Some folders on my Desktop do not appear in File Explorer


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Tombar

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Windows 11
Hi, I got this problem recently. I have folders on my Desktop that do not appear in File Manager, either under Desktop or User/desktop. All hidden file settings etc are set to the right options. How do i sort this?
Edit - they ARE shown in Onedrive!
 
Windows Build/Version
24H2, build 26100.2314

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Mesh
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i3-12100
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime H610M-D D4
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Graphics 730
The desktop shows both your own files and folders on your user desktop and the public desktop (all users common desktop). If you go at your user folder, you see only the files and folders of your own desktop.

There is a tutorial to disable syncing or exclude a folder from OneDrive. See the Tutorials section.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (build 22631.4249) test laptop, Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.3476) main PC
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.3476)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    Gainward NE5105T018G1-1070F (nVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
Hi spapkons, I'd already looked in both User and Public and they don't appear in either
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Mesh
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i3-12100
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime H610M-D D4
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Graphics 730
Are they ghost folders or can you actually open them to access files inside them?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP EliteDesk 705 G5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3400GE
    Memory
    8GB DDR4 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 11
    Hard Drives
    256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL Inspiron 15-3576
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8250U
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4 - 2400 SODIMM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Hard Drives
    256GB SK Hynix SC311 SATA SSD
Hi wiganken, No, they are real folders eg Screenshots, Combined Photos, Genealogy, and Utilities. I can open them and use the contents from my desktop
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Mesh
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i3-12100
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime H610M-D D4
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Graphics 730
Hmm!. I can pick Combined Photos on the display for Ashampoo Photo Organiser.

Also, Combined Photos and Utilities seem to appear separate from Desktop in File Manager - see screenshot (If I can find the folder).
Everything appears in Tom/Personal/Desktop, whatever that is
 

Attachments

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Mesh
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i3-12100
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime H610M-D D4
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Graphics 730
Do these screenshots help?
 

Attachments

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    YZrPsoxCYA.webp
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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Mesh
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i3-12100
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime H610M-D D4
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Graphics 730
Maybe corrupt system files? Try running Tuneup.bat file to fix it. This runs sfc /scannow, DISM and Chkdsk commands in succession. Be patient it takes 10-minutes to complete on my PC. Restart computer afterwards.

Also it could be a 24H2 bug.
 

Attachments

Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP EliteDesk 705 G5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3400GE
    Memory
    8GB DDR4 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 11
    Hard Drives
    256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL Inspiron 15-3576
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8250U
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4 - 2400 SODIMM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Hard Drives
    256GB SK Hynix SC311 SATA SSD
Hi wiganken. Good tool, but it didn't find any errors anywhere.

I don;t understand Onedrive. Is it normal that my desktop is in Start One Drive/Tom-Personal/Desktop (whatever that is), but nowhere in (i) Desktop,,(ii) User/Desktop or (iii) Public/Desktop
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Mesh
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i3-12100
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime H610M-D D4
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Graphics 730
Should I try this?
 

Attachments

  • msedge_a4J7YAXpQA.webp
    msedge_a4J7YAXpQA.webp
    52.1 KB · Views: 1

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Mesh
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i3-12100
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime H610M-D D4
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Graphics 730
Or this
I had this exact problem and I just solved it.

After removing/disabling OneDrive, navigate to the OneDrive desktop folder that is giving you problems using windows explorer (C:\Users\me\OneDrive\Desktop). Right click on that folder and click properties. Navigate to the folders location tab and press restore default. This worked for me. There is a chance you need to manually find the desired folder location via move and click on the existing folder (C:\Users\me\Desktop).

I was so relieved after finding this fix. Hope this helps.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Mesh
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i3-12100
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime H610M-D D4
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Graphics 730

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP EliteDesk 705 G5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3400GE
    Memory
    8GB DDR4 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 11
    Hard Drives
    256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL Inspiron 15-3576
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8250U
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4 - 2400 SODIMM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Hard Drives
    256GB SK Hynix SC311 SATA SSD
wiganken said:
Glad you got it sorted. I don't use OneDrive so not familiar with it.
Click to expand...
Sorry - I hadn't sorted it - I should have put it in quotes as something I found in a thread with a similar problem!

