How to remap default folders on Windows 10

When you install Windows 10, it comes with a few folders already added to your user folder. These are the Desktop, Pictures, Videos, Downloads, Documents, Music, and 3D Objects folders. These folders aren’t like other folders. They’re Windows library folders and they’re the default locations that many apps access when saving files, or downloading them. By default, these folders are nested inside your user folder on the C drive however, you can change their location without breaking their ‘library’ function. Here’s how you can remap default folders on Windows 10.

Remap default folders on Windows 10

Open File Explorer to This PC and all the default folders will be listed under ‘Folders’. Right-click the folder that you want to move, and select Properties from the context menu. On the Properties window, go to the Location tab, and click the ‘Move’ button.

Select where you’d like files from this folder to be saved to. You can select a location on the current drive i.e., the C drive, or on a different drive however, you should NOT move the folder to the root of any drive. Make sure you create a new folder at the root of the drive you want to move the default folder to and nest the folder under it.

Click Apply. You will see a few prompts. The first will ask if you want to create a folder for the default folder within the folder that you selected. Go ahead and create it. The second prompt will ask if you want to move all files from the original/default location to the new one. Again, click Yes and move the files.

The folder that you add the library/default folder to won’t be visible in the drive but you will see the library folder itself. If you ever want to restore it to its default location, right-click it and select Properties from the context menu. Go to the Location tab and click the ‘Restore Default’ button. Confirm the on-screen prompts and the folder will be moved back to its original location.

Moving these folders doesn’t have much benefit unless you’re using a small SSD with a large HDD. In this case, moving these folders to the hard drive will save space on the SSD.

We should caution you that while this is a harmless change on Windows 10, not all programs/apps may like it or be able to work properly with the new folder locations. It’s highly unlikely that anything will break but it’s not impossible.

Read How to remap default folders on Windows 10 by Fatima Wahab on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter