Onedrive is now terrible -- I cant trust it to save correct documents

Right-click on those Documents and Desktop folders, then go to Properties and select the Location tab. If OneDrive is in the location path, then those folders are synced to OneDrive. They are not duplicates. Folders outside of the OneDrive folder cannot sync to OneDrive.

The past 7 months it never did this, I was able to use any original files under C:\Users\username\Documents and Onedrive would save them under C:\Users\Username\OneDrive\Documents with no issues or created copies.

It's not possible for a file saved in C:\Users\username\Documents to also automatically be saved in C:\Users\username\OneDrive\Documents

Right-click the Documents folder and find its actual location. Don't place files in a manila folder unless it is located within the OneDrive folder. If the Documents folder sync is toggled ON, the Standard "syncing" Documents folder will not be a manila folder.

If all your folders are toggled ON in the Manage Backup settings, then to stay fully backed up, with the exception of the Downloads folder, you should use these Windows Standard Folders shown below. The Downloads folder does not sync to OneDrive.

I don't take any special steps to back up my Outlook data files. Emails that I wish to save, I usually save as a PDF and also move them into another folder in Outlook. If you need help with Outlook, please ask a question in the Outlook category.

Ondrive was deleted from my laptop.

Download and then reinstall OneDrive from here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/download-onedrive-579d71c9-fbdd-4d6a-80ba-d0fac3920aac

Why does One drive create this path? C:\Users(name)\OneDrive with its own desktop and documents folders.

The Desktop and Documents folders must be contained within the OneDrive folder in order for them to sync.

and then copies the path C:\Users(name)\Documents and creates copies in these folders?

It can't or it shouldn't.

Please right-click the folder you mentioned: C:\Users(name)\Documents. Then go to Properties > Location tab (if it has one) and see if that Documents folder is located in OneDrive. If it's not located in OneDrive, I don't see how OneDrive could possibly put files in that folder. Like I said earlier, if you want to back up all your documents, turn on the sync at Manage Backup.

Hi @Francisco Garcia Jr, 

Good day to you! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A. 

What you’re experiencing is a result of OneDrive automatically moving your Documents folder, including the “Outlook Files” subfolder into its sync scope. Outlook’s PST files are not designed for live syncing. When Outlook is open, the PST file is locked, and OneDrive cannot sync it. This leads to OneDrive getting stuck on “Processing changes,” Outlook reporting the file as “in use,” and sometimes duplicate PST files being created. 

Here’s what you can do to resolve the issue: 

1. Close Outlook completely. Make sure the Outlook process is not running in the background (check Task Manager). This unlocks the PST file. 
2. Pause OneDrive syncing temporarily. Right-click the OneDrive icon in the system tray and choose “Pause syncing.” This prevents OneDrive from trying to access the PST while you fix the issue. 
3. Move the PST file out of OneDrive’s folder:  

• Navigate to C:\Users<YourName>\OneDrive\Documents\Outlook Files. 
• Copy the PST file to a local folder outside of OneDrive, such as C:\OutlookFiles. 
• Rename the file slightly if needed to avoid confusion. 

4. Reconfigure Outlook:  

• Open Outlook and go to File > Account Settings > Data Files. 
• Remove the old PST entry pointing to the OneDrive path. 
• Add the PST from the new local folder. 
• Set it as the default data file if needed. 

5. Prevent future syncing issues:  

• In OneDrive settings, go to Account > Choose folders and uncheck “Outlook Files” so OneDrive no longer tries to sync that folder. 
• Alternatively, disable Known Folder Move for Documents if you don’t want OneDrive managing that folder at all. 

6. If you decide to disable OneDrive:  

• Unlink your account from OneDrive via settings. 
• Move your files out of the OneDrive folder to local folders. 
• You can uninstall OneDrive if preferred, but unlinking is usually sufficient. 

If you have any further questions and concerns, please let me know. Looking forward to your response. 

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