Confusion about "MY PC" system folders and other folders

Are the "extra" folders above or below My PC/This PC in the left panel of File Explorer? If above those are frequently shortcuts to the actual folders in C:\Users\USERNAMEHERE. Right-click and Properties should show the Path to/Location of the actual folder of that name.

Kupuna said:

My "My PC" window has seven system folders. Brink has an excellent tutorial on how to remove or restore them.
What are their purposes? For example, is Documents supposed to automatically suck up any docx, pdf, etc. file?
What would the consequences be if I removed one of the seven (Documents, in this case) or moved its contents to another folder and/or another drive?
These are "system" folders. What does that mean. Can I merge other folders into them or vice-versa?

My real-life problem is that I have four different folders called "Documents" scattered around multiple drives and in the cloud. I need to get these consolidated. The situation for "Pictures" is similar.
Please teach me how to master these multiple folders.
V 21H1 build 19043

Personally, I just remove them all and then "create" the folders that suit my purposes, on a storage drive.

Kupuna said:

After looking at your screenshot, can I conclude that I can remove any of the 7 "System Folders" (after relocating their contents where I want) without having Win 10 crash, object or recreate them automatically?
The answer was very helpful. Thanks.

Yes you can. As I said... I just remove those folder from the system.
Then if I need a... Documents folder, I create one, (just a regular folder called Documents), on a storage drive somewhere.

Add or Remove Folders from This PC in Windows 10




/edit

If you also want to remove the Quick Access folder, the text file below has instructions...



Remove Quick Access.txt

Kupuna said:

My "My PC" window has seven system folders.

Despite what they are made to look like, those are not folders.
They are a special type of shortcut that points to the corresponding subfolder within C:\Users\%UserName%
You can use the tutorial to stop those items appearing if you wish. Doing so does not affect any real folders or their contents, it only affects whether those special shortcuts appear.

Kupuna said:

What are their purposes?

They are supposedly a convenience to the user.

Kupuna said:

is Documents supposed to automatically suck up any docx, pdf, etc. file?

No. Nothing is saved in the items you are referring to because they are just shortcuts not folders in their own right.
You can save files wherever you want.
Many applications will default to saving to & opening from a subfolder within C:\Users\%UserName% until you use a different folder after which most applications will default save/open to the last save/open folder used.

Kupuna said:

What would the consequences be if I removed one of the seven (Documents, in this case) or moved its contents to another folder and/or another drive?

Kupuna said:

These are "system" folders. What does that mean. Can I merge other folders into them or vice-versa?

Kupuna said:

... can I conclude that I can remove any of the 7 "System Folders" (after relocating their contents where I want)

They do not have any contents; they are not folders.
You can pin any or all of the subfolders within C:\Users\%UserName% to File explorer, Navigation pane, Quick access to get to the real folders easily.

Kupuna said:

My real-life problem is that I have four different folders called "Documents" scattered around multiple drives and in the cloud. I need to get these consolidated. The situation for "Pictures" is similar.
Please teach me how to master these multiple folders.

I suggest you post screenshots of File explorer showing the various Documents folder paths so that advice can be given.
In addition, for each folder named Documents, right-click on it then select Properties and see if it has a tab called Location. Along with the posted diagrams, state which has a Location tab.
You'll be able to use the guidance given for Pictures, Music, Videos, … so that you'll soon have the whole lot sorted out.



Denis

Kupuna said:

My "My PC" window has seven system folders. Brink has an excellent tutorial on how to remove or restore them.
What are their purposes? For example, is Documents supposed to automatically suck up any docx, pdf, etc. file?
What would the consequences be if I removed one of the seven (Documents, in this case) or moved its contents to another folder and/or another drive?
These are "system" folders. What does that mean. Can I merge other folders into them or vice-versa?

My real-life problem is that I have four different folders called "Documents" scattered around multiple drives and in the cloud. I need to get these consolidated. The situation for "Pictures" is similar.
Please teach me how to master these multiple folders.
V 21H1 build 19043

For years, I have added an extra hard drive (SSD or Spinner) to my computers and named it Data (Drive Letter). I generally installed one that had at least 1 TB of space. It's easy peasy; all you need is an extra SATA port and power connector for your new internal drive.

On the new Data drive, I created two Folders; Documents and Downloads. From there, of course, you can create new descriptive folders within Documents (User Guide for Macrium Reflect) and Downloads (Macrium Reflect).

Looks like HP is copying me; when I bought this system, it already had a Data Drive installed! It is Data (D).

I also use a Data drive but my Downloads and Documents folder names are prefaced with a Tilde ~ or two to eliminate confusion with the default folders. Doing so also brings those folders to the top of the list.

Berton said:

I also use a Data drive but my Downloads and Documents folder names are prefaced with a Tilde ~ or two to eliminate confusion with the default folders. Doing so also brings those folders to the top of the list.

Good idea, Berton! I don't have a problem distinguishing between, but it would make things a tad bit easier!