Libraries Folder - Add or Remove from Navigation Pane

How to Add or Remove "Libraries" Folder from the Navigation Pane in Windows 7​

   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.

EXAMPLE: Libraries in Navigation Pane
NOTE: This is the Libraries group added (default) (left screenshot below) and removed (right screenshot below) from the Navigation Pane.



Here's How: 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:

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

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Hide or Show a Library in the Navigation Pane in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Show or Not Show All Folders in the Windows 7 Navigation Pane
• How to Turn On or Off Expand to Current Folder in Windows 7 Navigation Pane
• How to Change the Default Libraries Icon in Windows 7
• How to Change a Library Icon in Windows 7
• How to Add or Remove the Libraries Desktop Icon in Windows 7
• How to Change the Default New Library Icon in Windows 7
• How to Restore the Default Libraries in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Fix Libraries when Hidden and Empty in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Add or Remove "Favorites" from the Windows 7 Navigation Pane
• How to Add or Remove "Homegroup" from the Windows 7 Navigation Pane
• How to Add or Remove "Computer" from the Windows 7 Navigation Pane
• How to Add or Remove "Network" from the Windows 7 Navigation Pane
• How to Add or Remove "Control Panel" from the Windows 7 Navigation Pane
• How to Add or Remove your "User Folder" from the Windows 7 Navigation Pane
• How to Add or Remove the "Recycle Bin" from the Windows 7 Navigation Pane
• How to Turn the Navigation Pane On or Off in Windows 7
• How to Turn the Library Pane On or Off in Windows 7
• How to Rename "Libraries" in the Windows 7 Explorer Navigation Pane
• How to Make Windows 7 Start Menu User Folder Buttons Open to Users Instead of Libraries Location
• How to Add or Remove "Include in library" in Windows 7 Context Menu
• How to Arrange Folders Included in a Library in Any Order in Windows 7 and Windows 8

 

[Brink]

I'm glad they can help Marty.

You'll be happy to know that in Windows 8/8.1, Microsoft has made it a lot easier to add/remove Libraries from the navigation pane now.

(option one)
Libraries - Add or Remove from Navigation Pane in Windows 8 Explorer

 

[Jim Pate]

Brink
I want to get rid of Libraries in Win7. I see a lot of stuff about using RegEdit and was wondering... Isn't there a simple REG file for doing this rather than all this puttering around?

 

[Brink]

Hello Jim, and congrats on your first post.

The method in this tutorial basically only turns off showing libraries in the navigation pane. This way there's no harm no foul, and easy to turn back on later if wanted. It essentially would be the same as removing libraries since you wouldn't see them when turned off. The only downside is that you have to set permissions the first time to be able to change the registry values, but it's really easier than it looks.

I wouldn't recommend to use the other methods on the internet that complete delete the registry entries for all libraries. That would have the possibility of causing an issue if anything should reference a library. There's a good chance of that since most programs save to a library by default.

 

[Donn]

Hey I'm having trouble with this.

I got to the part where you change the attribute value to 080010d, the attribute already had that value, I hit ok and then I restarted the PC, the Libraries folder was still not there.

Also the hidden folders are grayed out, this never used to be the case. I think I accidentally made the folders that are normally hidden, hidden. I then made them unhidden which caused all these issues.

 

[Brink]

Hello Donn, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Since you have 64-bit Windows, did you change the value at both registry locations?

If you like, you could set Windows to not show hidden files to not see the hidden (faded) files anymore. That alone shouldn't affect libraries though.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/394-hidden-files-folders-show-hide.html

 

[Donn]

Hey Brink,

I have done it in both registry locations, which is the annoying bit.

So I'm stumped

 

[Brink]

If you like, you could also do a system restore using a restore point dated before Libraries went AWOL to hopefully restore it.

 

[Donn]

Yeah that was my last resort , just wanted to know if there was an easier solution. Thanks Brink.

