How to Customize Folders with Desktop.ini

File system folders are commonly displayed with a standard icon and set of properties, which specify, for instance, whether the folder is shared. You can customize the appearance and behavior of an individual folder by creating a Desktop.ini file for that folder.

Instructions

Using Desktop.ini Files

Folders are normally displayed with the standard folder icon. A common use of the Desktop.ini file is to assign a custom icon or thumbnail image to a folder. You can also use Desktop.ini to create an infotip that displays information about the folder and controls some aspects of the folder’s behavior, such as specifying localized names for the folder or items in the folder.

Use the following procedure to customize a folder’s style with Desktop.ini:

1. Use PathMakeSystemFolder to make the folder a system folder. This sets the read-only bit on the folder to indicate that the special behavior reserved for Desktop.ini should be enabled. You can also make a folder a system folder from the command line by using attrib +sFolderName.
2. Create a Desktop.ini file for the folder. You should mark it as hidden and system to ensure that it is hidden from normal users.
3. Make sure the Desktop.ini file that you create is in the Unicode format. This is necessary to store the localized strings that can be displayed to users.

Creating a Desktop.ini File

The Desktop.ini file is a text file that allows you to specify how a file system folder is viewed. The [.ShellClassInfo] section, allows you to customize the folder’s view by assigning values to several entries:

Entry	Value
ConfirmFileOp	Set this entry to 0 to avoid a «You Are Deleting a System Folder» warning when deleting or moving the folder.
NoSharing	Not supported under WindowsВ Vista or later. Set this entry to 1 to prevent the folder from being shared.
IconFile	If you want to specify a custom icon for the folder, set this entry to the icon’s file name. The .ico file name extension is preferred, but it is also possible to specify .bmp files, or .exe and .dll files that contain icons. If you use a relative path, the icon is available to people who view the folder over the network. You must also set the IconIndex entry.
IconIndex	Set this entry to specify the index for a custom icon. If the file assigned to IconFile only contains a single icon, set IconIndex to 0.
InfoTip	Set this entry to an informational text string. It is displayed as an infotip when the cursor hovers over the folder. If the user clicks the folder, the information text is displayed in the folder’s information block, below the standard information.

The following illustrations are of the Music folder with a custom Desktop.ini file. The folder now:

• Has a custom icon.
• Does not display a «You Are Deleting a System Folder» warning if the folder is moved or deleted.
• Cannot be shared.
• Displays informational text when the cursor hovers over the folder.

The folder options in the following illustrations are set to show hidden files so that Desktop.ini is visible. The folder looks like this:

When the cursor hovers over the folder, the infotip is displayed.

The custom icon replaces the folder icon everywhere the folder name appears.

Can you change the location of the Desktop folder in Windows?

Right now the files on the desktop are located in C:\Users\Joseph\Desktop . So when I go to that folder in Windows Explorer and create a new text document, it would appear on my desktop.

What I need is something like this: I want the files on my desktop to be in another folder (let’s say C:\Desktop ).

Is this possible?

(Windows 32-Bit Vista Home Premium SP 2)

2 Answers 2

Yes, it’s possible and actually very easy to do.

This feature is very useful if you want to separate user data from the OS and store the user data on a separate drive or partition thus having minimal need for backups when reinstalling Windows.

All you need to do is go to C:\Users\Joseph

From there just right click the Desktop Folder, go to Properties and then the Location Tab. You will see the path in a textbox, all you need to do is replace it with C:\Desktop

Using this trick one can easily change the target folder for many personal directories including the desktop:

1. Don’t forget to create a backup before changing anything.
2. Open the Registry editor (Regedit.exe)
3. Browse to the location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders .
4. In the right window pane select the required value (i.e. Desktop).
5. Insert the new location for the folder to be stored.
6. Close the registry editor.
7. Move the files in the old desktop folder to new location.
8. Log off and sign in again.

I have only tested this on Windows 10 but should work on some older versions, too.

Changing desktop folder

I know that this question is replied thousand times but,
I change Desktop folder of my Windows XP by Regedit, from HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders I change «Desktop» value to «C:\MynewDesktop»

Then I close regedit, go back to my desktop an I press F5 . I take this error:

c:\Myfancydesktop is unknown location. It may be in hard disk or in network.

The error gives the folder name of my old desktop. But I deleted that folder.

I reopen regedit and check for Desktop key. I see that value is empty. So how can I change my desktop folder in XP?

