How to clean up duplicate drive letters on Windows 11

While Windows 11 is still a significant upgrade from the previous iteration, there are some issues that Microsoft doesn’t seem to have fixed. A common problem is duplicate drive letters in Windows 11, where the same drive is listed twice and you need to delete the redundant entries.

For example, it will be listed under "This PC" and then again as a removable drive in the navigation pane. While this won't translate into increased storage space consumption, it will certainly clutter Windows Explorer.

Why does my drive show up twice in Windows 11?

By default, Windows displays external drives twice in the navigation pane. That's the way it goes. However, conflicting drive letters or corrupted system files may also trigger the problem for some people.

When we encounter a problem, we will first delete the underlying registry files and then look for other problems to remove duplicate drives in File Explorer.

How to remove duplicate drives in Windows 11?

1. Modify the Registry Editor

1. Press to open "Run", type regedit in the text field, and then click "OK". WindowsR
2. Click "is" at the UAC prompt.
3. Paste the following path in the address bar and click: Enter<strong>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\DelegateFolders</strong>
4. Locate the {F5FB2C77-0E2F-4A16-A381-3E560C68BC83} key in the navigation pane, right-click it, and select Delete.
5. Click "Yes" in the confirmation box.
6. Restart your computer and check that File Explorer now only shows one entry for the external drive. If not, and you are running a 64-bit architecture, go to the following path: <strong>Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\DelegateFolders</strong>
7. Finally, delete the {F5FB2C77-0E2F-4A16-A381-3E560C68BC83} key here and restart your computer to remove the duplicate drive in File Explorer .

Deleting REG files is one of the best solutions when you find duplicate drive icons in Windows 11. But remember, Registry Editor is a complex tool. Don't make any other changes, it's better to create a restore point beforehand.

2. Change drive letter

1. Press to open the Search menu, type "Disk Management" in the text field, and click "Create and format hard drive partitions" ". WindowsS
2. Now, right-click on the affected drive and select Change Drive Letter and Path.
3. Click the Change button.
4. Select the Assign the following drive letter option, select a drive letter from the drop-down menu, and click OK to save the changes.
5. Click "Yes" in the confirmation dialog box.

3. Restore File Explorer defaults

1. Press to open File Explorer, click the ellipsis near the upper right corner, and select "# from the pop-up menu ##options". WindowsE
Go to the "View" tab and click the "
2. Restore Defaults" button.
When completed, the USB flash drive should not appear as a separate entry in File Explorer.

4. Customize the navigation pane of File Explorer

Press to open File Explorer.
1. WindowsE
Right-click the navigation pane on the left and uncheck all entries except
2. "Show this PC". This includes "Show Network", "Show Libraries", "Show All Folders" and "Expand to current folder".

Keep in mind that this is a workaround that can tidy up the left pane to an extent and make File Explorer run faster. It won't have a direct impact on the duplicate drive unless you uncheck "Show this PC", but then the internal drive won't show up in the navigation pane.

You now know why your external drive appears twice in Windows 11 and how to remove duplicate drives instantly! While we have focused on drives so far, duplicate files also pose a major problem and these end up consuming more storage space.

Learning about data deduplication in Windows 11 will help you clear your PC of unnecessary files and clutter.

Also, keep in mind that deleting duplicate files is just as easy in Windows 10. There are both built-in features to find unwanted files, as well as the option to use third-party file finder tools.

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