Solved User Folder displaying wrong name

I'm really sorry but export behaviour has changed since I last time I did it.
Please export again & in the dialog that lets you choose the output location & name, choose text file [*.txt] format output. That will output all the paths in the output as human-readable text.



Denis

Denis, Hopefully I did this right! Tom

Key Name: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
Class Name: <NO CLASS>
Last Write Time: 2/17/2026 - 5:09 PM
Value 0
Name: AppData
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming

Value 1
Name: Cache
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache

Value 2
Name: Cookies
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCookies

Value 3
Name: Desktop
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\Desktop

Value 4
Name: Favorites
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\Favorites

Value 5
Name: History
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\History

Value 6
Name: Local AppData
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local

Value 7
Name: My Music
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\Music

Value 8
Name: NetHood
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Network Shortcuts

Value 9
Name: Personal
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\Documents

Value 10
Name: PrintHood
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Printer Shortcuts

Value 11
Name: Programs
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

Value 12
Name: Recent
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent

Value 13
Name: SendTo
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo

Value 14
Name: Start Menu
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

Value 15
Name: Startup
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Value 16
Name: Templates
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Templates

Value 17
Name: {374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%\Downloads

Value 18
Name: {A52BBA46-E9E1-435f-B3D9-28DAA648C0F6}
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: C:\Users\taw21\OneDrive

Value 19
Name: {B7BEDE81-DF94-4682-A7D8-57A52620B86F}
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: D:\Users\taw21\Pictures\Screenshots

Value 20
Name: My Pictures
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: C:\Users\taw21

Value 21
Name: My Video
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: D:\Users\taw21\Videos

Value 22
Name: {0DDD015D-B06C-45D5-8C4C-F59713854639}
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: %USERPROFILE%

Value 23
Name: {35286A68-3C57-41A1-BBB1-0EAE73D76C95}
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: D:\Users\taw21\Videos

You have a mixture of some folders within C:\Users\taw21 and some within D:\Users\taw21
I don't know if that is deliberate or not.
It's up to you. All the user folders that I actually use are on my D:\ drive.
I have assumed that you want to correct everything back to within C:\Users\taw21 but it's up to you.
Just make sure that, before any changes given in my next post, that you check in File explorer that the intended folder exists and create it if is does not.


Denis

I suggest you change this entry to the path you want.

ThomasW7302 said:

Value 20
Name: My Pictures
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: C:\Users\taw21

Click to expand...

First, browse in File explorer to make sure that the folder
C:\Users\taw21\Pictures
already exists and, if not, create it.
Now you can tidy things up in File explorer ready for the change by moving any picture files you want from
C:\Users\taw21
to
C:\Users\taw21\Pictures
- The change I'm getting you to do will not do these moves for you.
- I assume here that your intention is to put everything within C:\Users folder but you could use the D:\ drive if you wanted. I've referred to C:\Users below in order to avoid a pagefull of ifs, buts & maybes.

Then return to the Registry, User Shell Folders Key and, the Name column, double-click on

ThomasW7302 said:

Name: My Pictures

Click to expand...

It will open a small dialog box

in which you should select the Value data input box and overtype it with
C:\Users\taw21\Pictures

and you then click on the OK button.
Job done.

Where do you want your screenshots?

ThomasW7302 said:

Value 19
Name: {B7BEDE81-DF94-4682-A7D8-57A52620B86F}
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: D:\Users\taw21\Pictures\Screenshots

Click to expand...

I assume that you want them in a subfolder of pictures but it's up to you.
Move whatever is currently in D:\Users\taw21\Pictures\Screenshots to C:\Users\taw21\Pictures\Screenshots if that's where you want them and use the same procedure to change the {B7BEDE81-DF94-4682-A7D8-57A52620B86F} entry to C:\Users\taw21\Pictures\Screenshots.
Then I suggest you take a screenshot to check that they are being saved to the specified folder.

The same applies to both

ThomasW7302 said:

Value 21
Name: My Video
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: D:\Users\taw21\Videos

Click to expand...

and

ThomasW7302 said:

Value 23
Name: {35286A68-3C57-41A1-BBB1-0EAE73D76C95}
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: D:\Users\taw21\Videos

Click to expand...

assuming you want them in C:\Users\taw21\Videos instead.


I also noticed that you had one item set to a OneDrive folder.

ThomasW7302 said:

Value 18
Name: {A52BBA46-E9E1-435f-B3D9-28DAA648C0F6}
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Data: C:\Users\taw21\OneDrive

Click to expand...

I assume that's deliberate.
I do not use OneDrive & I do not have a {A52BBA46-E9E1-435f-B3D9-28DAA648C0F6} entry so I cannot offer any opinion.


All the best,
Denis

Tom,

If you have any doubts then please ask me about them before doing any Registry changes.
I have changed entries in User shell folders ever since I made a mess of my own user folders over a decade ago.
- I have found that the key step is always to make sure that any folder I enter in User shell folders really does exist before entering it.
- So I always browse to a folder in File explorer, copy its full path from File explorer's address bar then paste that into the relevant User shell folders entry so I don't have any spelling mistakes messing things up.

I noticed that your discussions with others referred to the nearby Key Shell folders [just look up the left-hand pane from User shell folders and you'll see Shell folders there].
I never use that - purely because I first found & tried User shell folders and it worked so I stuck with it.
I have always found that, for those entries that exist in both Keys, that altering them in User shell folders also alters the entry in Shell folders. Perhaps the same applies the other way round as well.
I have never seen an explanation of why both [not quite identical] Keys exist.

Once you have, for example, the Pictures folder path different from the C:\Users\taw21 folder path then you'll once again by able to use the normal Windows user interface method of relocating them [the Properties, Location tab method somebody else mentioned above].
- You've only been forced to do manual Registry edits because Windows sulks if, as in your case, two user folders have been set to the same path [in your case, the overall taw21 folder at C:\Users\taw21 and the Pictures folder which you had accidentally moved to the same path].
- I can never use the Properties, Location tab method myself because I have deliberately set the same folder path for several of my user folders [Desktop, Screenshots, Downloads & I think one other setting].
- Everything works correctly, I just have to accept that I'd have to untangle them by editing the Registry if I ever wanted to change my setup. Not that I ever will.


All the best,
Denis

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Denis,
Thanks so very much, this finally worked ! Actually, I had to do one additional thing which was to go into the c:\users\taw21 folder and delete the desktop.ini file that had persistently been reappearing there. After making the change you recommended, that file is no longer showing up there as it previously did after each reboot of Explorer and all is well.

Thank you also to everyone else who provided such kind suggestions. Tom - Columbus, Ohio