Problem changing the locations of the default Documents and Pictures folders

Topic

I just got a new computer with Windows 11 Pro Version 24H2, and can’t change the locations of the default Documents and Pictures folders, even though I successfully did it with the default Downloads and Music folders.

I disabled OneDrive before I did anything else in setting up this computer (for reasons that I’ll explain), and perhaps that affects things, but I don’t know.

The original default folders appear to be located in C:\Users\<weird, unwanted user name>\OneDrive. Folders called Documents and Pictures also appear in a couple other places, but these are the only ones that have Location tabs, so I assume that they’re the defaults.

Before Win 10, when I set up my computers, Windows always created “C:\Users\Bob” as my user folder. Not so in Win 10 and 11. Instead, it created “<weird, unwanted user name>”, with the user name consisting of the first five letters of the disposable email address that I used for the purpose of setting up my Microsoft account. It then stuck a OneDrive folder under it, and then the default folders as subfolders under OneDrive. “C:\Users\Bob” is history.

I don’t and will never again use OneDrive. Not to rant, but to explain for what I think is necessary background. I briefly tried it on my Win 10 computer, on which I had created C:\ and D:\ partitions (the current computer has separate physical drives). When I ran OneDrive for the first time, it immediately reorganized all of my data folders, moving some entirely from my D:\ drive to my C:\ drive, and sometimes wholly, sometimes partially, copying others from D:\ to C:\. Also, some folders were moved inside other folders where they didn’t belong. That’s neither here nor there for present purposes, except to explain that the very first thing I did with my new Win 11 computer, immediately after I created my log-in PIN, was disable OneDrive through the Group Policy Editor. Which, because I necessarily had to wait to do it until after the initial setup of Windows, didn’t prevent OneDrive — or some other weirdness at Microsoft related to OneDrive — from installing a bunch of four-year old files to my desktop immediately after I created my PIN. Based on the modification dates, I assume that those files go back to the last time I used OneDrive on my now-deceased Win 10 computer. In short, even four years later OneDrive hasn’t stopped messing with me.

I point out this history to explain why I disabled OneDrive (and why I don’t want to re-enable it), in case disabling it has something to do with my current issue, which, after all, involves changing the locations of default folders that are currently inside a OneDrive user subfolder.

In attempting to change the location of Documents or Pictures, I right click on the folder | go to Properties | Location tab | Move, and then select the new location and click “Apply,” and then “No” or “Yes” (same result either way) in answer to the question of whether I want to move the contents from the old folder to the new one. A pop-up with the heading “The folder can’t be moved here” then gives me this message: “Can’t move the folder because there is a folder in the same location that can’t be redirected. Access is denied.”

I have no idea what that message could possibly mean, other than that I can’t do what I want. With the Downloads and Music default folders, I was able to change the locations on the C:\ drive to folders bearing the same names on my D:\ drive. That’s the way it’s “always” been done, for Documents and Pictures, as well as for Downloads and Music, so of course there’s “a folder in the same location.” Indeed, the new folder location has to already exist in order to select it as the new location.

Can anyone explain what’s going on here, and how I can change the locations of these folders?

If this requires re-enabling OneDrive through the GPE, let me express my fear of what OneDrive may do on it’s own volition, not only because of my earlier experience on my Win 10 computer, but because of the fact that with the new computer it managed to put a bunch of four-year old files on my desktop before I even attempted to operate this machine after creating my PIN. So if there’s a precaution to be taken (and I mean beyond creating a backup), I need to know.

Finally, after the current issue is resolved, would there be any harm if I created a “Bob” user folder and then deleted the stupid user folder which contains the OneDrive subfolder or, perhaps, changed the name of the latter to the former? If so, what’s the way to do it? I vaguely recall doing this (with guidance on these forums) several years ago on Windows 10 (as the result of the OneDrive issue described above), but can’t remember what was done (other than the fact that it wasn’t at all simple from my viewpoint), and searching for the thread won’t do me any good in any case, because this is now a different operating system.

Thanks.

Replies

I think that error message is a result of disabling OneDrive before turning off OneDrive Backup of important folders:

To fully disable OneDrive, it is recommended to turn off OneDrive backup for any folders before disabling OneDrive.

Enable or Disable OneDrive in Windows 11

I believe you would need to re-enable OneDrive to turn off OneDrive Backup first.

Microsoft’s article on that error is less helpful, but it includes regedit workarounds:

Operation to change a personal folder location fails in Windows

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BobStr

That page on disabling OneDrive warns that it’s important to first turn off OneDrive backup before disabling OneDrive, and it provides a link to instructions on how to do that. That link is:

https://www.elevenforum.com/t/turn-on-or-off-onedrive-folder-backup-syncing-across-windows-11-devices.4321/

Those instructions provide two options: turn off OneDrive folder backup syncing in settings, or do it in OneDrive settings. Since they’re listed as options, instead of necessary steps, I read that to say that either one will do the job.

