A file has turned up with your computer's name wedged into it — something like Budget-DESKTOP-ABC123.xlsx — or there is a second copy called Budget (1).xlsx, or OneDrive is telling you a newer version of the file exists. This is a sync conflict. Two copies of the same file were edited separately, OneDrive could not safely decide which changes to keep, so it kept both rather than guess and lose someone's work.

The important thing: nothing has been lost. Both versions exist. The job is to work out which one holds the latest work — and not to delete anything until you have.

Try this first

1. Open both files side by side and compare them. Look for the most recent changes you remember making — yesterday's figures, the new paragraph, the extra rows.
2. In File Explorer, check the Date modified column (if you cannot see it, right-click the column headings and tick Date modified). The newer date is a strong clue, but open the files anyway — the date only tells you when a copy was saved, not which changes it holds.
3. Once you are sure which copy is current, keep it under the proper name and rename the other one: right-click it, choose Rename, and add -OLD to the end. Do not delete either copy until you are certain which one holds the latest work — if you discover next week that the -OLD copy held something the other did not, it is still there.
4. Click the OneDrive cloud icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen, near the clock. A red circle with a white cross means sync errors — click it and read the message, which usually names the file it is stuck on.
5. Check the same file is not open on two computers at once — an office desktop left running overnight with the spreadsheet open is the classic cause. If you get a message that the file is locked, see File is locked or in use.

If that didn't fix it

If you cannot tell which copy is current, or the latest work seems to be missing from both, stop there. OneDrive keeps earlier versions of files, and we can often line them up and recover exactly what you need — see Restore an earlier version of a document if you want to look yourself. Before logging a ticket, note down: the exact names of both copies, the Date modified on each, which computers you have used the file on in the past week, and roughly when you last saw the missing changes.

Why this happens

OneDrive syncs changes over the internet, and it can only merge what it has seen. If two computers both edit the file before either has finished syncing — or a laptop was offline on a plane, on a job site with no reception, or asleep in a bag — each machine ends up with its own genuine version of the file. When they finally compare notes, OneDrive keeps both and stamps one with the computer's name so you can tell them apart. It is the software being cautious, not broken.

How to stop it happening again

Close files when you finish with them rather than leaving them open overnight. If you use two computers, give the first one a minute to finish syncing — a plain cloud icon, no circling arrows — before you start editing on the second. After working offline, connect and let the laptop catch up before anyone edits the same files elsewhere. And for files several people edit together, ask us about keeping them in SharePoint and editing in the Office apps — changes there merge live and rarely conflict at all.

Still stuck?

Log a ticket at portal.yougrowit.com.au or email support@yougrowit.com.au. If it is stopping you working right now, call 03 9028 4358.

Support hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm Melbourne time, excluding Victorian public holidays.

Not a client yet?

This help centre is free to read and we would rather you fixed it yourself. If it has not worked, or you would rather someone just dealt with it:

The first call is free. Tell us what’s happening and we’ll tell you what we think it is, what fixing it involves, and what it’ll cost — before anything is charged. If it turns out to be a five-minute thing, we’ll usually just sort it out on the call.

Call 03 9028 4358 or email admin@yougrowit.com.au. Melbourne small businesses, Monday to Friday 8:30am–5:30pm. We don’t do home computers.