Windows 11 File Explorer How to Get Back Copy and Keep Both Files When There's a Duplicate?

Hello ,

I’m here to help you in resolving your issue

Click on " Compare Info for both files " , then in Next dailog you will be able to choose to keep both files.

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After trying above steps, please reach out to me if you have any doubts or issues

Help others by sharing your experience! Click “Yes” if this solution worked for you or “No” if it didn’t.

I am sure this will fall on "we have to pretend to tow the MS line" deaf ears... Followed by suggest as feedback. With so many users restoring the context menu, start menu, start menu positioning, lamenting "settings" 9/10 times just being a (prettier?) shell you need to bypass to do anything, things being in non intuitive places, things being split that used to be together,..... not an exhaustive list.

If I still use Win 7 for mass copy operations like this/where the old method is quicker because, even with a restart etc. it works out quicker MS are doing it wrong.

I have had other engineers defend their work all my professional life. Them telling me one user is "doing it wrong" is fine, two is a coincidence, ten plus.....

Keep the "improvements" as default, make changes so shiny and new is justified. Just make the old options available, even with a reg tweak or power tool.

Yes, as Cy mentioned, we know that option is there. It takes a few extra clips to accomplish what used to be done with one click from the first menu. As often as I do this, that's going to be a lot of extra mouse moves and clicks added to my workflow every day.

Thanks,

Mark

Hello Siva,

Yes, we are aware of that option. The issue is that it adds another step to the process with a second window and a new set of clicks. Is there any way we can revert to a more straightforward method of making that decision? (aka the old file copy format)?

Regards,

Cy

In case you never found a way around, or for the curious googler the cure for most Win 8+ "improvements". One that MS could learn from are tweakers like Windhawk. Restores this functionality and others, plus a few other things you don't think on, the folder size displaying in explorer is a no brainer. I did post it earlier but only my second reply to MS took......

I had used it for Win 8 before, or something very like it but as I was only just forced onto Win 11 and slogging through a file copy as your op describes....

Hello ,

I’m here to help you in resolving your issue

Click on " Compare Info for both files " , then in Next dailog you will be able to choose to keep both files.

After trying above steps, please reach out to me if you have any doubts or issues

Help others by sharing your experience! Click “Yes” if this solution worked for you or “No” if it didn’t.