How-To

How to Disable “On this Day” Memories from OneDrive

By Brian Burgess

Published July 4, 2023

Microsoft periodically sends notifications to view “On this Day” memories from your OneDrive storage. Use this guide to disable the feature.

If you’re a Windows 11 user and use OneDrive to sync your data, you might notice an “On this Day” memories notification or email periodically. It typically will display photos from memories collections from OneDrive.

The “memories” notification or emails don’t seem to appear at random intervals and display photos you have stored in OneDrive. If you find this behavior annoying, you can turn the feature off.

The feature is enabled by default, but you can easily turn it off in OneDrive on the web or from within Windows 11. Here’s how.

How to Turn Off Memories from OneDrive on Windows 11

While some users might find this feature fun and valuable, it’s not for everyone and can be distracting. Luckily, turning off the memories is straightforward from OneDrive on the web or from OneDrive settings on Windows 11.

An example of an “On this Day” memory notification on Windows 11.

To turn off memories from OneDrive on Windows 11:

1. Click the OneDrive icon on the taskbar.
2. Click the gear icon in the top right corner and select Settings from the menu.
3. Once the OneDrive Settings window appears, click Notifications in the left column.
4. Toggle off the Notify me when “On this day” memories are available option from the list on the right.

Once you complete the steps, you will no longer receive “On this Day” memory notifications on Windows 11.

Turn Off Memories from OneDrive on the Web

If you prefer to use the web interface, you can also turn off the memories feature from there.

To turn off the memories feature from OneDrive on the web:

1. Click the OneDrive icon on the taskbar and select the View online button at the bottom of the menu.
2. Click Settings (gear icon) in the top right corner of the page.
3. Select Options from the Settings menu.
4. Click Notifications in the left column and uncheck the On this day memories are available option on the right.
5. Click the Save button to verify the change.

Once you follow the steps, you will no longer receive “On this Day” email notifications. So, turning the memory options off on Windows and OneDrive on the web will ensure you don’t see notifications in your inbox or the desktop.

Getting More from OneDrive on Windows

Whether you leave this feature turned on or disabled depends on your preferences. But if you want to disable the memories, it can be quickly done using the above steps. If you decide to disable it, reenabling the feature is equally as easy.

OneDrive is the sync and storage service built into Windows, and there’s a lot you can do to get the most out of it. For example, you can make Excel Files automatically save to OneDrive. Or, if you want easier data access, you can open File Explorer to OneDrive.

While generally reliable, sometimes OneDrive has problems, and you may need to fix OneDrive not syncing files. And if you don’t use it or prefer another cloud-based storage service, you can disable OneDrive on Windows 11. Also, if you need more protection for important files, use 2FA with Personal Vault in OneDrive.