Two different downloads folder after moving downloads library to another drive

So I moved my downloads library to my other ssd. Then I went to download something today and when I went to look for it, realized it was saved in a downloads folder in my users folder. I tried cutting and pasting the downloads folder (that is in my users folder) onto my desktop and then pasting a link of the downloads library that I moved to my other drive but windows says I can't cut and paste the users downloads folder because something inside it is in use.

The downloads library that I moved to my other ssd, had a "location" tab in it's properties that made moving it to another drive easy. The downloads folder in my users folder doesn't have a location tab.

How can I get to ONE downloads folder that is located on my second ssd? I want a link to my downloads folder to exist under my users folder because I share that folder on my home network.



The first screenshot is of the downloads library that I moved to my other ssd. The second is the downloads folder in my user profile folder.

Electron29 said:

I tried cutting and pasting the downloads folder (that is in my users folder) onto my desktop and then pasting a link of the downloads library that I moved to my other drive but windows says I can't cut and paste the users downloads folder because something inside it is in use.

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Sorry, I'm not at all sure what you did there.

Electron29 said:

I want a link to my downloads folder to exist under my users folder

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You should just be able to create a shortcut in your C:\Users\%UserName% folder to E:\Downloads.

Electron29 said:

How can I get to ONE downloads folder

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You have one Downloads folder [E:\Downloads] and one that merely happens to have the name Downloads [C:\Users\%UserName%\Downloads].
You should be able to delete the one that merely has the name Downloads [C:\Users\%UserName%\Downloads].


All the best,
Denis

Right click the E:\Downloads folder and choose Properties. Do you have a Location tab here? If so, click Restore Default button. this will put the file back to C:\Users\shawn.
At this point, open the E:\ drive. Create a folder and name it Downloads. Go back to the C:\Users\shawn\Downloads folder and right click it and choose Properties\Location Tab click the Move button and Browse it to the E:\Downloads folder agree to move items to this folder and rewrite the blank folder.

Spunk said:

Right click the E:\Downloads folder and choose Properties. Do you have a Location tab here? If so, click Restore Default button. this will put the file back to C:\Users\shawn.
At this point, open the E:\ drive. Create a folder and name it Downloads. Go back to the C:\Users\shawn\Downloads folder and right click it and choose Properties\Location Tab click the Move button and Browse it to the E:\Downloads folder agree to move items to this folder and rewrite the blank folder.

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If you look at my post, I shared a screenshot of both downloads folders. The one in my users folder doesn't have a location tab for some reason.

Try3 said:

Sorry, I'm not at all sure what you did there.


You should just be able to create a shortcut in your C:\Users\%UserName% folder to E:\Downloads.


You have one Downloads folder [E:\Downloads] and one that merely happens to have the name Downloads [C:\Users\%UserName%\Downloads].
You should be able to delete the one that merely has the name Downloads [C:\Users\%UserName%\Downloads].


All the best,
Denis

Click to expand...

I'm sorry...I have no idea how to quote line by line like you did. What I am saying (where you seem to be confused) is that I tried taking the downloads folder that is in my users folder and cutting and pasting it to my desktop. I was then going to drag a copy of the downloads folder from my second ssd and drop it into my users folder so my users downloads is the same as the other downloads folder. I can't just delete the downloads folder from my users folder because when I try I get an error saying there is a file in use. It is most likely my windows subsystem for android folder (at least thats what it appears to be in process explorer). I can't delete that folder.

Hello Shawn,

It sounds like your Downloads folder was improperly moved causing this issue.

As a test, use option three in the tutorial below to restore the default location of your Downloads folder to get back to square one.

Afterwards, use option one in the same tutorial below to move the Downloads folder to where you want. You may need to manually copy any files from before into this folder.

Brink said:

Hello Shawn,

It sounds like your Downloads folder was improperly moved causing this issue.

As a test, use option three in the tutorial below to restore the default location of your Downloads folder to get back to square one.

Afterwards, use option one in the same tutorial below to move the Downloads folder to where you want. You may need to manually copy any files from before into this folder.

Move or Restore Default Location of Downloads Folder in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to move or restore the default location of the Downloads folder for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11. The Downloads folder (shell:Downloads) is a component of the user profile that is used as a unified location for storing personal data. By default, the...

www.elevenforum.com

Click to expand...

Thank you for giving me a hand with this...The exact same thing happened that happened when I first did it. It leaves behind a separate downloads folder in C:\users\shawn\downloads and it has no location tab in it's properties. See screen shot. The downloads library was moved to E:\downloads by the way. I am trying to set my download location in chrome. I set it by selecting downloads on the left side of explorer (which is now at E:\downloads)....then I download a file. I go into c:\users\shawn\downloads and the file isn't there but it is in downloads on the E drive. Is there not a way to link the two locations?

Electron29 said:

If you look at my post, I shared a screenshot of both downloads folders. The one in my users folder doesn't have a location tab for some reason.

Click to expand...

I understand that the Location tab is not showing in C:\Users\shawn\Downloads. The question I asked you, is there a Location Tab located in the E:\Downloads folder? if so, Set that downloads folder to Default as shown in my previous post and then reset the Location to the E:\drive as the Tutorial or my instructions defined.

Spunk said:

I understand that the Location tab is not showing in C:\Users\shawn\Downloads. The question I asked you, is there a Location Tab located in the E:\Downloads folder? if so, Set that downloads folder to Default as shown in my previous post and then reset the Location to the E:\drive as the Tutorial or my instructions defined.

Click to expand...

I did what you said...maybe this is just the way it's supposed to be. What is happening is that I go into chrome and select the downloads library on the left hand pane of file explorer as my default download location. Then I download a file. Then I go into c:\users\shawn\downloads and that file isn't in there but it is in the E:\downloads folder. I thought there was a way to link c:\users\shawn\downloads to E:\downloads. Is there really not a way to do that?

You didn't do the change location properly in the first place, so, there is download folder left over, just ignore the C:\Users\shawan\Downloads folder.
All your downloads will now go to E:\Downloads folder now. Isn't that what you want?

Spunk said:

You didn't do the change location properly in the first place, so, there is download folder left over, just ignore the C:\Users\shawan\Downloads folder.
All your downloads will now go to E:\Downloads folder now. Isn't that what you want?

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I wanted there to be a copy of my downloads library in my users folder. So if I tell chrome to download files to E:\downloads, I could make a sort of shortcut inside users to the downloads folder that actually takes up space on the E drive and not the C drive. Is that not possible?

So make a shortcut there in the normal way - right-click, New, Shortcut, E:\Download, Shortcut to Downloads folder, OK.


Denis

When you go to (Windows) File Explorer and click the Download shortcut in the left panel and it will already open E:\Download.
If you have used an app to Personalize your Start button like Open-Shell so it looks like Windows 7, the shortcut off the Start button will also lead already to the E:\Download folder