What I've just done is copy Desktop from C/User/Onedrive (with all the folders) to C;/User (which was missing the folders) and now I can now see all of these folders etc in Desktop in File Explorer.
I didn't even know I has a C:/User/Onedrive folder till today - why have got it and do I need it? And is it safe to uninstall Onedrive?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Mesh
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i3-12100
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime H610M-D D4
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Graphics 730
If you don't use OneDrive is safe to uninstall it. I would just move my data from OneDrive to the local Desktop folder and leave the OneDrive alone. Why risk any more issues?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (build 22631.4249) test laptop, Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.3476) main PC
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.3476)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    Gainward NE5105T018G1-1070F (nVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
spapakons said:
If you don't use OneDrive is safe to uninstall it. I would just move my data from OneDrive to the local Desktop folder and leave the OneDrive alone. Why risk any more issues?
Click to expand...
Totally agree. I uninstalled it on my PC.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP EliteDesk 705 G5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3400GE
    Memory
    8GB DDR4 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 11
    Hard Drives
    256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL Inspiron 15-3576
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8250U
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4 - 2400 SODIMM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Hard Drives
    256GB SK Hynix SC311 SATA SSD
wiganken said:
Totally agree. I uninstalled it on my PC.
Click to expand...
OK. I've uninstalled Onedrive and I no longer have it in File Manager. Should I delete the folder C:/User/Onedrive?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Mesh
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i3-12100
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime H610M-D D4
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Graphics 730
Tombar said:
OK. I've uninstalled Onedrive and I no longer have it in File Manager. Should I delete the folder C:/User/Onedrive?
Click to expand...
i have with no problems as i also dont have one drive installed.
best of luck, Steve ..
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    .. Debian 13 'Testing' .. Windows 11 24H2 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP 24" AiO
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 5825u
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    64GB DDR4 3200
    Graphics Card(s)
    Ryzen 7 5825u
    Sound Card
    RealTek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" HP AiO
    Hard Drives
    1TB WD Blue SN580 M2 SSD Partitioned.
    2x 1TB USB HDD External Backup/Storage.
    Internet Speed
    900MB full fibre
    Browser
    Firefox ESR & Thunderbird
    Antivirus
    ClamAV TK
    Other Info
    Mainly Open Source Software
  • Operating System
    Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell 13" Latitude 2017
    CPU
    i5 7200u
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel
    Sound Card
    Intel
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13" Dell Laptop
    Hard Drives
    250GB Crucial 2.5" SSD
    Mouse
    Gerenic 3 button
    Internet Speed
    WiFi only
    Browser
    FireFox
    Antivirus
    ClamAV TK
    Other Info
    Mainly Open Source Software
Tombar said:
Should I delete the folder C:/User/Onedrive?
Click to expand...
Yes, but check it is empty first as a precaution in case you accidentally put some files in it that you want to keep.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP EliteDesk 705 G5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3400GE
    Memory
    8GB DDR4 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 11
    Hard Drives
    256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL Inspiron 15-3576
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8250U
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4 - 2400 SODIMM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Hard Drives
    256GB SK Hynix SC311 SATA SSD
Tombar said:
OK. I've uninstalled Onedrive and I no longer have it in File Manager. Should I delete the folder C:/User/Onedrive?
Click to expand...
Hmm. Deleted it and lost all icons on my Desktop, except two. Put it back and back to normal. It seems the PC is loading Desktop from User/Onedrive instead of User.

Edit Might try Reset
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Mesh
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i3-12100
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime H610M-D D4
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Graphics 730
See the Tutorials section how to disable OneDrive and use the local folders.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (build 22631.4249) test laptop, Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.3476) main PC
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.3476)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    Gainward NE5105T018G1-1070F (nVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
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