Solved User Folder displaying wrong name

ThomasW7302 · Feb 27, 2026

I recently noticed that my personal user folder is displaying the name "Pictures". However, when I click on the folder, everything is correct within the folder and the address bar shows the correct folder name. I tried clearing the Explorer cache, but that did not help. I also did a Windows reset, with Keep my Files, but no change. I pasted several images together to create the attached image, which I hope will help explain what's happening. Thanks, Tom

Ghot · Feb 27, 2026

Hello @ThomasW7302 and welcome to ElevenForum.

Although this won't help with your current problem...

Here's some things that you may find useful...

Quickie Eleven Forum Setup Guide for new Members

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Macrium Reflect, AOMEI Backupper and Hasleo Backup Suite - GUIDES

How to use backup software... 1. When everything is working perfectly... make a full Windows backup. 2. Then, if something breaks... restore from the latest backup. 3. Then... try "whatever you were doing" a different way. If it still breaks Windows, then... go to step #2. 4. Repeat...

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Windows 11 Tweaks - Leader Board.

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Spunk · Feb 27, 2026

In File (Windows) Explorer browse to C:\Users what are the User names?
If you click taw21, do you only show Pictures? or are there any other folders
(ie) Documents, Desktop, Downloads etc on the left panel?

Do you have an icon for OneDrive in the taskbar by the clock?
Is OneDrive showing in File (Windows) Explorer on the left panel?
Are your other user files showing under OneDrive?

You can restore the Default location of the Pictures folder

Move or Restore Default Location of Pictures Folder in Windows 11

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

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ThomasW7302 · Feb 28, 2026

The folders in the C:\User folder are as shown above, Default, Pictures, and Public. When I click on "Pictures", I see all the normal sub-folders for TAW21 and the address bar shows it to actually be C:\User\taw21. The real Pictures folder is in it's correct location and functions as it should. I do not have OneDrive in the taskbar as I uninstalled it some time ago. Tom

Spunk · Feb 28, 2026

In the "Pictures" folder properties, first try the Restore Default Button.
If that fails, Rename "Pictures" to your User Name

Change Name of User Profile Folder in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to rename a user profile folder for any account (local account or Microsoft account) in Windows 10 and Windows 11. When adding a new user account in Windows, a profile for the account is automatically created when the user signs in to the new account for the...

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You can also enable the Hidden Administrator account and restart the computer,
This should add Administrator to the User accounts along with Public and Default
Try editing the User Name logged in as the previously Hidden Admin account

pseymour · Feb 28, 2026

Make sure the two folder options circled below are set as they are in the picture. Open the C:\Users\Taw21 folder (the one that says Pictures mistakenly), and see if there is a desktop.ini file there. If one exists, remove it; it isn't supposed to be there. You might need to reboot or at least log off for the change to take effect.

View attachment 164676

ThomasW7302 · Mar 3, 2026

By un-hiding the files, I am able to find a desktop.ini file inside the taw21 user folder. As soon as I delete it, the folder is restored to taw21 as it should be. However, following a computer reboot the problem returns and so does the desktop.ini in the folder !
This is what is inside the desktop.ini file:
[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\windows.storage.dll,-21779
InfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-12688
IconResource=%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-113
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll
IconIndex=-236

ALSO: Even though deleting the desktop.ini file restores the correct filename (at least temporarily), if I open properties of the taw21 file and then the Customize tab, it still shows the folder as optimized for Pictures (changing this to General only lasts temporarily). I've also just discovered that the problem will actually return after closing and reopening File Explorer, I don't even have to reboot to see the problem return.

Spunk · Mar 3, 2026

AI says:

Open Registry Editor: Press Windows + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
Navigate to the Key: Go to the following path:

Copy Code, paste to Registry Address bar
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
Check the Value: Look for the entry corresponding to your user folder (e.g., Pictures. on the right Data Column
Ensure it points to the default location, typically C:\Users\YourUserName\Pictures
Modify if Necessary: If the path is incorrect, double-click the entry and change it to the default path.
Close Registry Editor: Exit the Registry Editor and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Additional Notes

If the desktop.ini file is missing, it is not a problem; Windows will recreate it with default settings when needed.
Ensure you have administrative privileges to make these changes.

By following these methods, you can successfully reset your desktop.ini user name folder to its default configuration.

AndreyT · Mar 3, 2026

ThomasW7302 said:
The folders in the C:\User folder are as shown above, Default, Pictures, and Public. When I click on "Pictures", I see all the normal sub-folders for TAW21 and the address bar shows it to actually be C:\User\taw21. The real Pictures folder is in it's correct location and functions as it should. I do not have OneDrive in the taskbar as I uninstalled it some time ago. Tom

It means that you somehow accidentally registered the path `C:\User\taw21` as your profile's `Pictures` location. When you do that Windows replaces the actual folder name with the word `Pictures`. This is what you observe.

Do the following: enter our profile folder as usual, find `Pictures` there (is it present?), open its properties and check what path it shows on `Location` tab. Try "Restore Default" button there.

ThomasW7302 · Mar 4, 2026

Spunk: I followed your instructions and you were correct that the path was incomplete, which I corrected (as administrator) as shown in the attached image. But after a reboot the problem remains. I did also verify that the registry change remains corrected.

AndreyT: The actual Pictures folder is within the profile folder and I followed your instructions, but that did not correct the problem.

Each time I resolve the problem by deleting the desktop.ini file in the user profile folder the problem goes away, but returns when I next open File Explorer. I'm not very knowledgeable about the technical aspects of Windows, but I wonder what causes it to continually recreate this desktop.ini file in the profile folder that insists on creating this mirage of the folder name. I notice that there is also a desktop.ini file in the main Users folder, is it safe to try deleting that one also?

Spunk · Mar 4, 2026

Be sure to backup your Registry before proceeding.
In the Registry where your pic was taken
In the upper My Pictures with the path C:\Users\taw21
Right click My Pictures that is highlighted in the pic Rename it to taw21
Do not rename the My Pictures with the path C:\Users\taw21\Pictures
You may first need to go to

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList be sure it leads to
%SystemDrive%\Users

ThomasW7302 · Mar 5, 2026

Sorry if my image was confusing; the top part of the image shows prior to the change, the lower shows after the change.
Attached is the full image of that registry folder and an image of the Profile List folder, where all but one item appears pointed to %SystemDrive%\Users.

AndreyT · Mar 5, 2026

ThomasW7302 said:
Sorry if my image was confusing; the top part of the image shows prior to the change, the lower shows after the change.

Your image clearly shows that the problem is exactly as I described: your `Pictures` location points to `C:\User\taw21`. This is the reason why your profile folder shows as `Pictures`. This part of the issue is clear now.

ThomasW7302 said:
AndreyT: The actual Pictures folder is within the profile folder

No, it is not. What you see "within the profile folder" is actually an illusion created by File Explorer - a "virtual" folder. It is just an icon that leads to the same `C:\User\taw21` location.

Now, again, go into your profile folder, right click that virtual `Pictures` folder, select `Properties` and switch to `Location` tab. What do you see there?

Spunk · Mar 5, 2026

Spunk said:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList Profile Directory be sure it is pointing to
%SystemDrive%\Users

Follow the instructions in the quote above and Go to this Registry key and make sure it is pointing to this correctly, if not right click and Modify it.

ThomasW7302 · Mar 6, 2026

AndreyT: I'm not seeing a Location tab, see attached image.
Spunk: I went to location in Registry as directed, but it seems correct, see attached image.
Thanks, Tom

dacrone · Mar 6, 2026

ThomasW7302 said:
AndreyT: I'm not seeing a Location tab, see attached image.

that's because the dialog you have open is for your user profile, not pictures:

ThomasW7302 · Mar 6, 2026

When I open the properties on the C:\Users\taw21\Pictures folder, I see the attached image. Also attached is what I see if I click on the Pictures folder in my Libraries tree; wondering if the issue is because I uninstalled OneDrive and should try reinstalling it?

Try3 · Mar 6, 2026

Windows often fails to cope if one of its rules gets broken.
In this case, the broken rule is that no two user folders can have the same path.
You will have to undo the change by editing the Registry.
Post the contents of the Registry key [as text so relevant bits can easily be copied in order to give you accurate instructions].
- Run RegEdit
- Paste this path into its address bar
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
- Here's an example of what you'll see -

- In the left-hand pane, right-click on that User shell folders Key, select Export, give it whatever path & name you want and just accept the suggested format .reg
- Close RegEdit
- Find the exported file and make it easier to work with by renaming its whatever.reg.txt i.e. add .txt onto its file extension. And check that its icon changes to that of a standard text file. If you have any problems doing this, run Notepad, drag&drop the file into the Notepad window and save it as a text file.
- Post the text in this thread. There's no need to attach it or anything fancy, just copy all its text contents and paste it all into your next post.
- I expect to tell you one or two entries that you will have to manually change back to whatever you want as your Pictures folder path.

Denis

Bree · Mar 6, 2026

ThomasW7302 said:
I recently noticed that my personal user folder is displaying the name "Pictures". However, when I click on the folder, everything is correct within the folder and the address bar shows the correct folder name. I tried clearing the Explorer cache, but that did not help. I also did a Windows reset, with Keep my Files, but no change. I pasted several images

This is usually a consequence of moving the Pictures folder, then later trying to move it back to the C: drive. It is all to easy to accidentally merge the Pictures folder with your User Profile folder. According to Microsoft this is irreversible.

Try3 said:
In this case, the broken rule is that no two user folders can have the same path. You will have to undo the change by editing the Registry.

This can be undone, but not simply, it takes some registry editing to do so. I wrote this tutorial is for Windows 10, but should apply to Windows 11 too.

When you make this move the original C:\Users\<YourUsername>\Pictures folder will be deleted. If you change your mind and want to move Pictures back to the C: drive you will have to create a new Pictures folder in your User folder and select that as the destination. If you fail to take this step and just select C:\Users\<YourUsername> then Windows warns you that you are trying to merge Pictures with you Profile and that this is a permanent change that cannot be undone.

Undo: Merged your Pictures folder with your User folder

accidentally mergng your Pictures folder with your User folder is easy to do but more difficult to correct

www.tenforums.com

ThomasW7302 · Mar 7, 2026

Dennis, as you requested:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders]
"AppData"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,\
  4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,41,00,70,00,70,00,44,00,61,00,74,00,61,00,5c,00,52,\
  00,6f,00,61,00,6d,00,69,00,6e,00,67,00,00,00
"Cache"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,4c,\
  00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,41,00,70,00,70,00,44,00,61,00,74,00,61,00,5c,00,4c,00,\
  6f,00,63,00,61,00,6c,00,5c,00,4d,00,69,00,63,00,72,00,6f,00,73,00,6f,00,66,\
  00,74,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,5c,00,49,00,4e,00,\
  65,00,74,00,43,00,61,00,63,00,68,00,65,00,00,00
"Cookies"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,\
  4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,41,00,70,00,70,00,44,00,61,00,74,00,61,00,5c,00,4c,\
  00,6f,00,63,00,61,00,6c,00,5c,00,4d,00,69,00,63,00,72,00,6f,00,73,00,6f,00,\
  66,00,74,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,5c,00,49,00,4e,\
  00,65,00,74,00,43,00,6f,00,6f,00,6b,00,69,00,65,00,73,00,00,00
"Desktop"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,\
  4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,44,00,65,00,73,00,6b,00,74,00,6f,00,70,00,00,00
"Favorites"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,\
  4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,46,00,61,00,76,00,6f,00,72,00,69,00,74,00,65,00,73,\
  00,00,00
"History"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,\
  4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,41,00,70,00,70,00,44,00,61,00,74,00,61,00,5c,00,4c,\
  00,6f,00,63,00,61,00,6c,00,5c,00,4d,00,69,00,63,00,72,00,6f,00,73,00,6f,00,\
  66,00,74,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,5c,00,48,00,69,\
  00,73,00,74,00,6f,00,72,00,79,00,00,00
"Local AppData"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,\
  49,00,4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,41,00,70,00,70,00,44,00,61,00,74,00,61,00,5c,\
  00,4c,00,6f,00,63,00,61,00,6c,00,00,00
"My Music"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,\
  4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,4d,00,75,00,73,00,69,00,63,00,00,00
"NetHood"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,\
  4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,41,00,70,00,70,00,44,00,61,00,74,00,61,00,5c,00,52,\
  00,6f,00,61,00,6d,00,69,00,6e,00,67,00,5c,00,4d,00,69,00,63,00,72,00,6f,00,\
  73,00,6f,00,66,00,74,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,5c,\
  00,4e,00,65,00,74,00,77,00,6f,00,72,00,6b,00,20,00,53,00,68,00,6f,00,72,00,\
  74,00,63,00,75,00,74,00,73,00,00,00
"Personal"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,\
  4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,44,00,6f,00,63,00,75,00,6d,00,65,00,6e,00,74,00,73,\
  00,00,00
"PrintHood"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,\
  4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,41,00,70,00,70,00,44,00,61,00,74,00,61,00,5c,00,52,\
  00,6f,00,61,00,6d,00,69,00,6e,00,67,00,5c,00,4d,00,69,00,63,00,72,00,6f,00,\
  73,00,6f,00,66,00,74,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,5c,\
  00,50,00,72,00,69,00,6e,00,74,00,65,00,72,00,20,00,53,00,68,00,6f,00,72,00,\
  74,00,63,00,75,00,74,00,73,00,00,00
"Programs"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,\
  4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,41,00,70,00,70,00,44,00,61,00,74,00,61,00,5c,00,52,\
  00,6f,00,61,00,6d,00,69,00,6e,00,67,00,5c,00,4d,00,69,00,63,00,72,00,6f,00,\
  73,00,6f,00,66,00,74,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,5c,\
  00,53,00,74,00,61,00,72,00,74,00,20,00,4d,00,65,00,6e,00,75,00,5c,00,50,00,\
  72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,73,00,00,00
"Recent"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,4c,\
  00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,41,00,70,00,70,00,44,00,61,00,74,00,61,00,5c,00,52,00,\
  6f,00,61,00,6d,00,69,00,6e,00,67,00,5c,00,4d,00,69,00,63,00,72,00,6f,00,73,\
  00,6f,00,66,00,74,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,5c,00,\
  52,00,65,00,63,00,65,00,6e,00,74,00,00,00
"SendTo"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,4c,\
  00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,41,00,70,00,70,00,44,00,61,00,74,00,61,00,5c,00,52,00,\
  6f,00,61,00,6d,00,69,00,6e,00,67,00,5c,00,4d,00,69,00,63,00,72,00,6f,00,73,\
  00,6f,00,66,00,74,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,5c,00,\
  53,00,65,00,6e,00,64,00,54,00,6f,00,00,00
"Start Menu"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,\
  00,4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,41,00,70,00,70,00,44,00,61,00,74,00,61,00,5c,00,\
  52,00,6f,00,61,00,6d,00,69,00,6e,00,67,00,5c,00,4d,00,69,00,63,00,72,00,6f,\
  00,73,00,6f,00,66,00,74,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,\
  5c,00,53,00,74,00,61,00,72,00,74,00,20,00,4d,00,65,00,6e,00,75,00,00,00
"Startup"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,\
  4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,41,00,70,00,70,00,44,00,61,00,74,00,61,00,5c,00,52,\
  00,6f,00,61,00,6d,00,69,00,6e,00,67,00,5c,00,4d,00,69,00,63,00,72,00,6f,00,\
  73,00,6f,00,66,00,74,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,5c,\
  00,53,00,74,00,61,00,72,00,74,00,20,00,4d,00,65,00,6e,00,75,00,5c,00,50,00,\
  72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,73,00,5c,00,53,00,74,00,61,00,72,00,74,\
  00,75,00,70,00,00,00
"Templates"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,\
  4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,41,00,70,00,70,00,44,00,61,00,74,00,61,00,5c,00,52,\
  00,6f,00,61,00,6d,00,69,00,6e,00,67,00,5c,00,4d,00,69,00,63,00,72,00,6f,00,\
  73,00,6f,00,66,00,74,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,5c,\
  00,54,00,65,00,6d,00,70,00,6c,00,61,00,74,00,65,00,73,00,00,00
"{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,\
  50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,44,00,6f,00,77,00,6e,\
  00,6c,00,6f,00,61,00,64,00,73,00,00,00
"{A52BBA46-E9E1-435f-B3D9-28DAA648C0F6}"=hex(2):43,00,3a,00,5c,00,55,00,73,00,\
  65,00,72,00,73,00,5c,00,74,00,61,00,77,00,32,00,31,00,5c,00,4f,00,6e,00,65,\
  00,44,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,65,00,00,00
"{B7BEDE81-DF94-4682-A7D8-57A52620B86F}"=hex(2):44,00,3a,00,5c,00,55,00,73,00,\
  65,00,72,00,73,00,5c,00,74,00,61,00,77,00,32,00,31,00,5c,00,50,00,69,00,63,\
  00,74,00,75,00,72,00,65,00,73,00,5c,00,53,00,63,00,72,00,65,00,65,00,6e,00,\
  73,00,68,00,6f,00,74,00,73,00,00,00
"My Pictures"=hex(2):43,00,3a,00,5c,00,55,00,73,00,65,00,72,00,73,00,5c,00,74,\
  00,61,00,77,00,32,00,31,00,00,00
"My Video"=hex(2):44,00,3a,00,5c,00,55,00,73,00,65,00,72,00,73,00,5c,00,74,00,\
  61,00,77,00,32,00,31,00,5c,00,56,00,69,00,64,00,65,00,6f,00,73,00,00,00
"{0DDD015D-B06C-45D5-8C4C-F59713854639}"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,\
  50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,4c,00,45,00,25,00,00,00
"{35286A68-3C57-41A1-BBB1-0EAE73D76C95}"=hex(2):44,00,3a,00,5c,00,55,00,73,00,\
  65,00,72,00,73,00,5c,00,74,00,61,00,77,00,32,00,31,00,5c,00,56,00,69,00,64,\
  00,65,00,6f,00,73,00,00,00

Solved User Folder displaying wrong name

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putting the mental back in experimental

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