PowerShell Profile Issues and Directory Error Solution After Removing OneDrive

A Windows 11 User's Story#

I installed a fresh Windows 11 on my computer for a new start. Everything seemed quite fast and smooth, but I decided to remove OneDrive, a tool I wasn't using. I didn't have much use for cloud storage services and wanted my files to be stored locally instead of being automatically synchronized.

However, after removing OneDrive, I noticed that my Documents folder path still appeared as C:\Users\Username\OneDrive\Documents. Moreover, when I opened PowerShell, I realized that my profile file couldn't be loaded and many modules were missing. At this point, I understood that Windows continued to keep some settings in their old state and I needed to correct them manually. If you're experiencing a similar problem, you can get rid of these errors by following the steps below.

Problem of Documents Directory Still Appearing After Removing OneDrive#

If you've removed OneDrive but applications like PowerShell are still using the C:\Users\Username\OneDrive\Documents path, your system's default Documents directory may be defined at the old location.

Solution 1: Correcting Directory Path via Registry#

1. Press Windows + R and type regedit and press Enter.
2. Open the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

1. Double-click on the "Personal" key and change the value as follows:

C:\Users\Username\Documents

1. Restart your computer.

Solution 2: Updating PowerShell Profile Path#

PowerShell may be using the old OneDrive path. To create a new profile, run the following commands:

$newProfilePath = "C:\Users\Username\Documents\PowerShell\Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1"
New-Item -ItemType File -Path $newProfilePath -Force

Then redirect the $PROFILE variable to the new location:

[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PROFILE", $newProfilePath, "User")

Close and reopen PowerShell and check the $PROFILE variable:

echo $PROFILE

PowerShell Profile File Cannot Be Run Error#

If you're getting an error that your PowerShell profile file cannot be run because it's not signed, you can try the following methods.

Solution 1: Changing Execution Policy#

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run the following command:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted

If you don't want to release all scripts for security reasons, you can allow only unsigned scripts:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

Temporary solution for current session only:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process -ExecutionPolicy Bypass

Solution 2: Removing File Block#

If the file was downloaded from the internet, PowerShell may block it. To remove the block:

Unblock-File -Path $PROFILE

Alternatively, right-click on the file, go to Properties > General tab and check Unblock option.

Fixing PowerShell Module Deficiencies#

If modules like Oh My Posh, Terminal-Icons or PSFzf are missing in your PowerShell profile, you need to install them manually.

1. Installing Oh My Posh#

winget install JanDeDobbeleer.OhMyPosh -s winget

After installation, verify with:

oh-my-posh --version

If oh-my-posh is still not recognized, manually add the following path to your $PATH variable:

$env:Path += ";C:\Program Files\oh-my-posh\bin"

2. Installing Terminal-Icons Module#

Install-Module -Name Terminal-Icons -Scope CurrentUser -Force
Import-Module Terminal-Icons

3. Installing PSFzf Module#

Install-Module -Name PSFzf -Scope CurrentUser -Force
Import-Module PSFzf

If you get a NuGet error during installation, first install the NuGet provider:

Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -Force
Set-PSRepository -Name "PSGallery" -InstallationPolicy Trusted

Then run the Install-Module command again.

Updating PowerShell Profile#

If the modules are installed but still don't work automatically, add the following lines to your $PROFILE file:

# Install Oh My Posh
oh-my-posh init pwsh --config "$env:POSH_THEMES_PATH/amro.omp.json" | Invoke-Expression

# Load Terminal-Icons module
Import-Module Terminal-Icons

# Load PSFzf module
Import-Module PSFzf
Set-PsFzfOption -PSReadlineChordProvider 'Ctrl+f' -PSReadlineChordReverseHistory 'Ctrl+r'

Then run your $PROFILE file to test the changes:

. $PROFILE

Close and reopen PowerShell to check if the errors are fixed. 🚀

📌 Solution: Manually Correcting Folder Paths#

1️⃣ Updating Paths via Registry#

Windows manages special folder paths through the Registry. To change old OneDrive paths:

📌 Step 1: Open Registry#

• Press Windows + R
• Type regedit and press Enter

📌 Step 2: Open the Following Path#

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

Here you will see the following keys. You should correct paths starting with OneDrive:

📌 Step 3: Correct Wrong Paths#

• Find paths containing OneDrive. (For example: C:\Users\Username\OneDrive\Documents)
• Double-click and change to C:\Users\Username format.
• Restart your computer.

2️⃣ Move Folders Manually and Change Location#

If the above method doesn't solve the problem, try the following manual method:

📌 Step 1: Change Default Locations#

• Right-click on your Documents, Desktop, Pictures etc. folders.
• Go to Properties > Location tab.
• Click "Move" button and select appropriate directory (C:\Users\Username\Documents etc.).
• Apply and click OK.
• Repeat these steps for Desktop, Documents, Music, Videos and Pictures.

3️⃣ Repairing Folder Paths with PowerShell (Automatic)#

If you don't want to do the above steps manually, you can automatically correct the paths by running the following PowerShell script:

$folders = @("Desktop", "Documents", "Pictures", "Videos", "Music")
foreach ($folder in $folders) {
    $path = "C:\Users\$env:USERNAME\$folder"
    if (!(Test-Path $path)) { New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $path -Force }
    New-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" -Name $folder -Value $path -PropertyType ExpandString -Force
}

This command:

• Assigns correct paths for Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos and Music.
• Creates missing folders.
• Corrects wrong paths in Windows registry.

Restart your computer and check if it's corrected. 🚀