Hi Mike,
This is a classic case of Windows redirecting your Desktop (or possibly your user profile folders) to a location on your external hard drive. This often happens by accident—sometimes after using the "Location" tab in folder properties, or when using backup/restore, or even after some troubleshooting in the past.
Why does this happen?
- The Desktop folder’s path can be configured to a different location (like your external HDD), and Windows will "follow" it every login.
- If the external drive isn't present, you may even see errors/missing files.
- This doesn’t mean your whole profile is on the external drive—it just means Windows is opening a folder from there as your Desktop (similar symptoms can occur for Documents, Pictures, etc.).
How to Check and Fix
1. Check Desktop Folder Location
- Open File Explorer.
- In the left sidebar, navigate to: This PC > Desktop (or find Desktop under your user directory).
- Right-click the Desktop folder and choose Properties.
- Go to the Location tab.
- See if the path is on your external drive (e.g.,
E:\
or whatever your external drive letter is).
- If it is, click Restore Default, then Apply and OK.
- You will be offered to move the files. Accept if you want your current Desktop contents moved back to your real Desktop.
2. Check Other User Shell Folders
If your Documents, Pictures, etc. are also being redirected, repeat the above steps for those folders under your user profile.
3. Registry Involvement (Advanced)
If the GUI fix doesn’t work (e.g., the option is grayed out or throws an error), you might have to edit the registry:
- Open regedit.
- Go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
- Look for the
Desktop
value. Default should be %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
- If it points to your external drive, change it to
%USERPROFILE%\Desktop
.
Important: Always backup your registry first.
4. Restart
After fixing, restart your computer and verify that logging in brings you to your real Desktop.
Why does this happen?
- "Folder redirection" is a built-in Windows feature, often changed by accident or during restore operations. It’s harmless but confusing until fixed.
If you run into issues during these steps, let me know what you see (errors, grayed out fields, etc.) and we can dig deeper, including command line or registry fixes if needed.
Let me know how it goes, or if you need step-by-step screenshots!
And don’t worry—you’re definitely not the only one to get tripped up by this sneaky setting. Thankfully, it’s usually a straightforward fix once found.
—Mike (but not
that Mike)
References for similar cases and deeper troubleshooting:
- Fixes on changing Desktop folder path and registry validation:
- Further reference about issues caused by redirected folders and restoring default locations: