Start Menu User Folder Buttons - Open to Users Instead of Libraries

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

   Information

This will show you how to make the Windows 7 Start Menu My Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos buttons open to the real C:\Users\(user-name) location instead of the default Libraries location for all users.

You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial.

   Note

Credit belongs to our member Foe for this.

EXAMPLE: Start Menu User Folder Buttons

OPTION ONE

Set Start Menu User Folder Buttons to Open to "Users" Location

1. Set Start Menu Documents Button to Open to Users Location
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Start_Menu_My_Documents_Open_to_Users.reg

Download


2. Set Start Menu Music Button to Open to Users Location
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Start_Menu_Music_Open_to_Users.reg

Download


3. Set Start Menu Pictures Button to Open to Users Location
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Start_Menu_Pictures_Open_to_Users.reg

Download


4. Set Start Menu Recorded TV Button to Open to Public Location
NOTE: Special thanks to Foe for this addition.
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Start_Menu_Recored_TV_Open_to_Public.bat

Download


5. Set Start Menu Videos Button to Open to Users Location
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Start_Menu_Videos_Open_to_Users.reg

Download


6. Save the .reg or. bat file to the desktop.

7. Double click on the downloaded .reg or .bat file.

8. Click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK when prompted.

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

10. When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.

OPTION TWO

Set Start Menu User Folder Buttons to Open to Default "Libraries" Location

1. Set Start Menu Documents Button back to Open to Default Libraries Location
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Default_Start_Menu_My_Documents_Open_to_Library.reg

Download


2. Set Start Menu Music Button back to Open to Default Libraries Location
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Default_Start_Menu_Music_Open_to_Library.reg

Download


3. Set Start Menu Pictures Button back to Open to Default Libraries Location
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Default_Start_Menu_Pictures_Open_to_Library.reg

Download


4. Set Start Menu Recorded TV Button back to Open to Default Public Libraries Location
NOTE: Special thanks to Foe for this addition.
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Start_Menu_Recored_TV_Open_to_Public_Library.reg

Download


5. Set Start Menu Videos Button back to Open to Default Libraries Location
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Default_Start_Menu_Videos_Open_to_Library.reg

Download


6. Save the .reg file to the desktop.

7. Double click on the downloaded .reg file.

8. Click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK when prompted.

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

10. When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Customize the Windows 7 Start Menu
• How to Add or Remove the Libraries Desktop Icon in Windows 7
• How to Add or Remove the Windows 7 Libraries Folder from the Navigation Pane
• How to Hide or Show a Library in the Windows 7 Navigation Pane

 

[Amicus]

Hi Brink,

Yep, I guess so...........and thanks for the reassurance re; any potential issues.

Cheers,

A

 

[Emcitement]

deleting this identity

 

[Brink]

Hello Emcitement,

I'm happy to hear that they work great for you.

The user name folder (Personal Folder) from the Start Menu opens the C:\Users\(User-name) folder by default. There is no library location for this folder by default. Could you post a screenshot showing what opens to see if it may help ID what the issue may be?

 

[Emcitement]

deleting this identity

 

[Brink]

Emcitement,

Yeah, the way the Start Menu looks will vary from how you have it set in the Customize Start Menu settings area for what buttons you have turned on and if you have them display as links or menus.

While the user folder doesn't open directly to the actual C:\User\(user-name) location, it essentially still does since it opens to a junction point for that location. They are one in the same basically. This is not the same as a library location though.

 

[Emcitement]

deleting this identity

 

[Emerald]

Library Problems

A great registry hack, so happy to be able to restore the right-hand side of the start menu to folder shortcuts. However, this may have had a strange effect on Windows Media Player 12 (WMP12, it now won't save playlists).

Anyway, would it be possible to take these registry hacks a step further? I'm a big user of both WMP12 and Windows Live Photo Gallery. However, both these programs now interface ONLY with the default pictures/music/video LIBRARIES.

For various (long explanation) reasons, I'm finding this really annoying, and wish that both programs could be made to interface with user folders (as Picasa still does, although this program has its own issues), and simply bypass all the library bloat.

Hope you can help
Regards
Emerald

 

[Brink]

Hello Emerald, and welcome to Seven Forums.

