OneDrive for Business Known Folder Move creates duplicate folders for shared computers: Fix Guide

When you enable Known Folder Move on a shared computer, OneDrive for Business may create duplicate folders in your cloud storage. Instead of moving your Documents, Pictures, or Desktop folders into a single OneDrive location, the system creates a second folder with a computer name suffix. This behavior confuses users and breaks file organization. The root cause is a conflict between the user profile and the OneDrive sync client when multiple users sign in to the same device. This article explains why the duplicates appear and provides a step-by-step method to prevent and fix the issue.

Why Known Folder Move Creates Duplicate Folders on Shared Computers

Known Folder Move redirects the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders to OneDrive for Business. On a shared computer, each user profile is separate. When a user signs in and enables Known Folder Move, OneDrive checks the target folder in the cloud. If a folder with the user’s name already exists, OneDrive should merge the local folder into that existing cloud folder. However, on shared computers, the sync client sometimes fails to match the user’s primary folder because the local folder path includes a computer name or a profile identifier. The client then creates a new folder with a suffix such as “-LAPTOP123” or “-PC01” to avoid overwriting the existing folder.

This duplication occurs most often when:

• The user previously signed in to OneDrive on a different device and already has a Documents folder in the cloud.
• The shared computer has a non-standard user profile folder name, such as “User.DOMAIN” instead of “User”.
• Group Policy settings for Known Folder Move are not configured to use a fixed folder name.

The result is two folders in OneDrive: one named “Documents” and another named “Documents-LAPTOP123”. Files remain split between them, and users lose the benefit of a single synchronized workspace.

Steps to Prevent and Fix Duplicate Folders

Use the following methods to stop duplicates from appearing and to merge existing duplicates back into a single folder. Apply the Group Policy fix first to prevent future occurrences.

Method 1: Configure Group Policy to Force a Consistent Folder Name

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor
   Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. If the device is joined to a domain, edit the relevant Group Policy Object from a domain controller.
2. Navigate to the OneDrive policy folder
   Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > OneDrive. If you do not see OneDrive listed, download and install the OneDrive Group Policy Administrative Template files from Microsoft.
3. Enable the policy for silent folder move
   Double-click “Silently move Windows known folders to OneDrive”. Set it to Enabled. In the Options section, select “Prompted user to move known folders” and choose “Yes”. This policy forces OneDrive to use the user’s existing cloud folder without creating a computer-named duplicate.
4. Restart the OneDrive sync client
   Close OneDrive from the system tray by right-clicking the cloud icon and selecting “Quit OneDrive”. Restart it from the Start menu. Sign in again if prompted.

Method 2: Manually Merge Duplicate Folders via Registry

1. Open Registry Editor
   Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Confirm the UAC prompt.
2. Navigate to the OneDrive account key
   Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\OneDrive\Accounts\Business1. If you have multiple business accounts, check each subkey under Accounts.
3. Locate the KfmFolderName value
   Find the string value named KfmFolderName. Its data is the folder name OneDrive uses for Known Folder Move. If it contains a computer name suffix, change it to the base folder name. For example, change “Documents-LAPTOP123” to “Documents”.
4. Move files from the duplicate folder
   Open File Explorer. Navigate to the duplicate folder in OneDrive, for example C:\Users\YourName\OneDrive - Company\Documents-LAPTOP123. Cut all files and paste them into the correct folder, such as Documents. Delete the empty duplicate folder.
5. Restart OneDrive to apply the change
   Right-click the OneDrive icon in the system tray and select “Quit OneDrive”. Start OneDrive again. The sync client now uses the corrected folder name.

Method 3: Reconfigure Known Folder Move from OneDrive Settings

1. Open OneDrive settings
   Right-click the OneDrive cloud icon in the system tray and select “Settings”. Go to the Sync and backup tab.
2. Click Manage backup
   Under “Back up important PC folders”, click “Manage backup”. You see the current status for Desktop, Documents, and Pictures.
3. Stop backing up the affected folder
   Toggle off the folder that created a duplicate, for example Documents. Click “Stop backup”. OneDrive moves the folder back to its original location on the local drive.
4. Re-enable backup for the same folder
   Wait for the sync to complete, then toggle the folder back on. OneDrive now detects the existing cloud folder and merges into it without creating a duplicate.

If Duplicate Folders Persist After the Main Fix

OneDrive Creates a New Folder Each Time the User Signs In

When a user signs in to a shared computer, OneDrive may create a new folder for each session. This happens if the user profile is temporary or if the device uses Windows Folder Redirection in addition to Known Folder Move. Check whether Folder Redirection Group Policy is applied. If it is, disable Folder Redirection for the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders before enabling Known Folder Move. Use the Group Policy Management Console to locate and disable the Folder Redirection settings under User Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Folder Redirection.

Files Appear in Both the Original and Duplicate Folders

If files exist in both the original Documents folder and the duplicate Documents-LAPTOP123 folder, you need to merge them manually. Open both folders in separate File Explorer windows. Use the Date modified column to identify the newest version of each file. Copy the newer version into the correct folder. After merging, delete the duplicate folder. Run OneDrive sync to push the changes to the cloud. Verify that no files are missing by comparing the total file count from the two folders against the merged folder.

Group Policy Does Not Apply to the User

If the “Silently move Windows known folders to OneDrive” policy is enabled but duplicates still appear, the policy may not apply because the user is not part of the correct security group. On a domain-joined computer, run gpresult /H gp-report.html from a command prompt to see which policies are applied. Look for the OneDrive policy in the report. If it is missing, verify that the Group Policy Object is linked to the user’s OU and that the user has Read permissions for the policy.

Known Folder Move: Default Behavior vs Group Policy Controlled

Item	Default User Action	Group Policy Controlled
Folder naming	Uses folder name plus computer name suffix if conflict exists	Forces a fixed folder name matching the cloud folder
User prompt	Shows a notification asking user to move folders	Silently moves folders without user interaction
Duplicate prevention	Not guaranteed on shared computers	Prevents duplicates by using the same target folder per user
Administration effort	Requires manual cleanup per user per device	Zero cleanup after initial policy deployment

The Group Policy controlled approach is the only reliable method to prevent duplicates on shared computers. Without it, each user on each device may create a separate folder set.

You can now prevent duplicate folders from appearing when Known Folder Move runs on a shared computer. Apply the Group Policy setting “Silently move Windows known folders to OneDrive” to enforce a consistent folder name per user. If duplicates already exist, use the registry edit or the Manage backup option to merge them. As an advanced step, combine this with the OneDrive policy “Set the maximum download speed” to reduce network congestion when moving large folder sets.