Personalization Add or Remove Folders under This PC in File Explorer in Windows 11

itzTommy · Aug 7, 2023

Brink said:
Hello Tommy, and welcome.

You should still be able to use step 2 in option 1 to add all folders back in the "This PC" window in File Explorer.

Sorry, I'll clarify. I have all the folders under this pc window, but I was trying to follow the steps for adding it back to the navigation pane under This PC instead of quick access. When I removed the New Tabs feature, it did show up where I wanted before, but after a restart, it went back to how it is pictured below.

Brink · Aug 7, 2023

itzTommy said:
Sorry, I'll clarify. I have all the folders under this pc window, but I was trying to follow the steps for adding it back to the navigation pane under This PC instead of quick access. When I removed the New Tabs feature, it did show up where I wanted before, but after a restart, it went back to how it is pictured below.

Ah, I see. You may need to enable the tabs feature and restart again to undo and fix it.

JeepWillys58 · Aug 10, 2023

itzTommy said:
Sorry, I'll clarify. I have all the folders under this pc window, but I was trying to follow the steps for adding it back to the navigation pane under This PC instead of quick access. When I removed the New Tabs feature, it did show up where I wanted before, but after a restart, it went back to how it is pictured below.

View attachment 67040

Hi dear friend @itzTommy ,

Have you tried to do this by following the steps in my post?

Add or Remove Folders under This PC in File Explorer in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to add or remove the 3D Objects, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and/or Videos folder(s) under This PC in File Explorer for all users in Windows 11. Starting with Windows 11 build 25136 and build 22621.160 for some, Microsoft is introducing a...

www.elevenforum.com

Try it and see if it solves your problem...

Best Regards,
@JeepWillys58

ojc · Sep 4, 2023

I accidently deleted folders (Desktop,, Documents, ...) under "My PC.". I tried this method to put them back but when I double tapped the downloaded .reg file to put the "Pictures" folder back under "This PC" the hour-glass (busy cursor?) just hung there for about 10 minutes until I cancelled it. The "This PC "folder was unchanged.. What did I do wrong?

Ghot · Sep 4, 2023

ojc said:
I accidently deleted folders (Desktop,, Documents, ...) under "My PC.". I tried this method to put them back but when I double tapped the downloaded .reg file to put the "Pictures" folder back under "This PC" the hour-glass (busy cursor?) just hung there for about 10 minutes until I cancelled it. The "This PC "folder was unchanged.. What did I do wrong?

Hello @ojc and welcome to ElevenForum.

Do option 1, step 8 on the first page of this topic, to "add' the Pictures folder in This PC.
Make sure to do steps 10 thru 14 after you merge the reg patch.

If you still don't see the Pictures folder... reboot the computer, and check again.

You may also need to right click in the Navigation pane (left side) and choose...

ravenrein · Sep 16, 2023

This is exactly what i'm looking for, thanks sir!

mingle · Nov 18, 2023

Hi,

I have the same issue/request. (thread: 23H2 Windows Explorer not showing User Folders (Documents, Downloads, Music, etc))

The "Show all folders" is the only one that 'sort of' partially works for me...

However, the problem is it shows a lot of extra stuff (I only want Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Videos) and also duplicates the 'all folders' under "This PC" as well, making the navigation pain a complete mess (see attached pic). Is there any way to trim it down a bit?

Cheers,

Mike.

fg2001gf11F · Nov 18, 2023

mingle said:
Hi,

I have the same issue/request. (thread: 23H2 Windows Explorer not showing User Folders (Documents, Downloads, Music, etc))

The "Show all folders" is the only one that 'sort of' partially works for me...

However, the problem is it shows a lot of extra stuff (I only want Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Videos) and also duplicates the 'all folders' under "This PC" as well, making the navigation pain a complete mess (see attached pic). Is there any way to trim it down a bit?

Cheers,

Mike.

What about this?

mingle · Nov 19, 2023

That's pretty much what I had "out of the box".

The issue with using the "Quick Access" functionality (as you show with your 5 user-folders), if that it doesn't 'expand' the various sub-directories in a tree-like manner, as previously.

It's a shame that Microsoft, in their wisdom (?), seem to make these small, arbitrary changes every release and make life more of a hassle for people, rather than making it easier.

And don't get me started about the now 'missing' "Disk Cleanup" function under drive-properties!