Can you say whether one way is any better or worse than the other? Or is this just Windows’ way of providing routes to accomplish exactly the same thing? Ordinarily, I’d just assume the latter, but as you can see from my first message, I’m pretty paranoid about OneDrive at this stage, and that compels me to ask the question.

Thanks for your help.
<h2 class=”bbopt3″></h2>

Yes, two routes to the same place. Steps 3 and 5 are identical for both.

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BobStr

You can change the name of the user profile folder in the registry:

Change Name of User Profile Folder in Windows 11

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BobStr, RetiredGeek

Can you say: once I’ve disabled OneDrive and changed the user name — I’m going to change it to “Bob”, same as on my old computer — can I then simply delete that OneDrive subfolder from Bob?

I’d like that subfolder out of there for more than aesthetic reasons. For example, my calendar program on my defunct Win 10 computer backed up to a zip file. Setting up the new computer has taught me that when that file is used to import my settings and entries to a new computer, the program requires there to exist user file C:\Users\Bob. Consequently, importing that stuff to my new computer has been impossible so far, because, as currently installed, the program does things through C:\Users\<weird unwanted user name>\OneDrive.

I assume that I going to have to uninstall and reinstall the calendar program after I’ve corrected the user name, but before I do that, I want to be sure that there’s no OneDrive subfolder under user name Bob to gum up the works.

Thanks for your help.

Well, I turned OneDrive back on, so I could then turn off OneDrive backup before disabling OneDrive again. It turned out, though, that when I first went into the latter setting, all of the folders (I think that a total of six were listed) were set to off. However, it immediately became chaotic, because three of the folders apparently are designed to toggle back on automatically if anyone comes near them.

Specifically, I proceeded as follows:

1. Win + i
2. Accounts
3. Windows backup
4. OneDrive folder syncing

The instructions say at that point to toggle off each folder. But, as mentioned, all of the folders were already toggled off. However, the first three folders in order (I don’t remember which ones; I could go back, but suspect that that’s a bad idea) automatically toggled on after only a split second delay. I kept trying to toggle them back off, but they kept toggling back on, all on their own.

It didn’t take long to realize what was happening. I at least was able to act quickly enough (I think) to rapidly toggle off all three and then hit the Close button. I hope that they stayed off at that point, but I have no way of knowing for sure without going back into OneDrive folder syncing, which would start the entire jamboree all over again. But note that, unless I misunderstand them, the instructions indicate that I’m supposed to hit OK after each folder is toggled off. I had no time to do that, because I only had time to get all three toggled off and then hit Close before any of them came back on again.

I did go back once, and, again for a split second, all six seemed to be off, but then, as before, the first three in order automatically toggled back on, and I had to go through the same routine, quickly toggling all three off and then closing.

On top of that, I now have a new icon in the lower right of the screen. It wasn’t there before. Clicking on it makes a list pop upward. At the top it says “Your files are synced.” Below that is a list of 36 files. Some are files that currently exist in various areas of my computer, others are the ones that I mentioned in my original message — the three-year old, unwanted files that, without any action on my part, were put onto my desktop immediately after I created my PIN. So even though I deleted them earlier, they’re apparently still around in some sense. (Under each file’s name, there’s a brief phrase. In the case of the three-year old files, under each name it says “Deleted from Desktop.”) At the same time, this list of 36 files doesn’t appear to be expanding, suggesting, at least, that nothing else on my computer is currently being appropriated by OneDrive.

At this point, I’ve gone back and disabled OneDrive again. That’s the only thing I have the ability to do on my own.

As for whether those folders were in fact all completely toggled off before I went into OneDrive folder syncing as described above, there remains the fact that I haven’t been able to change the locations of some default folders (documents and pictures), but was able to do it with others (downloads and music). I haven’t tried with Desktop or Videos. Maybe the ones I couldn’t change were among the first three in order in OneDrive folder syncing, the ones that turn on automatically? I dunno.

In any case, if all OneDrive backups were toggled off already, why couldn’t I move some default folders? And if they (or just some of them) were toggled on, then why wasn’t that OneDrive icon in the lower right of the desktop from the get-go?

I know this has been a long discussion. But I don’t know what I could have left out. If anyone can shed any light on this mess — the why of it and what to do about it — I’d sincerely appreciate it.

Thanks.

I didn’t change default folders location (I remember the disaster of Windows 10 1809)
I created the same folders on drive D: and copied the data from drive c: leaving original folders at place.

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BobStr

I’m getting the idea that that’s the way to go with this latest nonsense.

By the way, this morning I find that that new OneDrive icon is now gone from the lower right corner of the desktop. Maybe disabling OneDrive again made it disappear overnight? An issue probably not worth pursuing.

