iCloud drive: duplicate desktop (desktop 2) and duplicate documents (documents 2)... why?

[muqmuq]

Hi,

I am syncing iCloud including Desktop and Documents folders across multiple computers/devices.

I recently created a Catalina SSD startup drive to run an older iMac that had run out of storage. Since then, my iCloud sync shows 2 sets of desktop and documents folders on each device (and in iCloud): regular "Desktop" plus "Desktop 2", and regular "Documents" plus "Documents 2".

I'm trying to understand/troubleshoot this, and am first just curious about why this is happening... any thoughts? (and perhaps a possible solution so I can just go back to the one regular folder for each across everything!)

Thank you, any advice much appreciated

 

[appltech]

Is the content of those folders identical?

 

[muqmuq]

Thanks! No, one is empty and one is full, in each case. Desktop has zero items, Desktop 2 has everything. Documents has zero items, Documents 2 has everything. This is the case on every device, and in iCloud. I suspect somehow creating a new external SSD startup has messed with something, I'm just intrigued to know what that might be.

 

[appltech]

Well, when you add a "new" device to that sync, macOS usually moves the original not-yet-synced content of Desktop and Documents folders inside synced respective ones, naming them "Desktop - [computer name]". And only on that device.
That's not what happened in your case, so yes, something went a bit wrong. I am baffled.

 

[muqmuq]

Thanks appltech, yes I know what you mean with "Desktop - [computer name]" in that context. This is indeed very baffling. I suspect it has something to do with the process you describe, but perhaps it has been slightly skewed by my SSD startup. In my exasperation I removed the "[Duplicate] 2" folders (after copying everything back out) and have retained just "Desktop" and "Documents" across all devices through multiple logins and restarts, so I may have fixed it. But I remain intrigued about the cause...

Thanks for jumping in with your thoughts