MC1462925 - OneDrive Photos on Windows: admin controls and policy support

Updated September 4, 2026: This post was published in error and can be safely disregarded. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

What and Why:

We're providing an update on OneDrive Photos, a photos experience included in the OneDrive sync app for Windows 10 and Windows 11. OneDrive Photos is delivered through OneDrive app updates and is not installed as a separate application.

Today, OneDrive Photos is available only to users who sign in with a personal Microsoft account. Support for work and school accounts is planned for the coming months. To help organizations manage the experience, upcoming OneDrive builds will add support for existing OneDrive sync policies that govern access and sign-in behavior for OneDrive Photos.

Rollout Schedule:

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in late August 2026 and expect to complete by late September 2026.

Support for the policies described below will become available through upcoming OneDrive builds during this rollout period. We will update the OneDrive release notes and policy documentation as each control becomes available.

Impact on Your Organization:

Who is affected:

• Organizations using the OneDrive sync app on Windows 10 or Windows 11.
• Users who sign in to OneDrive with a personal Microsoft account on managed devices.
• Future support for work and school accounts is planned but is not available today.

Platforms and services:

• OneDrive sync app
• Windows 10
• Windows 11

Current experience:

• OneDrive Photos is included as part of the OneDrive sync app.
• Users signed in to OneDrive with a work or school account do not currently see the View photos entry point.
• There is no impact to work or school accounts today.
• Users who sign in with a personal Microsoft account on a managed device may see the View photos entry point in the OneDrive activity center.

Policy support coming in upcoming OneDrive builds:

The following existing OneDrive sync policies will apply to OneDrive Photos. No new Photos-specific policies are being introduced.

DisablePersonalSync

• When enabled, this policy prevents personal Microsoft account sign-in for the OneDrive Photos experience.

DisableNucleusSync

• When enabled, this policy prevents both personal account and work or school account sign-in for the OneDrive Photos experience.

DisableNucleusSilentConfig

• When enabled, this policy prevents OneDrive Photos from automatically signing users in with their primary work or school account the first time they open the experience.

Action Required or Recommendations:

No action is required.

We recommend that you:

• Review your current DisablePersonalSync and DisableNucleusSync settings. If either policy is already configured, OneDrive Photos will honor the existing configuration after support becomes available. No additional policy deployment is required.
• Review your DisableNucleusSilentConfig setting if you want to control whether users are automatically signed in the first time they open OneDrive Photos.
• Monitor the OneDrive release notes and policy documentation for updates about the availability of these controls.
• Inform your help desk and support teams about the current behavior and upcoming policy support.

For customers in the Production ring, the OneDrive Photos app entry has been removed from the Start menu. The app remains available in Insider rings while the related management controls are being completed.