Windows 7: Libraries Folder - Add or Remove from Navigation Pane

   Information

Libraries let you access and arrange items from one or more folders quickly without moving them from their original location. Libraries themselves don't store your files or folders. Instead, they point to different locations on a hard disk or external drive attached to your computer. This gives you easy access to a category of files no matter where they are stored. For instance, if you have music files on your hard disk and on an external drive, you can access all of your music files from within the "Music" library.


For more information about Windows 7 Libraries see:

• Windows 7 Libraries: Frequently Asked Questions
• Understanding Windows 7 Libraries - Windows 7 for Developers - The Windows Blog
• Inside Windows 7:Introducing Libraries

This will show you how to add or remove the Libraries folder and all Library folders in the Windows Explorer Navigation Pane in Windows 7.

   Note

When Libraries is removed from the Navigation Pane, the pinned Windows Explorer icon on the taskbar will still open to the Libaries location by default unless you change the default open to target location for the pinned Windows Explorer taskbar icon.

   Tip

The default Libaries folders are located at the hidden locations below.

For all users
C:\Users\Public\Libraries

For current user only
C:\Users\(user-name)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Libraries

   Warning

• You can only do this while logged into an administrator account.
• This will affect all user account's on the computer.

1. Open the Start Menu and type regedit.exe in the search line, then press enter.

2. If prompted by UAC, then click on Yes.

3. In Regedit, go to the location below: (See screenshot below step 4)

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}\ShellFolder

4. In the left pane of regedit, right click on the ShellFolder key and click on Permissions. (See screenshot below)

5. At the top, select the Administrators group. At the bottom, check the Allow box to the right of Full Control and click on OK. (See screenshot below)

6. In the right pane of regedit, right click on Attributes and click on Modify. (See screenshot below)

7. To Add All Libraries Back to the Navigation Pane
NOTE: This is the default setting.

A) Type in b080010d and click on OK. (see screenshot below)

B) Go to step 9.

8. To Remove All Libraries from the Navigation Pane

A) Type in b090010d and click on OK. (see screenshot below)

9. If you have 64-bit Windows 7 Installed

   Note

To also add or remove Libraries from the "Open" and "Save as" type windows as well in 64-bit Windows 7, you will also need to do this step.

If you have a 32-bit Windows 7 installed, then skip this step since doing steps 1 to 7/8 will add or remove Libraries from the "Open" and "Save as" type windows as well.

A) In Regedit, go to the location below:

Code:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Classes\CLSID\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}\ShellFolder

B) Repeat steps 4 to 7/8 above.

10. Close regedit.

11. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply.

   Tip

If you removed Libraries, then you may also would like to use the tutorial below to have the user folders in the Start Menu to open to your C:\Users\(user-name) location instead of it's library folder location.

How to Make Windows 7 Start Menu User Folder Buttons Open to Users Instead of Libraries Location