I moved my Documents folder out of OneDrive while trying to get a game working. Since then, some programs can't find it correctly. I tried moving it back into OneDrive, but the problem remains, and I'm worried that I changed an important folder setting. The Documents folder currently appears under OneDrivePersonalDocuments, while some PNG files show a path containing Chinese characters before the Affinity folder. The usual Location tab is also missing from the folder's Properties. Is there a safe way to restore the Documents folder without accidentally breaking the registry or losing files?
3 Answers
If OneDrive is managing the folder, open OneDrive settings and check the backup or sync options for Documents. Let OneDrive finish syncing before changing the path again. Having both Windows and OneDrive point to different Documents folders can make programs appear to lose files, so choose one real folder and use that consistently.
The Chinese-looking name may just be Windows’ localized display name for the Documents folder, so don’t change it based on that alone. First back up anything important. The normal fix is to open File Explorer, right-click Documents, choose Properties > Location, and select Restore Default. If the Location tab is missing, check the folder’s known-folder setting instead of editing random registry values.
You can repair the setting through the registry, but make a restore point or export the key first. Open Registry Editor and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerUser Shell Folders. Find the value named Personal and set it to the actual Documents path, such as %USERPROFILE%OneDriveDocuments if that is where the folder really is, or %USERPROFILE%Documents for the local default. Also check the equivalent value under ExplorerShell Folders if it is present. Sign out and back in, or restart Explorer, after making the change. Make sure the target folder already exists and don’t delete any unfamiliar localized values.
The Location tab is missing. Explorer currently shows the folder under OneDrivePersonalDocuments, but files inside it sometimes display a path with Chinese characters before the Affinity folder.