 

[Brink]

The method in the tutorial works fine, but not always if some other method may have been used to remove it than what was in the tutorial.

 

[dangmedcalf]

Works great, but...

The registry changed worked for me, but I've noticed that when going to save a document the libraries still appear when going to save files (as) from programs like Office (2010 standard), or "printing" with XPS document writer, but it does not show when going to save (as) with WordPad, or Notepad.

 

[Brink]

Hello Dangmedcalf, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Yeah, unfortunately some programs may still show them in their "save as" type dialogs.

Did you use step 9 (if you have 64-bit Windows), and restart the computer afterwards?

 

[dangmedcalf]

Well I apologize, it did work for Windows 7. I was looking at this thread and the Windows 8 one as well and meant to post on that one. My W8 machine still shows the libraries when I go to save as, but that's because I didn't do step 8 of option 4. Thanks for the work you do.

 

[Brink]

Great news. I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted.

 

[gnored]

I performed these procedures to remove libraries from everywhere. They worked perfectly. But later I discovered that Firefox could no longer download anything, even from email. Chrome still works, but I want Firefox, so undid all the changes. I just mention this to remind folks that there can be unintended consequences to doing this. Cheers!

 

[Brink]

Hello Gnored, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Are you sure that this is the tutorial that you used to remove your Libraries with? This tutorial should not affect anything other than Libraries to either show or hide in the navigation pane.

You mentioned using .reg files in your original post to remove Libraries, but this tutorial doesn't have any .reg files. It sounds like you used some other method from another site that deletes the registry entries for Libraries instead.



Either way, I think you may have had Firefox set to download to a library location by default. When you removed Libraries using whatever method you used, it sounds like it prevented Firefox from being able to save to that location.

If you like, change the default download location in Firefox to a location other than a library to see if that may help.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/154852-firefox-change-default-download-save-location.html

 

[gnored]

Well, no, I didn't say anything about reg files. I simply edited some keys to make the libraries "disappear." And no, I had Firefox set to ask on download. I even tried setting a download location. But touch the dl button, and FF crashes. Hmmm. I did do this tutorial, but I did two others on the list (I think to prevent them from showing up in save to dialog boxes) at the same so possibly it was another of these. Sorry. I'd just hoped to add a word of cautionary advice. I just restored my machine to an earlier restore point and all was well. Trouble is, restore wouldn't work either, but doing it in safe mode got it done. Sigh. There are wheels within wheels within wheels ...

 

[Brink]

No worries Gnored. I was just trying to see what may have caused this to happen to you since it didn't for me. That's all.

 

[Gkaywood]

Shawn, Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I recently returned a refurbished Lenovo laptop to the store I bought it from almost a year ago after multiple physical problems with it. The customer service manager agreed that it was truly a Lemon and refunded my cost IN FULL, including the year's extended warranty I had purchased!

During the past year, I grew to hate Windows 8 with a passion. Just couldn't get used to an operating system that is obviously designed for customers who want to play 99% of the time and work 1%. I had done my homework and replaced the Lemon Lenovo with a new Toshiba S55, with Windows 7 Pro.

I'm certainly not the type of user who can make technical fixes with ease. I wanted to get rid of libraries and found your step-by-step how-to here. With patience and following your directions very carefully, I managed to edit the registry without blowing up the computer and got rid of those totally worthless libraries.

So THANK YOU for your wonderful help here. As far as I'm concerned, YOU DA MAN!

 

[Brink]

Hello Gkaywood, and welcome to Seven Forums.

I'm happy to hear that it was able to help.

 

[Gkaywood]

Libraries page Still Showing

Hmmmm...having a bit of a problem here. I thought I had done all the steps successfully in this process but I still got a screen that is titled Libraries when I clicked on the Windows Explorer icon on the taskbar, even though there are no icons to libraries showing, since I deleted them all. So I did it again, rebooted, and got the same results.

I'm running Win 7 Pro.

What am I missing?