, and they decide to push this out unannounced. I’m running an ENTERPRISE version of Windows; I shouldn’t see this BETA app on any machine with this SKU. Also, nowhere on the MS roadmap, nor a single mention in the message center.”

Uninstallation Challenges

Searching for OneDrive Photos in Windows Search displays an ‘Uninstall’ button, which redirects users to the Installed Apps page in Windows Settings. However, OneDrive Photos does not appear as a standalone entry in the settings menu. This is because the app is tied to the OneDrive sync client, installed at the following location:

C:\Program Files\MS OneDrive

In comparison, the actual OneDrive sync client is installed at:

C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\MS\OneDrive

MS’s decision to deliver OneDrive Photos as OneDrive.App.exe within the existing OneDrive installation folder complicates its removal. A new Start menu shortcut is created under:

C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\MS\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

This ties OneDrive Photos to the sync client, making it impossible to remove the app without uninstalling OneDrive entirely. Furthermore, administrators cannot block the app using MS Store policies or Group Policies. The only workaround is to use a script to remove the OneDrive Photos shortcut from the Start menu.

Temporary Workaround

For those looking to hide OneDrive Photos from appearing on their PCs, running a script to remove the shortcut is the best option for now. However, this is only a temporary solution, as the shortcut may reappear when the OneDrive sync client updates itself.

Our findings indicate that this rollout may have been unintended. MS is likely to issue an apology for the debacle soon. In the meantime, users must continue to deal with this intrusive addition to their systems.

Conclusion

MS's decision to force-install OneDrive Photos on Windows PCs, including enterprise systems, has sparked significant frustration among users and IT administrators alike. While the app does offer some exclusive features, its functionality and necessity remain questionable, especially given the alternatives already available in Windows. Unless MS addresses these concerns and communicates transparently, trust in its ecosystem may continue to erode.

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