OneDrive Error Message: We couldn't merge the changes in an Office file

When you encounter the above OneDrive sync error, there is a possibility that your OneDrive is creating duplicate files or folders. "Why does my OneDrive keep duplicating files?" The possible reason may be that the OneDrive program synchronizes files incorrectly, or files are uploaded from multiple different OneDrive clients resulting in save conflicts, or Microsoft Office programs upload multiple file versions, etc.

Whatever the cause of the "you now have two copies of a file" sync error on OneDrive, you can refer to the following effective solutions to resolve it.

6 Methods to Fix OneDrive You Now Have Two Copies of a File

Here are some tips that can help you fix “you now have two copies of a file on OneDrive”. You can try them one after another until the problem is resolved.

Way 1. Stop and Re-sync the Particular Library to OneDrive

First of all, please consider that there is a problem with the file synchronization of a specific file library. To fix the sync problem, you can try to stop synchronizing the specific library and then resume the synchronization. Here's how to do it:

Step 1. Click on the OneDrive icon on the taskbar and go to OneDrive Settings.

Step 2. Find the library that is causing the “you now have two copies of a file” issue on OneDrive and tap Stop Sync.

Step 3. Then, wait for a moment, and then add the library to OneDrive sync again and check if it can be synced correctly.

Way 2. Unlink and Re-link Your OneDrive Account

Unlinking and re-linking the OneDrive account from your computer is a useful approach to fix OneDrive sync errors like OneDrive isn’t connected, OneDrive not syncing all files, and so on. You can follow the given steps to stop duplicating files in OneDrive and fix the “you now have two copies of a file” problem:

Step 1. Open the OneDrive desktop app settings and go to the Account tab.

Step 2. Click Unlink this PC and tap Unlink account to confirm your choice.

Step 3. Run the OneDrive app and re-login to your OneDrive account to see if the file is synced with no error.

Way 3. Remove Redundant Office Versions

If there are multiple Microsoft Office versions on your computer, it may result in OneDrive making duplicate files. For example, you have both Microsoft Office 2010 and 2016 installed on your PC. In this case, you can fix it by removing redundant Office versions with the following steps:

Step 1. Click Windows Start > Settings and select Apps.

Step 2. Find the older version of Microsoft Office, click on it, and hit Uninstall.

Step 3. Reboot your computer and check if the file sync on OneDrive is well.

Way 4. Update/Repair the Microsoft Office Program

The problem of “you now have two copies of a file in OneDrive” might be due to an outdated or malfunctioning Microsoft Office app. This can be fixed by using the Repair option on your Windows computer.

Step 1. Click Start > Settings > Apps subsequently.

Step 2. Click Microsoft Office and hit the Modify position. Then, click Yes.

Step 3. Tap on Quick Repair > Repair to wait for the repair process to finish.

Way 5. Clear Microsoft Office Cached Data

Sometimes, OneDrive cached data on Microsoft Office can also result in OneDrive making duplicate files. It’s worth a shot to try to clear the cached data of OneDrive on Office.

Step 1. Input “Microsoft Office tools” in the Windows search box and select Office Upload Center.

Step 2. Under Cache Settings, check the box next to Delete files from the Office Document Cache when they are closed, and click Delete cached files.

Way 6. Delete OneDrive Cached Credential

Another reason for the “OneDrive you now have two copies of a file” issue is that when a file is edited on multiple computers before it has had a chance to sync everywhere. So, OneDrive saves different versions of the file to prevent data loss. If so, you may need to remove the OneDrive credentials:

Step 1. Select Start and type “credentials.” Then, click on Credentials Manager.

Step 2. Choose the Windows Credentials section.

Step 3. Under General Credentials, locate entries containing “OneDrive Cached Credentials.”

Step 4. Open the drop-down menu of the OneDrive Cached Credentials and click Remove.

Step 5. Then restart OneDrive and verify if OneDrive stops from has two copies of a file.

Further Reading: Use An Error-free Way to Sync Files to OneDrive

If the “OneDrive you now have two copies of a file” error persists after trying all the above methods, or you want an easier way to sync files to OneDrive, try the best free cloud backup and sync service, CBackup.

It enables you to sync files from your computer and external hard drive to OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, and more cloud drives.

It supports flexible automatic synchronization modes, including one-time only, daily, weekly, and monthly.

Besides, it offers a Backup feature to help you use OneDrive for backup only and backup files between clouds seamlessly.

It provides its own cloud storage space CBackup Cloud, giving 5GB of free backup space and cost-effective storage plans.

Now download free CBackup software and follow the tutorial below to synchronize files and folders to OneDrive. All Windows operating systems are supported by CBackup.

Step 1. Sign up for a CBackup on its website. Launch the CBackup desktop client to sign in.

Step 2. Click Storage on the left and select OneDrive. Then hit Authorize Now to complete authorization.

Step 3. Go to the Sync tab and select Sync PC to Public Cloud.

Step 4. Name the task based on your needs. Then select files, folders, or disks for sync. Then, expand the OneDrive cloud and choose a folder as the target location.

Step 5. Tap on Settings and enable schedule sync settings as you need. Then, click Start Sync to upload files to OneDrive instantly.

Summary

Six tested solutions to help you solve the “OneDrive you now have two copies of a file” problem are provided on this page. If you don’t want to try these methods one by one, you could turn to the powerful cloud backup and sync tool CBackup to synchronize files to OneDrive easily and faultlessly.

It also comes with other robust features, like performing OneDrive auto sync flexibly, excluding files from OneDrive sync with one click, and backing up OneDrive to other clouds without downloading and uploading.