3 Answers 3

I change Desktop folder of my Windows XP by Regedit, from HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders I change «Desktop» value to «C:\MynewDesktop»

That is the wrong key. You should not modify the values in Shell Folders , you should modify them in User Shell Folders . When you boot, Windows reads the values in User Shell Folders , expands any environment variables, then copies them to Shell Folders .

Then I close regedit, go back to my desktop an I press F5. I take this error:

The error gives the folder name of my old desktop. But I deleted that folder.

Because you need to reboot (or log out and back in) for the new value to take effect (assuming you modify the correct value of course).

I reopen regedit and check for Desktop key. I see that value is empty.

Because Explorer over-wrote it.

So how can I change my desktop folder in XP?

Edit the Desktop value under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders . You can use environment variables there, just make sure to leave it as a REG_EXPAND_SZ .

How to Move the Desktop Folder in Windows 10

In Windows, the Desktop is the location which occupies the whole screen area that you see after you sign in to your user account. It can store shortcuts to anything as well as files and folders. You can arrange items on the Desktop in any way you want. Files you see on the desktop are stored in a special folder in your user profile. Today, we’ll see how to move the Desktop folder and change its location to any folder.

It is possible to change where the files in your personal Desktop folder are stored. You can change its location to another folder. Let’s see how it can be done.

To move the Desktop Folder in Windows 10, do the following.

1. Open File Explorer
2. Type or copy-paste the following in the address bar: %userprofile%
3. Press the Enter key on the keyboard. You user profile folder will be opened.
   
   See the Desktop folder.
4. Right click the Desktop folder and select Properties.
5. In Properties, go to the Location tab, and click on the Move button.
6. In the folder browse dialog, select the new folder that you want to store your Desktop files.
7. Click on the OK button to make the change.
8. Click on Yes to move all your files from the old location to the new folder when prompted.

This way, you can change the location of your Desktop folder to another folder, to another folder on a different disk drive or even to a mapped network drive. This will allow you to save space on the system drive, which can be particularly useful for users who keep large files right on the desktop.

Here is the full set of articles on how to move your user folders:

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About Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer from Russia who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

4 thoughts on “ How to Move the Desktop Folder in Windows 10 ”

Is there any way to move the Public Desktop folder? I’ve already successfully moved all the other Public folders (Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, etc.), but I’m denied access to move or delete Public Desktop, even in an Admin Command Window in Safe Mode. My hope is to move it to another partition, then create a directory junction for the new location in the original location.

Anyone encountered a situation where the 3 boxes are missing from the Location Tab for Restore, Move and Find??

how do I change the location of my folders which i have files stored on my desk top. moving the file from the left side to the right side. not the contents of the file only the location

I installed win10x64pro (20H2) right now. I moved my Desktop as on older Win10 releases. Every time I double click I got a error message “The directory name is invalid” for files which are directly stored on the desktop. Creating a new text file on the desktop will result in the same error message.

Changing the default installation folder for programs in Windows 10 — safely

Having recently installed Windows 10 after my incredible XP Pro server died suddenly, I have immediately managed to break it by changing the default installation folder for programs through Regedit.

I did this following input I found online; when, I must admit, I entirely ignored the warning that currently installed programs may no longer work. That turned out to very true. Win10 loaded alright, but many actions produced no result whatever, not even an error message. Could not repair it either, and eventually I had to resort to a Linux-based tool (PMagic, if you must know — very cool stuff).

The solution suggested in the initial input was to move all currently installed files and folders to the new location.

I have been a believer in multiple partitions and physical disk drives for a very long time (and I always have several). I do not subscribe to the Microsoft approach, which puts everything into the C:\ installation partition — unless you tell it otherwise.

Unfortunately, some programs will not prompt for an installation path of choice. Thus my efforts in the Registry.

And this, therefor, is what I put to the community:

1. Is there an official, Microsoft approved method of changing the default installation path for all user installed programs?
2. If not, would it indeed be safe to change all relevant keys referring to ProgramFilsDir in the Registry and then simply and at the same time also move all material from the C:\Programs folder into a partition on another drive (entering the target location, in my case simply F:\ into the registry keys?
3. Having thought about this for some time, I wonder: would it in fact work if I simply substituted (ie put into C:\ a shortcut named Programs, and have the shortcut point to my preferred location of F:\

And if you need to know: F: stands for Foftware, since S: I use for Source of programs. But funny bits aside, I am serious about my intentions and would really appreciate some knowledgeable input.

Greetings from down under

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Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

To change the default installation path, just follow below steps:

1. Press Windows key + R and type gpedit.msc

1. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion.

2. At the right panel, look for ProgramFilesDir.

3. Double click on it to change the value to your desired path. For example, change the value from C:\Program Files to D:\Softwares.