Cheers,

Mike.

samanthatenorio · Nov 26, 2023

I'm so thankfull, I deleted for accident "Documents folder" and i get again thanks to the "Add_all_folders_to_This_PC_in_File_Explorer.reg" and "Add_Documents_folder_to_This_PC_in_File_Explorer.reg" I downloaded, and installed, so I restart my pc, and it works. I was worried, and was thinking to create a ISO Image, and star again, but I didn't, just works, with the files, thankyouuuu.(i attached 2screenshots, one is the error, for deleted the "documents folder" and the other one, is "Documents folder works good, after have installed the files i said) Thankyou so much

Brink · Nov 26, 2023

samanthatenorio said:
I'm so thankfull, I deleted for accident "Documents folder" and i get again thanks to the "Add_all_folders_to_This_PC_in_File_Explorer.reg" and "Add_Documents_folder_to_This_PC_in_File_Explorer.reg" I downloaded, and installed, so I restart my pc, and it works. I was worried, and was thinking to create a ISO Image, and star again, but I didn't, just works, with the files, thankyouuuu.(i attached 2screenshots, one is the error, for deleted the "documents folder" and the other one, is "Documents folder works good, after have installed the files i said) Thankyou so much

Glad it could help, and welcome. :shawn:

Techie007 · Feb 14, 2024

aaron106 said:
Hi Brink this works, Also would it be possible to restore folders in the navigation pane under This PC?

clowncracker said:
@Brink is it possible to get these folders back under This PC on the navigation pane on the left?

MrTisane said:
Unfortunately, this did not work as I thought. I was hoping to have the Desktop folder show up in the Navigation pane under This PC. Instead, it only shows up when I click on This PC in the right pane. I have Windows 11 Pro, 22H2 OS Build: 22621.1105

itzTommy said:
Sorry, I'll clarify. I have all the folders under this pc window, but I was trying to follow the steps for adding it back to the navigation pane under This PC instead of quick access. When I removed the New Tabs feature, it did show up where I wanted before, but after a restart, it went back to how it is pictured below.

View attachment 67040

mingle said:
I have the same issue/request. (thread: 23H2 Windows Explorer not showing User Folders (Documents, Downloads, Music, etc))
The "Show all folders" is the only one that 'sort of' partially works for me...

However, the problem is it shows a lot of extra stuff (I only want Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Videos) and also duplicates the 'all folders' under "This PC" as well, making the navigation pain a complete mess (see attached pic). Is there any way to trim it down a bit?

Yes, this was bugging me to no end upon getting Windows 11 23H2. The pinned option has many drawbacks, including lack of a clean, cascading folder tree, and failing to follow the user profile folders if they are moved to another location or drive. After spending considerable time investigating this issue, I wrote the following batch file to fix what Microsoft broke:

Batch:

reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" /d "CLSID_AllControlPanelItems" /f
Call :FixUserFolder "{088E3905-0323-4B02-9826-5D99428E115F}", "{7D83EE9B-2244-4E70-B1F5-5393042AF1E4}", "imageres.dll,-184", "CLSID_ThisPCLocalDownloadsRegFolder", "Downloads"
Call :FixUserFolder "{24AD3AD4-A569-4530-98E1-AB02F9417AA8}", "{0DDD015D-B06C-45D5-8C4C-F59713854639}", "imageres.dll,-113", "CLSID_ThisPCLocalPicturesRegFolder", "Pictures"
Call :FixUserFolder "{3DFDF296-DBEC-4FB4-81D1-6A3438BCF4DE}", "{A0C69A99-21C8-4671-8703-7934162FCF1D}", "imageres.dll,-108", "CLSID_ThisPCLocalMusicRegFolder", "Music"
Call :FixUserFolder "{B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641}", "{B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641}", "imageres.dll,-183", "CLSID_ThisPCDesktopRegFolder", "Desktop"
Call :FixUserFolder "{D3162B92-9365-467A-956B-92703ACA08AF}", "{F42EE2D3-909F-4907-8871-4C22FC0BF756}", "imageres.dll,-112", "CLSID_ThisPCLocalDocumentsRegFolder", "Documents"
Call :FixUserFolder "{F86FA3AB-70D2-4FC7-9C99-FCBF05467F3A}", "{35286A68-3C57-41A1-BBB1-0EAE73D76C95}", "imageres.dll,-189", "CLSID_ThisPCLocalVideosRegFolder", "Videos"
pause
exit /b 0

