Desktop files showing in File Explorer Desktop folder but not on my desktop


M

Memsahib

Active member
Local time
7:58 PM
Posts
14
Location
Western Australia
OS
Windows 11 Home
I do have my data on drive D and have changed the location from C. It was working fine but somehow a confusion with Onedrive desktop and local desktop have made it so that when I save a file to D:\Users\Name\desktop they are no longer showing on my desktop, but are in the desktop folder in FE. Yes, I have set view hidden icons . One suggestion was to stop backing Desktop to Onedrive but all that has done is remove Desktop as an option under my Personal folders. There seem to be so many other people having the same problem and I have tried a few of the suggestions but I still have the problem of saving documents or downloads to teh desktop. Other icons like Recycling Bin and Control panel show. There are regular reports and lists that I like to download to my desktop so I have easy access and so really hope that there is someone who can help me sort this problem out! Thanks in advance!
 
Windows Build/Version
Windows 11 home 23h2 22631.3396

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Windows 11 HomeIntel® Core™ i7-1165G7 Processor 2.8 GHz (12M...16GB PDDR4X on board - Max Total system memor...Intel® Iris Xe Graphics 154481 *Intel Iris Xᵉ...
OS
Windows 11 Home
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Asus Zenbook 14
CPU
Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7 Processor 2.8 GHz (12M Cache, up
Memory
16GB PDDR4X on board - Max Total system memory up to:16GB *Supports dual-channel memory.
Graphics Card(s)
Intel® Iris Xe Graphics 154481 *Intel Iris Xᵉ Graphics is only available in models with Intel® Core™ i5/i7/i9 processors with up to 80 graphics execution units (EUs) and dual-channel memory.
Sound Card
Audio by ICEpower®\nBuilt-in speaker\nBuilt-in array microphone, harman/kardon (Premium), with Cortana voice-recognition support
Monitor(s) Displays
13.3-inch, FHD (1920 x 1080) OLED 16:9 aspect ratio, 0.2ms response time, 60Hz refresh rate, 550nits HDR peak brightness, DCI-P3: 100%, 1,000,000:1, VESA CERTIFIED Display HDR True Black 500, 1.07 billion colors, PANTONE Validated, Glossy display, 70% less harmful blue light, SGS Eye Care Display, - (Screen-to-body ratio)88%
Hard Drives
512GB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 3.0 SSD
Keyboard
Wired
Mouse
Wired
Internet Speed
53Mbps download
Browser
Chrome
Antivirus
MS Defender
Other Info
Laptop using an Asus monitor when not travelling

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    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26200.8875 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦25H2
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    Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
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    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
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    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
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    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
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That is odd, because regardless of where you tell your PC where your desktop folder resides, as long as right click desktop context menu “view/show desktop icons” is checked, they should show.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.8894Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.8894
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built 2013
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    ROG SupremeFX Formula 8-Channel High Definition Audio
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    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Touch Screen Tablet
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    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
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    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
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    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / Mx Air Cordless
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    All sorts
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    ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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    Brother MFC-L2880DW Printer

    I’m on a horse.

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    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.8894 (Wifes)13th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-1340P Process...16GB LPDDR5-52001x Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.8894 (Wifes)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7 14IRL8 - Type 82YL
    CPU
    13th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-1340P Processor(Core™ i5-1340P)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5-5200
    Graphics card(s)
    1x Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
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    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
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    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
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    M.2 512 GB SSD PCIe
    Mouse
    Logiteck MX Master 3S
    Internet Speed
    2000/500
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    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.


    Wireless Network: Wi-Fi 6E 2x2 AX; Bluetooth® 5.1 or above
    Ports: 1x 1 Novo button; 2 in 1 Audio Combo jack; Micro SD Card Reader; HDMI 1.4b; 2 x USB Type-C (TBT4)
    USB 3.2 Gen 2 DP 1.4a
    PD 3.0); 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type A
    Camera
    1x 1080P FHD IR/RGB Hybrid with Privacy Shutter and Dual Array Microphone
    Graphics
    1x Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    Monitor
    14" WUXGA
    Form Factor
    Convertible Notebook
  • Windows 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.8894 (Wifes)

    Yoga 7 2-in-1 14IML9 - Type 83DJ

    Processor: Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 155H Processor(Core™ Ultra 7 155H)

