Pictures Folder MIA

Greetings,

I replaced my Asus Expertcenter Mini Tower with a Beelink Ser5 Pro 5700U. The bad news is the Mini market has devastated the value of Towers and Mini Towers (I got $50 for an i5 10th Gen 12GB Ram 512 SSD that was $599 in the day) but the good news in these newer Minis are quiet and cheap (this one is $299 currently on Amazon). So these days you can get two Minis for the price of one Maxi (lol) three years ago.

The thing is I just noticed my PICTURES folder isn't visible in the usual places.



I found where the folder is listed, but when I pin it to Quick Access, no access.



I can't even drag it in like so --



If this helps, when I click the folder I see this --



I tried this fix --


-- but nada piñata.

My only guess is that I did have to force 23H2 onto the system because is was perfectly happy to stay at the 21 version. Running an SFC now.

The Pool Man said:

I tried this fix --

Click to expand...

That enables Pictures in This PC, where you have it, not in Explorer's tree. Try this:

TairikuOkami said:

That enables Pictures in This PC, where you have it, not in Explorer's tree. Try this:

Add or Remove Folders in File Explorer Navigation Pane in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to add or remove the Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Libraries, Music, Pictures, and/or Videos folder(s) in the File Explorer navigation pane when using "Show all folders" for all users in Windows 11. The navigation pane is the far left pane in File Explorer used...

www.elevenforum.com

Click to expand...

That didn't work. And I am signed in as Admin.

I just noticed this --



I'm pretty sure I removed OneDrive

Okay, it's kinda fixed. I think.

When I saw that the C drive install location included OneDrive I felt that was the issue, since I'm certain I uninstalled OneDrive. Let me check. (JEOPARDY THEME SONG.) Well, it's not anywhere to be found in installed apps, unless it's a system level thing.

Anyway, somehow there was a Pictures folder in my User folder. I dragged a copy into the side window like so --



The problem is it's a sort of generic Pictures folder, without the system icon. It's not a prettiness thing I'm worried about but if it will behave properly. In HOME the folder is still generic looking and says my name under it, apparently indicating it's source.

It looks like that folder has been moved to the Desktop. If you right click it and choose Properties under Target it will tell you the path and location of that folder.
Browse to C:\Users\UserName/ is your pictures folder here?
You may have one in C:\Users\UserName/OneDrive.

If you Right click the Pictures folder and choose Properties/Location press the Restore Default button. To put Pictures folder in the default location again.

Thanks Spunk. We're getting closer. The restore default location wants to work but then there's this --



I just noticed THIS discussion --


The advice here that sounded best is this --



OneDrive is like a glue and a cancer. It took a lot of work to pull this trick off. I'm not sure I've reached my ultimate goal because I still see a OneDrive folder in my C drive that's very clingy. For instance I was taking screenshots and nothing was ending up on my desktop, where they were supposed to be. Found them in the OneDrive desktop folder. So annoying.

So here's where I'm at --

1. OneDrive I believe was the culprit. I uninstalled it, which isn't a good thing, because you have to tell it to first let go of folders it wants to backup.

2. That leaves my C drive looking like this --



3. I managed to remove the OneDrive folder in my users folder (just by clicking the trash icon) and my Pictures folder appears here properly. However, there's still no way to make that folder appear elsewhere. Can't drag or pin to Quick Access. And it still lives here for some reason --

@The Pool Man You may want to consider doing the following, best done after a clean install of the OS.

OneDrive is like a glue and a cancer.

Click to expand...

LOL yet another one of those slogans LOL

Anyway it's better not to doctor a messed up computer, because OneDrive will counteract your doctoring efforts

Start anew

Whatever you do, back up the contents of your OneDrive web account (not just those that show on your device)

So many users confuse OneDrive as simply a backup service forgetting that it's also a synching system - what's done (added, deleted, changed) in one realm (device and/or MS account) is reflected in the other realm (MS account and/or device)

So many tears are shed in so many forums ....

Haydon said:

Start anew

Click to expand...

But won't that just re-install DungDrive and re-create the same Poo Palace?

The Pool Man said:

But won't that just re-install DungDrive and re-create the same Poo Palace?

Click to expand...

Yes but that gives you the opportunity to immediately fully uninstall/remove it using something like RevoUninstaller (incl the Advanced function to remove leftover files/folders/registry entries) or GeekUninstaller, before OD can get its insidious tentacles irremovably entwined into your system.

NOTE With no apology to the Windows purists, you need a 3rd party program for this one, otherwise MS will only uninstall what it wants to superficially let go off with its own standard perfunctory uninstall process.

And remember, if you install MS Office, that come with OneDrive as well.

The Pool Man said:

But won't that just re-install DungDrive and re-create the same Poo Palace?

Click to expand...

Not if you get rid of OneDrive the right/my way

In the First Picture in Post #7, on the left panel, it shows you are in This PC.
On the Left Panel, expand This PC,
Now Expand C: drive
Now Expand C:\Users\UserName post a screenshot.

Spunk said:

In the First Picture in Post #7, on the left panel, it shows you are in This PC.
On the Left Panel, expand This PC,
Now Expand C: drive
Now Expand C:\Users\UserName post a screenshot.

Click to expand...

Underneath that user folder is this --

The Pool Man said:

The problem is it's a sort of generic Pictures folder, without the system icon.

Click to expand...

Yes, sadly Windows (OneDrive) forces it's system icon and even when it is changed, it changes it back.

Under the Users/UserName folder is where your Pictures folder is located and is the correct path
If you click any other shortcut for Pictures, it should lead to this location.

Unless it is the Pictures folder in OneDrive, which you can Uninstall after moving any pictures off of it to the Default Pictures folder.

The Pool Man said:

But won't that just re-install DungDrive and re-create the same Poo Palace?

Click to expand...

If you decide to do a clean install, backup your drivers to an external drive first. Because of me tinkering around with one of my Beelinks I had to do a clean install. After Windows installed I checked in Device Manager and I couldn't believe how many drivers didn't install. I had to use another computer to download the drivers from the Beelink site. After that I just had to point the Beelink to the drive with the drivers.

This has been a helpful discussion and the PICTURES folder has kind of returned with it's proper blue tone, but I still can't get it to appear in Quick Access or the left side panel of File Explorer. So there's no correct way to fix this without a reinstall of the OS?

use winaero tweaker, scroll down to "Navigation Pane - Custom Items", add a Shell Location, search for Pic - click on the result > test location. If it opens the correct location, pin it to your nav pane using that tool, then you can keep or discard the tool... it'll stay intact

Here is a tutorial to add Pictures folder to This PC Add or Remove Folders under This PC in File Explorer in Windows 11 Tutorial