I'm afraid that I do not know. This may be a better subject to post in the Music, Pictures & Video forum area to see if someone may know of a way for you to be able to do this.

 

[Emerald]

Heya

Thanks for the quick reply,
I'll have a look a this other forum

Emerald

 

[lehnerus2000]

Open and Save Dialogue Windows

I've used the:

• Libraries Folder - Add or Remove from Navigation Pane - Windows 7 Help Forums Reg files
• User Folder - Add or Remove from Navigation Pane - Windows 7 Help Forums" Reg file

However, I notice that Windows Explorer still opens the "Open" and "Save" dialogue windows in the "Documents" library.

1. Will the Reg files in this tutorial adjust the "Open" and "Save" dialogue windows?
2. Do I need to use the Windows Explorer "opening location" hack instead?

 

[Brink]

Hello Peter,

Sorry, but no. The .reg files in this tutorial will only affect the buttons in the Start Menu.

I've never had the "Open" and "Save" type dialogs reliably open to the last location they were closed at.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Thanks Brink

Sorry, but no. The .reg files in this tutorial will only affect the buttons in the Start Menu.

Thanks for that information Brink.

I've never had the "Open" and "Save" type dialogs reliably open to the last location they were closed at.

I meant that the "Open" and "Save" dialogue windows still open in the Libraries (usually "Documents") even though they have been removed from the Navigation pane.

I assume that the Windows Explorer hack (e.g. open in "Computer") doesn't change this either?

 

[Brink]

Ah, ok. Step 9 in the tutorial below would only remove Libraries from the navigation pane in those dialogs. It wouldn't prevent it from opening or manually navigating to libraries though.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/35627-libraries-folder-add-remove-navigation-pane.html

Changing what explorer opens to would only affect that shortcut of explorer.

I suppose that you might see if using the tutorial below to set the places bar to have what you want instead may help for those type of dialogs.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/85487-common-file-dialog-box-customize-places-bar.html

 

[lehnerus2000]

Thanks Brink

Thanks again Brink.

I'll try out that tutorial.

 

[Brink]

You're welcome. Hopefully it help as a workaround.

 

[Hwalker1]

Thanks for that. I never investigated these buttons until today, and have had win7 since day 1.
Many people that I know including me, have great difficulty using the filing system, as it never puts things where they expect it to put them. You tell it to save a download to your downloads directory and it does not do so. Which is why my browser list of every download I have (and that's a lot), has never been cleared. Its the only way that I can find them.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Thanks for that. I never investigated these buttons until today, and have had win7 since day 1.
Many people that I know including me, have great difficulty using the filing system, as it never puts things where they expect it to put them. You tell it to save a download to your downloads directory and it does not do so. Which is why my browser list of every download I have (and that's a lot), has never been cleared. Its the only way that I can find them.

Some browsers let you specify the folder you want "Downloads" to be saved in.

For example:

• Firefox
• Pale Moon
• Maxthon 3 (it's hidden in an obscure location though)
• Chrome
• Opera 12 &16

 

[shadow33]

Registry Tweaks

Those registry files don't work. The default start menu registry tweaks work. But the user start menu registry files are corrupt. Or mixed up. Especially the music and the video buttons. When I applied them I lost my music button. And all of a sudden a "Documents and Settings" button showed up in the start menu. Please could you checked them out. I hate the Windows 7 library folders ideal.

 

[Brink]

Those registry files don't work. The default start menu registry tweaks work. But the user start menu registry files are corrupt. Or mixed up. Especially the music and the video buttons. When I applied them I lost my music button. And all of a sudden a "Documents and Settings" button showed up in the start menu. Please could you checked them out. I hate the Windows 7 library folders ideal.

Hello Shadow33, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Did you by chance move or make changes to the location of your user folders before?

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18629-user-folders-change-default-location.html

If so, you should restore their default locations first.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18583-user-folders-restore-default-location.html

 

[shadow33]

Hey Brink. I didn't change anything. I just want my start menu buttons [My Documents, Pictures, etc.] to click to my user name instead of Libraries. Two of them work. My Music disappears. And I don't know why Documents and Settings appears. And My Documents is there too.