    Memory: 32GB LPD5X-7467

    Hard Drive: 1 TB SSD PCIe

    Wireless Network: 1x Wi-Fi 6E 2x2 AX; Bluetooth® 5.1 or above

    Ports: 1 x HDMI 2.1 TMDS; 1 x Novo Button; 1 x Combo Audio Jack
    2 x USB-C (USB 4.0)
    1 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1

    Camera: 1080P FHD IR Hybrid with Dual Microphone

    Graphics: Intel® Arc™ Graphics

    Monitor: 14" 2.8K

    ...Where's my horse?
There are actually 2 desktops and if restrictions are in place, they might not be shown.
Code: 
%SystemDrive%\Users\Public\Desktop
%USERPROFILE%\Desktop
Taking ownership of them might help. Run CMD as admin and copy/paste:
Code: 
takeown /s %computername% /u %username% /f "%SystemDrive%\Users\Public\Desktop" /r /d y
icacls "%SystemDrive%\Users\Public\Desktop" /inheritance:r
icacls "%SystemDrive%\Users\Public\Desktop" /inheritance:e /grant:r %username%:(OI)(CI)F /t /l /q /c
takeown /s %computername% /u %username% /f "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop" /r /d y
icacls "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop" /inheritance:r
icacls "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop" /inheritance:e /grant:r %username%:(OI)(CI)F /t /l /q /c
 

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Home26H2CanAMD Ryzen 5 8600G (07/24)2x32GB Kingston FURY DDR5 5600 MHz CL36 @5200...ASROCK Radeon RX 6600 Challenger D 8G @48FPS ...
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Home26H2Can
Computer type
PC/Desktop
CPU
AMD Ryzen 5 8600G (07/24)
Motherboard
ASROCK B650M-HDV/M.2 (07/24) BIOS 4.21 AGESA ComboAM5 1.3.0.1 (04/26)
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Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus (05/24)
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24" Philips 24M1N3200ZS/00 (05/24)
Screen Resolution
1920×1080@165Hz via DP1.4
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Kingston KC3000 NVMe 2TB (05/24)
ADATA XPG GAMMIX S11 Pro 512GB (07/19)
PSU
Seasonic Core GM 550 Gold (04/24)
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Fractal Design Define 7 Mini with 3x Noctua NF-P14s/12@555rpm (04/24)
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Noctua NH-U12S with Noctua NF-P12 (04/24)
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HP Pavilion Wired Keyboard 300 (07/24) + Rabalux 76017 Parker (01/24)
Mouse
Logitech M330 Silent Plus (01/26)
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500/100 Mbps via RouterOS (05/21) & TCP Optimizer
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Edge, Brave for YouTube, LibreWolf for FB
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NextDNS blocking 1/3 Traffic
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Phone: Motorola Moto G86 (02/26)
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Chair: Huzaro Force 4.4 Grey Mesh (05/24)
Notifier: Xiaomi Mi Band 9 Milanese (10/24)
FlexCore USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (M) to LAN (F) (08/25)
Memsahib said:
when I save a file to D:\Users\Name\desktop they are no longer showing on my desktop, but are in the desktop folder in FE
Click to expand...
This sounds, to me, like a description of a Refresh problem.
Have you Refreshed the Desktop?
- right-click on the Desktop & select Refresh,
or
- press the F5 key.



