I'm new to managing laptops, and recently almost every file on my computer started producing duplicates. This includes installers, pictures, videos, PDFs, Word documents, and other file types. Some files have been duplicated dozens of times, and a hard drive with more than 400 GB of free space became completely full. Deleting the copies does not solve the problem because newly downloaded files are duplicated again. I think OneDrive may be enabled, but I'm not sure what is causing this or how to stop it safely.
2 Answers
Something is probably actively creating the copies, rather than the files duplicating randomly. Check OneDrive and any other cloud-sync or backup programs first, since a synchronization conflict can repeatedly recreate files. Pause syncing temporarily and see whether new files continue duplicating. Also run a full malware scan and inspect Task Manager’s Startup section for unfamiliar programs. It’s better to identify the process first instead of repeatedly deleting the copies.
After stopping the program causing the duplicates, a duplicate-file utility such as CloneSpy can help locate and remove the extra copies. Be careful to review the results manually so you don’t delete the original files or anything important.
I do have OneDrive enabled, although I’m not sure whether it is configured correctly. I’ll try pausing it and checking whether the duplication stops.