:FixUserFolder ::(Namespace%1, KnownFolder%2, Icon%3, Remark%4, Caption%5)::
    schtasks /create /sc OnStart /tn Pin%~5Folder64 /tr "reg add HKCR\CLSID\%~1 /v System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f" /ru "NT SERVICE\TrustedInstaller" /f
    schtasks /run /i /tn Pin%~5Folder64
    schtasks /delete /tn Pin%~5Folder64 /f
    schtasks /create /sc OnStart /tn Pin%~5Folder32 /tr "reg add HKCR\WOW6432Node\CLSID\%~1 /v System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f" /ru "NT SERVICE\TrustedInstaller" /f
    schtasks /run /i /tn Pin%~5Folder32
    schtasks /delete /tn Pin%~5Folder32 /f
    reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\%~1" /d %~4 /f
    reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\%~1" /v HideIfEnabled /f
    reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\%~1" /d %~4 /f
    reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\%~1" /v HideIfEnabled /f

   ::Win 5-6x code removed::
exit /b 0

Copy/paste into Notepad, save as FixUserFolders.bat, and run as Administrator. After closing and reopening File Explorer, the user folders should be back in "This PC" on both panes as before—even with "Show all folders" turned off. Note that it will add Control Panel as well; if this is not desired, remove the first line.

imaticx said:
How to remove this folders? Tried everything

JeepWillys58 said:
Hi again dear friend,

I already did that but the folders remain...

And here's a script that undoes the above, removing the user folders from "This PC" in both panes:

Batch:

reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" /f
Call :HideUserFolder "{088E3905-0323-4B02-9826-5D99428E115F}", "{7D83EE9B-2244-4E70-B1F5-5393042AF1E4}", "imageres.dll,-184", "CLSID_ThisPCLocalDownloadsRegFolder", "Downloads"
Call :HideUserFolder "{24AD3AD4-A569-4530-98E1-AB02F9417AA8}", "{0DDD015D-B06C-45D5-8C4C-F59713854639}", "imageres.dll,-113", "CLSID_ThisPCLocalPicturesRegFolder", "Pictures"
Call :HideUserFolder "{3DFDF296-DBEC-4FB4-81D1-6A3438BCF4DE}", "{A0C69A99-21C8-4671-8703-7934162FCF1D}", "imageres.dll,-108", "CLSID_ThisPCLocalMusicRegFolder", "Music"
Call :HideUserFolder "{B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641}", "{B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641}", "imageres.dll,-183", "CLSID_ThisPCDesktopRegFolder", "Desktop"
Call :HideUserFolder "{D3162B92-9365-467A-956B-92703ACA08AF}", "{F42EE2D3-909F-4907-8871-4C22FC0BF756}", "imageres.dll,-112", "CLSID_ThisPCLocalDocumentsRegFolder", "Documents"
Call :HideUserFolder "{F86FA3AB-70D2-4FC7-9C99-FCBF05467F3A}", "{35286A68-3C57-41A1-BBB1-0EAE73D76C95}", "imageres.dll,-189", "CLSID_ThisPCLocalVideosRegFolder", "Videos"
pause
exit /b 0

:HideUserFolder ::(Namespace%1, KnownFolder%2, Icon%3, Remark%4, Caption%5)::
    schtasks /create /sc OnStart /tn Hide%~5Folder64 /tr "reg delete HKCR\CLSID\%~1 /v System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree /f" /ru "NT SERVICE\TrustedInstaller" /f
    schtasks /run /i /tn Hide%~5Folder64
    schtasks /delete /tn Hide%~5Folder64 /f
    schtasks /create /sc OnStart /tn Hide%~5Folder32 /tr "reg delete HKCR\WOW6432Node\CLSID\%~1 /v System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree /f" /ru "NT SERVICE\TrustedInstaller" /f
    schtasks /run /i /tn Hide%~5Folder32
    schtasks /delete /tn Hide%~5Folder32 /f
    reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\%~1" /v HideIfEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
    reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\%~1" /v HideIfEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

   ::Win 5-6x code removed::
exit /b 0

Copy/paste into Notepad, save as HideUserFolders.bat, and run as Administrator. Alternately, you could just wait for your PC to get Windows 11 23H2 (or manually upgrade it), as the upgrade does the same thing.