Sharepoint duplication folder error

Question

Hi,

Users are encountering duplication of folder errors and we are not sure on the cause of the duplicates. Below is the attached screenshot showing a folder that is tampered by another user, which should not be the case. Kindly help and advice, how can we get to the cause and take action against duplication?

Answer 1

Hi Sophia,

1. The duplicated folder was removed online manually.
2. We click on "use this folder" as it is the designated folder for work files.

Also, we have a recurring issue of files being deleted or moved. The person who last "modified" mentioned that they did not tamper with the folder.

Regards,

amirah_ng

Answer 2

Dear amirah_ng,

Good day! Thank you for posting in our community.

Before you perform re-linking, please confirm several things:

1. The duplicated folder should be removed from Online manually
2. When relinking it, please click "change location" instead of "use this folder" to continue. So Online files should be synced to an empty location.

After that, please monitor if issue will happen again.
However, in case in happens again in the future, kindly contact you global admin to check audit log for further investigation.

Thank you for your time. If you need any further assistance or have any further questions, please feel free to reach out.

Have a nice day!

Answer 3

Hi Sophia,

1. The duplication happens at random, but users who are able to view the folders can see that it was tampered with.
2. We have unlinked the PC and tried to sync it again, however, the issue kept on persisting.
3. The folders that are synced either have a cloud or a green tick icon.

Regards,

amirah_ng

Answer 4

Dear amirah_ng,

Good day! Thank you for posting in our community.

The duplication of folders in SharePoint, as shown in the screenshot, can be caused by several factors, including synchronization issues, user actions, or automated processes. Kindly check below trouble shooting steps.

1. Does it happen on a specific user OneDrive or all users' OneDrive？
2. Please check the folder creator from OneDrive "Created by" column, and check from the related user if he or she has the OneDrive synced to local PC. Sync problem could cause the issue. You can try unlink the folder from the user's PC

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/unlink-and-re-link-onedrive-3c4680bf-cc36-4204-9ca5-e7b24cdd23ea

Relink it to a different location and make sure the sync is in good status.

Make sure all folders' status icon look like below icons.

3. To have further trace of the folders creation reason, "audit log" should be the professional tool. You will need global admin permission to check it.

You can follow this article to search audit log and export the result.

Search the audit log | Microsoft Learn

Export, configure, and view audit log records | Microsoft Learn

Thank you for your time. If you need any further assistance or have any further questions, please feel free to reach out.

Have a nice day!