OneDrive for Business Known Folder Move creates duplicate folders for department pilots: Fix Guide

When you deploy Known Folder Move to pilot users in a department, OneDrive sometimes creates duplicate Desktop, Documents, or Pictures folders on the new device. Instead of redirecting the existing folders, OneDrive creates a second set of folders with names like Desktop – 1 or Documents – 2. This happens because of a conflict between the user’s existing local folder structure and the redirection policy applied by the admin. This article explains why the duplication occurs and provides a step-by-step procedure to fix it without losing data.

Why Known Folder Move Creates Duplicate Folders in Department Pilots

Known Folder Move is a OneDrive feature that redirects the Windows Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders to OneDrive. When an admin deploys KFM through Group Policy or Microsoft Intune, the OneDrive sync client checks the current location of each known folder. If the local folder is already inside the OneDrive folder or if a previous sync attempt left a partial redirect, the client creates a new folder with a numbered suffix instead of moving the existing one.

In a department pilot, the most common cause is that the user’s local Documents folder was already redirected to a network drive or another OneDrive account. When the pilot policy attempts to move it again, OneDrive cannot overwrite the existing path and creates a duplicate. Another scenario is when the user has manually copied files into a folder that has the same name as the known folder but is located outside the user profile. The sync client treats that folder as a conflict and creates a new one.

Steps to Remove Duplicate Folders and Restore Correct Known Folder Move

The following steps will remove the duplicate folder and reconnect the original known folder to OneDrive. Perform these steps on each affected pilot device.

1. Stop Known Folder Move temporarily
   Open OneDrive settings by right-clicking the OneDrive cloud icon in the system tray and selecting Settings. Go to Sync and backup > Manage backup. Click Stop backup for Desktop, Documents, and Pictures. This halts the redirect but does not delete any files.
2. Identify the duplicate folder and the original folder
   Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Users\%username%. Look for folders named Desktop – 1, Documents – 2, or Pictures – 1. Right-click each duplicate and select Properties. Compare the size and file count with the original Desktop, Documents, or Pictures folders. The duplicate typically contains fewer files because it was created after the redirect started.
3. Move files from the duplicate to the original folder
   Open the duplicate folder, press Ctrl+A to select all files, then press Ctrl+X to cut them. Navigate to the original folder with the same name without the number suffix, and press Ctrl+V to paste. If any file names conflict, choose to replace or keep both files based on the modified date. The original folder should now contain all files from both locations.
4. Delete the duplicate folder
   After confirming that all files are moved, right-click the duplicate folder and select Delete. Empty the Recycle Bin to prevent OneDrive from re-detecting the folder during the next sync.
5. Restart Known Folder Move
   Return to OneDrive settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup. Click Start backup for Desktop, Documents, and Pictures. OneDrive will now redirect the original folder without creating a new duplicate. Wait for the sync to complete, which may take several minutes depending on the number of files.
6. Verify the folder location in OneDrive
   Right-click the original folder in File Explorer and select Properties > Location. The path should show C:\Users\%username%\OneDrive – [Your Company Name]\Documents or the equivalent for Desktop and Pictures. If the location still shows the local profile path, click Move and select the OneDrive folder manually.

If OneDrive Still Creates Duplicate Folders After the Main Fix

Some pilot devices may continue to generate duplicate folders even after following the steps above. The following subsections cover the specific causes and fixes for these cases.

OneDrive Keeps Creating Desktop – 1 on Every Sync

This indicates that the local Desktop folder is set to a custom location outside the user profile. Open File Explorer, right-click the Desktop folder in Quick Access, and select Properties > Location. If the path is not C:\Users\%username%\Desktop, click Restore Default and apply the change. Then repeat the steps in the main fix section.

Documents Folder Duplicates Because of Previous OneDrive Account

If the user previously signed into a personal Microsoft account and redirected Documents, the folder may still be linked to that account. Unlink the personal account by opening OneDrive settings > Account > Unlink this PC. Then sign in only with the work or school account and restart Known Folder Move.

Group Policy or Intune Policy Prevents Manual Restore

Some organizations set a policy that forces KFM and blocks users from stopping backup. In that case, contact your Microsoft 365 admin to temporarily disable the KFM policy for the pilot group. After the duplicate folders are removed and the original folders are restored, the admin can re-enable the policy.

Known Folder Move Duplicate Behavior vs Manual Redirect: Key Differences

Item	Known Folder Move (Automatic)	Manual Folder Redirect
Trigger	Group Policy, Intune, or OneDrive setup wizard	User right-clicks folder > Properties > Location > Move
Duplicate folder creation	Common when local path conflicts or previous redirect exists	Rare; user chooses the target path manually
Recovery method	Stop backup, merge files, delete duplicate, restart backup	Move folder back to original location, then re-run KFM
Admin control	Full control via tenant policy	No admin control; user action only

After completing the fix, the pilot user should have a single set of known folders that sync correctly to OneDrive. The duplicate folder will no longer be created on subsequent syncs. To prevent the issue from recurring in future deployments, configure the KFM policy to Silently move known folders to OneDrive and ensure that no previous folder redirects exist before enrolling new devices. Test the policy on a single non-pilot device first.