Denis
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Home x64 Version 25H2 Build 26200....
OS
Windows 11 Home x64 Version 25H2 Build 26200.8037
Thanks everyone for all suggestions. None of which made any difference. Tried CMD suggestion and all except 2 were denied. Could this be because my data is on D drive and the changes were on C? Did restart my PC. I have used Stardock Fences App for several years and beginning to wonder if some changes in that may be to blame. All previous files saved are still in their 'Fence'. Only new files being saved not showing.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 HomeIntel® Core™ i7-1165G7 Processor 2.8 GHz (12M...16GB PDDR4X on board - Max Total system memor...Intel® Iris Xe Graphics 154481 *Intel Iris Xᵉ...
OS
Windows 11 Home
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Asus Zenbook 14
CPU
Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7 Processor 2.8 GHz (12M Cache, up
Memory
16GB PDDR4X on board - Max Total system memory up to:16GB *Supports dual-channel memory.
Graphics Card(s)
Intel® Iris Xe Graphics 154481 *Intel Iris Xᵉ Graphics is only available in models with Intel® Core™ i5/i7/i9 processors with up to 80 graphics execution units (EUs) and dual-channel memory.
Sound Card
Audio by ICEpower®\nBuilt-in speaker\nBuilt-in array microphone, harman/kardon (Premium), with Cortana voice-recognition support
Monitor(s) Displays
13.3-inch, FHD (1920 x 1080) OLED 16:9 aspect ratio, 0.2ms response time, 60Hz refresh rate, 550nits HDR peak brightness, DCI-P3: 100%, 1,000,000:1, VESA CERTIFIED Display HDR True Black 500, 1.07 billion colors, PANTONE Validated, Glossy display, 70% less harmful blue light, SGS Eye Care Display, - (Screen-to-body ratio)88%
Hard Drives
512GB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 3.0 SSD
Keyboard
Wired
Mouse
Wired
Internet Speed
53Mbps download
Browser
Chrome
Antivirus
MS Defender
Other Info
Laptop using an Asus monitor when not travelling
Memsahib said:
when I save a file to D:\Users\Name\desktop they are no longer showing on my desktop, but are in the desktop folder in FE
Click to expand...
Are they being saved to C:\Users\Name\Desktop?
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

windows 11 Pro11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11800H @ 2.30GH...16 GBNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
OS
windows 11 Pro
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Dell XPS 15 9510
CPU
11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11800H @ 2.30GHz (16 CPUs
Memory
16 GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
Hard Drives
512GB Solid State Drive
Browser
Firefox
Memsahib said:
Thanks everyone for all suggestions. None of which made any difference
Click to expand...
Are you saying that Refresh did not make any difference?
And that rebooting did not make any difference?

If the files are in your Desktop folder - by default in C:\Users\%UserName%\Desktop - but are not being shown in the Desktop you look at on your screen then one explanation would be that you have "relocated" your Desktop folder.
Have you?
You can check by running regedit.exe and looking at the Desktop entry in this Registry Key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders



Denis
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Home x64 Version 25H2 Build 26200....
OS
Windows 11 Home x64 Version 25H2 Build 26200.8037
Again thanks to everyone who has responded. No not on C:\ Drive . I have had my Asus Zenbook laptop Win 11, with partitioned hard drive for well over a year and it has been working fine, but I feel one of the most recent Win 11 updates has affected how Onedrive is working and it seems to have changed the settings. I have ensured that the folders including Desktop are set 'always keep on device" - and while I want the benefits of using Onedrive, beginning to think perhaps I should unlink it for a while and see if that sorts out the issues.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 HomeIntel® Core™ i7-1165G7 Processor 2.8 GHz (12M...16GB PDDR4X on board - Max Total system memor...Intel® Iris Xe Graphics 154481 *Intel Iris Xᵉ...
OS
Windows 11 Home
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Asus Zenbook 14
CPU
Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7 Processor 2.8 GHz (12M Cache, up
Memory
16GB PDDR4X on board - Max Total system memory up to:16GB *Supports dual-channel memory.
Graphics Card(s)
Intel® Iris Xe Graphics 154481 *Intel Iris Xᵉ Graphics is only available in models with Intel® Core™ i5/i7/i9 processors with up to 80 graphics execution units (EUs) and dual-channel memory.
Sound Card
Audio by ICEpower®\nBuilt-in speaker\nBuilt-in array microphone, harman/kardon (Premium), with Cortana voice-recognition support
Monitor(s) Displays
13.3-inch, FHD (1920 x 1080) OLED 16:9 aspect ratio, 0.2ms response time, 60Hz refresh rate, 550nits HDR peak brightness, DCI-P3: 100%, 1,000,000:1, VESA CERTIFIED Display HDR True Black 500, 1.07 billion colors, PANTONE Validated, Glossy display, 70% less harmful blue light, SGS Eye Care Display, - (Screen-to-body ratio)88%
Hard Drives
512GB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 3.0 SSD
Keyboard
Wired
Mouse
Wired
Internet Speed
53Mbps download
Browser
Chrome
Antivirus
MS Defender
Other Info
Laptop using an Asus monitor when not travelling
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