Registry disclaimer

To do so: Important this section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

Let us know the status of the issue.

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Is there an official, Microsoft approved method of changing the default installation path for all user installed programs?

No.

If not, would it indeed be safe to change all relevant keys etc. etc.

Only if you want to trash your install.

Having thought about this for some time, I wonder: would it in fact work if I simply substituted (ie put into C:\ a shortcut named Programs, and have the shortcut point to my preferred location of F:\

See above answer.

You seem intent on making the operating system work in a way it was never designed to work. You must have the coolest automobile, but I wouldn’t want to drive it.

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Thank you for your input, all parts of which are fair enough. And, yes, maybe I am intent on that, but just maybe the OS could offer more options. And I do drive the coolest car.

But seriously, I am thinking that there is speed to be gained by having the OS on one drive; and have it load programs from another. And this is the basis for my efforts; which I will now abort anyway.

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Thank you for responding. I will need to think about doing it again this way (if at all). I had followed this lead: http://www.groovypost.com/howto/modify-windows-default-program-install-directory/ which referrs to two keys and adds detail for 64-bit systems — which mine is.

I boldly changed all and stuffed it up big time as I said in my post.

If I follow your lead precisely, can I assume that the Windows programs continue to work, while having my installs go to the new path? In my earlier efforts I could not even open the registry editor anymore; so could not fix the issue. And attempting to Repair from the installation medium also failed.

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Given the speed of today’s hardware, I don’t think it would make any difference performance-wise if you tried to install applications on a different partition.

No matter where you install them, applications write to the registry, which is always located on the system partition. Applications also install files onto the system partition and reference libraries on the system partition. Applications and the OS are deeply linked so it makes no sense to separate them. It’s like making newlyweds sleep on separate beds.

If you want to separate your data from your software, that’s a fabulous idea. Windows makes it easy to do that. And it makes sense, because if you need to restore a backup of your OS why send your personal folders back in time, and vice versa?

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I have similar questions. Not sure how to get around it yet.

As part of justification for 3 partition setup.

Microsoft has been notorious for having its own updates, or other softwares and their updates, mess up many times.

Also, some executables turn out to be viruses, bcs MS is so inept at making and keeping a secure OS, as they have even given up on MS essentials and really want people to go get other companies’ antivirus.

jBut the main thing is running C drive on an SSD, esp if only 64gb which used to be plenty big but now is too small, and soon enough even 128 gb will be too small bcs of all the MS bloat!

So having just the OS on the ssd, and then putting your added programs on a spinning hard drive partition and your data drive on another spinning hard drive partition, is the MAIN reason that people need this setup!

On win xp and win 7, i have always run 3 partitions, and using the junctions and rededit minor changes for drive letters.

My config is C, E, G — C for win os of course, E for executables, and G for garage (ie, personal data, stuffed like everyone’s house garages with all my stuff, my keepsakes, etc.

As an additional benefit, my disk drive i always make D (like, duh!), and then my sd slot and photo card I relettered to F for Fotos.

Thus, i have a c,d,e,f,g that covers all my computer needs. and then use 2 tb external hard drives M for multimedia (music, pics), and another for N for nickelodeon (ie my movies/films/vids). If I get to the point of needing a pix only xhd, then of course P will come in handy.

In any case, when Windows messes up and have to do reinstall at some point. then I only have to reinstall first the os on C, and leave E and G alone.

I’ll have to reinstall programs from E, but the point is that all the exe and setup files are there on my E, and preserved, so i just start dblclicking their file names to get them reinstalled.

I dont have to remember what programs I had, or what I might have lost (ie some software like DVD shrink or mgi photosuite for win 7 no longer seem to exist and impossible to re-obtain).

The fact that I like to redirect my Program Files and Program Files (x86) to my E drive is also to help protect all 3. if something nasty gets in (which it hasnt sincce Ive been careful), I believe it less likely that it will run amok my whole system. at least it would have a much smaller play area, ie only the E drive, where it might do stuff.

BUT the main reason is bcs of using an SSD for the C os drive!

In any case, the drive letters should NOT matter to microsoft.

Particularly since it has always worked on their systems, and there are innumerable posts and websites of how to do these steps in XP and 7 bcs some people just want to.

It is my computer and *I* should have some say in where things go, as I have an entire system, as many others do, so that I can find my stuff, and protect myself.

It just gets irritating that microsoft, who can’t ever manage to put out any product without bugs, fixes, or new breakings of other things.

thinks that it knows better than me about what i want.