Duplicate Folders in the Left Pane of File Explorer? Here Are Fixes!

Solve the issue of duplicate folders in the left pane of File Explorer

File Explorer is a tool for accessing files, folders, and system disks. The Quick Access feature in the left pane facilitates quick search of recently used files. However, some users find duplicate folders in the left pane of File Explorer. Why does this happen and how to solve it? Let's take a look at the MiniTool solution.

You must be familiar with File Explorer because it is used to list, navigate, and open files and folders. When there is a duplicate folder problem on the left pane of File Explorer, it will not only mess up the interface, but also reduce the efficiency of finding files. We've gathered some ways to help you solve this problem.

How to remove duplicate folders in File Explorer

Method 1: Change folder options

You can change the settings of the navigation pane in File Explorer. Follow these steps to complete the setup:

Step 1: Click the folder icon on the taskbar to open File Explorer.

Step 2: Go to the View tab on the toolbar and select the options in the upper right corner.

Step 3: Click the View tab in the Folder Options window.

Step 4: Scroll down to the Advanced Settings section and find the navigation pane .

Step 5: Uncheck all options under the Navigation Pane.

Step 6: Click Apply > OK to apply the changes.

After that, you can close the window and return to File Explorer to see if the duplicate folder has been deleted.

Method 2: Reset folder options

Reverting the settings to defaults can correct some misconfigurations in File Explorer; therefore, it may be able to remove duplicates in File Explorer.

Step 1: Press Win E to open File Explorer.

Step 2: Switch to the View tab on the top toolbar and click the Options button.

Step 3: Click the Restore Default Value button at the bottom of the Folder Options window.

Step 4: Click Apply > OK to confirm the changes.

Method 3: Delete the icon cache

A corrupt icon cache may cause duplicate folders to appear in the left pane of File Explorer. You can delete the icon cache to try to resolve this issue.

Step 1: Press Win R to open the "Run" window.

Step 2: Type cmd in the text box and press Shift Ctrl Enter to run the command prompt as administrator.

Step 3: Copy and paste the following command line and press Enter at the end of each command.

cd /d %userprofile%\\AppData\\Local

attrib -h IconCache.db

del IconCache.db

Method 4: Run SFC and DISM command lines

If this problem on your computer is triggered by a corrupt system file, you can use built-in Windows tools to fix this problem. The SFC and DISM command lines are used to find and repair damaged or lost system files.

Step 1: Press Win S and type a command prompt in the search bar.

Step 2: In the right pane, select Run as administrator .

Step 3: Type sfc /scannow and press Enter to run the command line.

Step 4: After the scan process is complete, you can enter the following command line and press Enter at the end of each command.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /Checkhealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /Scanhealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /Restorehealth

After repairing the corrupt system files, you can go to File Explorer to see if the folder is displayed normally.

Additional Tips

Problems that occur in File Explorer can also endanger your files. If you lose a file after fixing a duplicate folder issue in the left pane of File Explorer, you should retrieve it immediately because the longer it is lost, the less likely it is to recover.

We recommend that you use MiniTool Power Data Recovery. This free file recovery software enables you to retrieve files from internal and external hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards and other data storage devices.

With a secure data recovery service, this data recovery tool will keep the original data safe and without causing any damage to it. If necessary, you can download and install the free version, scan and recover files up to 1GB for free.

Summarize

Duplicate folders in the left pane of File Explorer waste users more time distinguishing them. They may not be a serious problem, but they do bother users. Hopefully one of the above methods can help you solve the problem.

The above is the detailed content of Duplicate Folders in the Left Pane of File Explorer? Here Are Fixes!. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!