SharePoint Document Issues

Fix SharePoint Replace or Keep Both Prompt Missing During File Moves

Maira Mehtab Oct 7, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users need to restore the file conflict prompt in SharePoint to prevent the automatic creation of duplicate files when moving or copying documents.

How to Fix SharePoint Replace or Keep Both Prompt Missing During File Moves

Product: SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Moving or copying files with duplicate names into a SharePoint destination document library.
Observed behavior: SharePoint fails to display the Replace or Keep Both prompt and automatically creates duplicate files instead of overwriting, disrupting manual file management and Power Automate processes.

Before you start

Ensure you have site administrator permissions to modify document library settings and access to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center to check for ongoing service health incidents.

Solution 1Recommended

Check Microsoft 365 Service Health and Report the Incident

Verify if the missing prompt is a known temporary service degradation and escalate the issue to Microsoft support.

Sudden changes in core SharePoint behaviors like missing conflict prompts are often caused by temporary backend updates or service degradation. Checking the service health helps determine if Microsoft is already working on a fix.

Access the Admin Center

Check Service Health

Navigate to Health > Service health in the left menu and look for any active advisories or incidents related to SharePoint Online document libraries.

Submit a Support Ticket

If no incident is listed, go to Support > Help & support. Report the missing prompt behavior, providing specific timestamps, affected library URLs, and examples of disrupted Power Automate workflows.

Check Microsoft 365 Service Health and Report the Incident

Include Workflow Details: When contacting Microsoft, specifically mention how the lack of the overwrite prompt is negatively impacting automated tenant processes to escalate the priority.

Solution 2

Review and Test Library Versioning Settings

Ensure versioning configurations are not conflicting with the Move to or Copy to commands.

Solution 3

Implement a Power Automate Workaround

Modify affected Power Automate workflows to handle duplicate files manually until Microsoft resolves the UI prompt issue.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the Keep Both or Replace prompt suddenly disappear in SharePoint?

This usually happens due to temporary backend service changes or updates rolled out by Microsoft, which can inadvertently bypass the conflict dialog during Move to or Copy to operations.

Should I disable versioning to fix the missing replace prompt?

No. Disabling versioning is heavily discouraged without thorough testing. It can severely impact your ability to recover older document versions and may violate data retention and compliance policies.

How does this missing prompt affect my Power Automate workflows?

Without the overwrite prompt's logic, Power Automate workflows that move or copy files may fail or automatically create unwanted duplicate files with appended numbers, breaking automated file management and synchronization processes.

Document & File Issues