OneDrive for Business Known Folder Move creates duplicate folders for device refresh projects: Fix Guide

When you run a device refresh project and use Known Folder Move to redirect Desktop, Documents, and Pictures to OneDrive, your users may see duplicate folders appear in their OneDrive. This happens because the new device creates a new sync relationship before the old device fully disconnects. This article explains why duplicate folders occur during device refreshes and provides a step-by-step fix to prevent or clean up the duplicates.

Why Known Folder Move Creates Duplicate Folders During a Device Refresh

Known Folder Move redirects the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders from the local user profile to OneDrive. When a user signs in on a new device during a refresh project, OneDrive detects the local folders and attempts to move them into OneDrive. If the old device still has an active sync relationship with Known Folder Move enabled, the folders on the old device remain linked to the same OneDrive namespace. The new device creates a second set of folders — often named “Desktop – ” or “Documents – ” — because the sync engine sees the local folders as independent from the existing OneDrive folders.

The root cause is that the old device was not disconnected cleanly. When Known Folder Move is active on two devices simultaneously for the same user, OneDrive does not merge the folder structures. Instead, it treats each device’s local folders as a separate sync root, leading to duplicates. This is especially common in device refresh projects where IT provisions a new PC before the old PC is decommissioned.

The Role of Files On-Demand in Duplicate Behavior

Files On-Demand creates online-only placeholders for files that are not stored locally. When you enable Known Folder Move on a new device with Files On-Demand turned on, OneDrive creates placeholders for the existing OneDrive folders. If the old device is still syncing, the new device may still create duplicates because the folder redirection policy is not yet aligned. Files On-Demand does not prevent duplicates — it only reduces the local storage impact.

Steps to Prevent Duplicate Folders Before the Device Refresh

Perform these steps on the old device before the user signs in on the new device.

1. Open OneDrive Settings
   Right-click the OneDrive cloud icon in the system tray and select Settings. Go to the Sync and backup tab and click Manage backup.
2. Turn Off Known Folder Move
   Under Back up important folders, click Stop backup for Desktop, Documents, and Pictures. Confirm the stop action. This disconnects the folders from OneDrive on the old device.
3. Unlink the Old Device from OneDrive
   In OneDrive Settings, go to Account and click Unlink this PC. Confirm the unlinking. This removes the sync relationship from the old device.
4. Sign Out of OneDrive on the Old Device
   In the same Account tab, click Sign out. This ensures the old device does not attempt to re-sync when the user signs in on the new device.
5. Verify Folders in OneDrive Web
   Open a browser, go to onedrive.live.com, and sign in with the user’s work account. Confirm that Desktop, Documents, and Pictures appear as top-level folders with no device-specific suffixes.

Steps to Fix Duplicate Folders After They Have Already Appeared

If duplicates already exist, follow these steps to remove the extra folders and restore the correct sync structure.

1. Identify the Duplicate Folders
   On the new device, open File Explorer and navigate to the OneDrive folder. Look for folders named “Desktop – ”, “Documents – ”, or “Pictures – ”. The original folders will have no suffix.
2. Stop Sync on the Old Device
   If the old device is still accessible, repeat the steps in the previous section to turn off Known Folder Move and unlink the device. If the old device is unavailable, go to OneDrive web > Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup and click Stop backup for each folder. This removes the old device’s folder mapping from the server.
3. Move Files from Duplicate Folders to Original Folders
   Open the duplicate folder, select all files (Ctrl+A), and cut them (Ctrl+X). Navigate to the original OneDrive folder (Desktop, Documents, or Pictures) and paste (Ctrl+V). If the original folder is empty, move the files there. If the original folder already contains files, merge the contents by pasting and resolving any file name conflicts.
4. Delete the Empty Duplicate Folder
   After moving all files, right-click the duplicate folder and select Delete. The folder moves to the OneDrive recycle bin. Empty the recycle bin from OneDrive web to permanently remove the folder.
5. Re-enable Known Folder Move on the New Device
   In OneDrive Settings, go to Sync and backup > Manage backup. Click Start backup for Desktop, Documents, and Pictures. OneDrive will link the existing folders on the new device to the correct OneDrive folders.

If OneDrive Still Shows Duplicate Folders After the Main Fix

OneDrive Shows “Desktop – PCName” Even After Unlinking the Old Device

The duplicate folder may be cached in OneDrive’s sync metadata. Run the OneDrive reset command to clear the cache. Press Win + R, type %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset, and press Enter. OneDrive will restart and re-sync the folder structure. If the duplicate persists, sign in to OneDrive web and delete the duplicate folder from the recycle bin.

Known Folder Move Fails to Start on the New Device After Cleanup

The local folder paths may still be registered in the registry from the old device. Open Registry Editor (regedit) and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\OneDrive\Accounts\Business1. Delete the KfmFolder keys for Desktop, Documents, and Pictures. Close the registry and restart OneDrive. Then enable Known Folder Move again from Settings.

Known Folder Move Behavior: Old Device vs New Device During Refresh

Item	Old Device (Before Unlinking)	New Device (After Unlinking)
Folder redirection status	Active — folders point to OneDrive	Inactive — folders are local only
Sync relationship	Connected to user’s OneDrive	No sync relationship yet
Files On-Demand state	May be on or off	Should be enabled to reduce local storage
Risk of duplicates	High if new device signs in before unlinking	Low if Known Folder Move is turned off first
Recommended action	Stop Known Folder Move and unlink	Sign in and enable Known Folder Move

By following the unlinking steps on the old device before provisioning the new device, you eliminate the condition that creates duplicate folders. If duplicates have already appeared, the cleanup steps restore a single folder structure without data loss.

After resolving duplicates, verify that Known Folder Move is active on the new device by checking OneDrive Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup. All three folders should show a green checkmark. For future refresh projects, create a PowerShell script that stops Known Folder Move and unlinks the device as part of the decommissioning workflow. This automation prevents duplicates across all users.