Windows 10: Pictures Folder Missing from User Folder

I am experiencing strange behavior in a clean Win11 install. If I open Pictures in Quick Access, I am taken to the Pictures folder as expected. If I go to C:\Users\username\Pictures, there is a Pictures folder present also as expected. But if I open a new Explorer window and navigate to Desktop e.g., type Desktop in address bar, then double-click the username, there is no Pictures folder there. All the other expected folders are there AppData, Documents, Downloads, Videos, Music, etc.. And if I open C:\Users\username\Pictures and then go up one level Windows + arrow up, there is

:)

 

Missing Pictures Folder

1. I removed Pictures from OneDrive.
   
2. Then i had to go into registry editor, to set "Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders\My Pictures" path back to "%USERPROFILE%\Pictures".
   
3. Then i deleted the remnant 'Pictures' folder in the OneDrive folder (which was displaying a red dot).
   
4. Now, Pictures folder is missing from my user directory.
   
5. However, Pictures folder is visible in Quick Access. If i click Pictures in Quick Access, then i do see my pictures. The path of the folder is inside my User folder. But when i go to the user folder,
   Pictures folder isn't there. If i show Hidden items, it's still not there.
   

 

Picture User Folder vs Library Picture Folder / Add to User folder

Hi,



Form the issue description, I realize that you are trying to view your pictures in the default pictures library. To do so, you have to change the location of the folder that contains your pictures to the default pictures library folder.



To view your pictures in the default pictures library, I suggest you to follow the steps below.

• 
  Right-click on the default Picture folder
  and click on Properties.
  
• 
  Navigate to Location tab.
  
• 
  Click on Move…. and select the folder that contains your pictures and click on
  Apply and then click on Ok.
  

Hope the information helps. Kindly write back to us for further information on Windows. We will be happy to assist you.



Thank you.

 

Quick Access not searching Pictures folder

Summary, that last suggestion didn't work.

• I moved the pictures to another folder temporarily.

• Then I tried to remove the Pictures folder with option one at Add or Remove Folders from This PC in Windows 10 | Windows 10 Tutorials. Even after rebooting, the Pictures folder remained.
• So I tried using option two. Same thing: reboot >> Pictures folder still there.

• Since there were no troubleshooting steps for this scenario, just for the heck of it, I ran through the restore steps. Copied some pictures into the Pictures folder, ran a Quick Access search and initial problem remains: Searching all of QA doesn't find any files in Pictures folder, running search on just the Pictures folder does. I want to run a global search and find matching files in any/all of the Documents, Music, Videos, and Pictures folders.

That article dates from 2015 and I'm guessing is out of date. I hope it didn't create potential future problems in my registry.

Bottom line: I'm still looking for a fix.