How do I prevent Windows from automatically duplicating files?

Question

How do I prevent Windows from automatically duplicating files?

Laura Jennings 0

Windows is automatically duplicating files. I do not know why. Refreshed the credentials. How do I prevent this from recurring??

Les Ferch 10,376 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-10-30T12:12:33.92+00:00

More details needed. Please describe the scenario where duplicates occur. Does it happen when you drag files to another location (i.e. you get another copy instead of the old copy getting overwritten)?

3 answers

Your answer

Les Ferch 10,376 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-10-30T12:12:33.92+00:00

More details needed. Please describe the scenario where duplicates occur. Does it happen when you drag files to another location (i.e. you get another copy instead of the old copy getting overwritten)?

Answer 1

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Answer 2

Hi Laura Jennings,

I understand how confusing and frustrating it can be when files are duplicated without any clear reason.

The next step is to confirm whether the duplicates are actually being created by OneDrive or by another application.

Please check whether the affected files are stored inside a OneDrive folder and whether the duplicate filenames include the name of your computer. If the computer name is added, the issue is usually related to OneDrive synchronization. Since you have already refreshed the credentials, check whether the same folder is being synced or backed up from another device, and avoid editing the same file on multiple devices at the same time.

You can also try resetting the OneDrive sync connection by pressing Windows key + R, entering:

%localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\OneDrive.exe /reset

Then reopen OneDrive from the Start menu. Resetting OneDrive should not delete the files stored in the cloud.

If the duplicates are outside OneDrive or do not include the device name, please share the folder location and an example of how the duplicate filenames appear. That information will help identify whether OneDrive, another backup service, or a specific application is creating them. Thank you so much for your understanding.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Vikki-T 14,115 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-30T12:08:25.4466667+00:00

Hi Laura Jennings,

It has been a while and I am writing to see how things are going with this issue.

Have you had a chance to check the replies provided?

Any update would be appreciated.

Answer 3

If the duplicates are files with the computer name added to the filename, the documented cause is expired or stale OneDrive credentials. Since credentials were already refreshed, the next supported step is to clear the local OneDrive sign-in cache, then reinstall OneDrive if it still recurs.

On Windows:

Press Windows key + R.
Enter %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\settings and select OK.
Delete PreSignInSettingsConfig.json.
Start OneDrive again and check whether new duplicates stop appearing.

If the issue continues:

Uninstall OneDrive.
Reinstall it using Download for Windows.

Microsoft also notes that uninstalling OneDrive does not delete files or data from OneDrive. Files remain available through OneDrive.com.

If the duplicates are not related to OneDrive filenames that include the device name, the provided material does not document a general Windows feature that automatically duplicates files.