It’s become clear that my major issue isn’t moving the default folders, but what to do in order to permanently get OneDrive out of my life. I suspect that, what with the process for turning off OneDrive backup being so dysfunctional, this won’t be the last time that OneDrive interferes with my computer.

But that’s not the central subject of the current thread, so I’ll leave it at that.

Thanks everyone for the advice to date.

 

 

 

 

BobStr wrote:

Maybe disabling OneDrive again made it disappear overnight?..permanently get OneDrive out of my life..

Uninstall OneDrive in Apps – installed apps.
or
Run the command: winget uninstall Microsoft.OneDrive’

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PL1

Alex5723 wrote:

BobStr wrote:

Maybe disabling OneDrive again made it disappear overnight?..permanently get OneDrive out of my life..

Uninstall OneDrive in Apps – installed apps.
or
Run the command: winget uninstall Microsoft.OneDrive’

I’d really like to do that. Although I’ve been told, although I don’t recall where, that unlike in earlier versions of Windows, in Win 11 it’s an “integral part” of the operating system and can’t be uninstalled, it certainly is listed in my settings as something that can be done. (Apparently it’s not all that integral, if that’s what it is.)

However, I’m reluctant (actually, downright afraid) to try it in the present state of affairs, for fear of breaking something. Especially since the approach of briefly turning it back on, then disabling OneDrive backup (via Win + i | Accounts | Windows backup | OneDrive folder syncing | Toggling off all the folders) led to so much havoc, the end result of which was that I now don’t even know whether those folders have remained toggled off, because they kept toggling back on when I tried to do it. If turning off OneDrive is supposed to be completely effective only if OneDrive folder syncing has been disabled, and I’m not even in a position to know whether that’s actually now the state of affairs, then I wonder about the risk of nevertheless uninstalling the entire program without further ado.

Also, there’s the matter of that weird user file, with the OneDrive subfolder. It contains not only the default folders that I was unable to move, but also app data for several of the programs that I’ve installed. What effect would simply uninstalling OneDrive have on all that?

Sorry to have these rudimentary concerns, but my not understanding what’s going on makes me very concerned to make sure that I have it all down correctly before proceeding.

Thanks very much.

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Alex5723

Well, it’s been a couple days since my issue was solved, and I’m reporting back for whatever it’s worth. Probably not much, because I’m likely to be in a very small minority on this, but still… I’m satisfied with the result.

The solution was somewhat complicated.

As mentioned in my original message, this is a new computer. It turned out that there were several issues with it, so Dell technical support got involved. They eventually concluded that the initial installation of Windows was corrupt, and the nature of the problems made them uncertain about completely fixing everything short of a Windows restore. I’d already spent some time tinkering with settings and installing a few apps, but having to write off that time was small potatoes in the scheme of things, so I went with it. However, instead of just following their instructions on how to do the restore on my own (simple enough in theory), I insisted on being held by the hand, based not only on my experience of problems from the very moment I had first turned on this particular computer, but my concerns about the intrusiveness OneDrive and wanting it out of my life.

Fortunately, just before we started on the restore, I made the random comment that it seemed weird to me that during the initial setup, there hadn’t been any option not to set up Windows through my Microsoft account; i.e., no option to start from the very beginning with a local account.

To his credit, tech guy didn’t react like I was from another planet. He said it could be done, but that in Windows 11 the way to do it is hidden from mere mortals. We briefly discussed pros and cons, and with no hesitation I said let’s go with the local account only.

(I do think that Dell should have brought up the option of a local account on their own, especially since I had expressed my hatred of OneDrive from the very beginning, but apparently only cavemen want local accounts these days, so perhaps the omission can be excused.)

Unfortunately, I didn’t take detailed notes (the thought occurred to me too late), and the process was too complicated for me to remember it all. So all I can say is that the approach first entailed hitting F12 repeatedly during the initial startup, an approach I’m of course familiar with from other contexts. That got us to that mystery area with the blue screen. Tech guy did something there. And then we were on to hitting F10 repeatedly, to get to another mystery area. Tech guy did more stuff. Then back to the initial start up and, tah dah, I had my normal user account, and no despicable user account related to OneDrive. And no long-deleted files brought back to life and imported to my computer from somewhere in Microsoftland.

Then on to Windows settings, and more tinkering. Finally, on to Settings | Apps | Installed apps, where tech guy “uninstalled” OneDrive. He explained that although it’s no longer listed as an installed app, it’s actually still there, “embedded” in Windows, but that for all practical purposes it’s gone — and, ultimately, that’s what I really care about.

I was then able to move the default folders where I wished. And, in the most fundamental ways, use my computer and organize my files the way I’ve done it since the beginning of this century, and earlier.

Like I say, not for everyone. But from my perspective: life is good.

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bbearren