User Folder - Add or Remove from Navigation Pane

How to Add or Remove your User Folder from Navigation Pane in Windows 7​

   Information

This will show you how to add or remove your user name User Profile Folder (C:\Users\(user-name)) in the Windows Explorer Navigation Pane in Windows 7.

   Warning

• You can only do this tutorial while logged into an administrator account.
• This will affect all user accounts on the computer.
• This will also add or remove the default User's Files desktop icon as well.

EXAMPLE: User Folder in Navigation Pane
NOTE: This is your default navigation pane with User Folder added by default when you have the Show all folders option checked and unchecked.






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\{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}\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. Do either step 7 or 8 to add or remove your user profile folder from the navigation pane.

7. To Add your User Folder to the Navigation Pane
NOTE: This is the default setting.
A) In the right pane of regedit, right click on Attributes, click on Modify, type f084012d, and click on OK. (see screenshots below)
NOTE: This is to have your user profile folder display under Desktop when you have Show all folders checked.




B) In the right pane of ShellFolder, right click on a empty space, click on New and String Value, copy and paste the name below, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If you like, this is to have your user profile folder display as a separate group in the navigation pane when you do not have Show all folders checked.
PinToNameSpaceTree


C) Go to step 9.
8. To Remove your User Folder from the Navigation Pane
A) In the right pane of regedit, right click on Attributes, click on Modify, type f094012d, and click on OK. (see screenshots below)
NOTE: This is to not have your user profile folder display under Desktop when you have Show all folders checked.




B) In the right pane of ShellFolder, right click on PinToNameSpaceTree (if there), and click on Delete. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If you like, this is to not have your user profile folder display as a separate group in the navigation pane when you do not have Show all folders checked.

C) Click on Yes to confirm deletion. (see screenshot below)

D) Continue on to step 9.
9. If you have 64-bit Windows 7 Installed

   Note

To also add or remove your User Folder from the File -> "Open" and File -> "Save as" type dialog windows as well in 64-bit Windows 7, you will also need to do this step. This does not include the "Browse", "Copy to folder", or "Move to folder" type dialog windows though.

If you have a 32-bit Windows 7 installed, then skip this step since doing steps 1 to 7/8 will add or remove your User Folder 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\{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}\ShellFolder

B) Repeat steps 4 to 7/8 above for this registry location.
10. Close regedit.

11. Restart the computer to fully apply.
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Add or Remove the Windows 7 Libraries Folder from the Navigation Pane
• 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 Network from the Windows 7 Navigation Pane
• How to Add or Remove Control Panel from the Windows 7 Navigation Pane
• 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 Pin Your User Files Folder to the Windows 7 Taskbar
• How to Change the Default Location of Windows 7 User Folders
• How to Restore the Default Location of Windows 7 User Folders
• How to Change the Windows 7 Default User Folder Icons
• How to Restore Windows 7 Default User Folder Icons
• How to Create Your Own Special User Folder
• How to Turn the Navigation Pane On or Off in Windows 7
• How to Change the Default Location of a User Profile in Windows 7 and Vista
• How to Add or Remove "User Folder" from Desktop Context Menu

 

[lehnerus2000]

Thanks yet again Brink

Nar, you don't have to have "Show all folders" selected.

Your user folder will still show when you navigate down to and open the C:\Users folder under Computer in the navigation pane, but not as a separate group or folder.

Thanks yet again Brink.

I've changed the Registry setting.
I'll come back and whine if it doesn't work.

 

[Brink]

Ok. I'll have some cheese snacks ready for us to go along with the whine.

 

[lehnerus2000]

I'm back to whine

MS Office 2007 ignored that Registry setting.

However, I noticed that I didn't complete the tutorial correctly, so I'll try again (I forgot the 64 bit setting).

Update

OK I have:

• Finished the tutorial
• Discovered that it isn't MS Office 2007's fault.

When I click on a link in the "Favorites" section, it creates a User Folder entry in the Navigation pane and opens it there.

 

[Brink]

Odd. Did you delete the PinToNameSpaceTree string value at both locations if there?

Is this only in Office, or anywhere?

 

[lehnerus2000]

It is strange

Odd. Did you delete the PinToNameSpaceTree string value at both locations if there?

Is this only in Office, or anywhere?

I don't have that entry/value.

It's frustrating because it's difficult to make it do it.
Earlier it was doing it in Windows Explorer itself.
Since Windows Explorer crashed and restarted, it hasn't done it.

Windows Explorer has been a bit "crash happy" since I reinstalled W7 in September (I suspect Avast).

I'll restart my PC again (maybe that will fix it).

Update

It seems to be behaving itself now.
Maybe I forgot to restart after I modified the 2nd Registry entry.

Thanks Brink.

 

[Brink]

That's great news Peter.

 

[rdwray]

Thanks lenerus 2000....

 

[lehnerus2000]

I've had to reverse the change ...

I've had to reverse the change, because the "Automatically expand to current folder" is behaving erratically.
Sometimes it doesn't expand.
Other times the view resets (after I minimise and then reshow the Explorer window).

 

[Brink]

Hello Peter,

That's odd. I haven't been able reproduce that issue on my system so far. Please keep us up to date, and I'll do some more testing.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Weird

That's odd. I haven't been able reproduce that issue on my system so far. Please keep us up to date, and I'll do some more testing.

I agree that it is weird.

Since no one else has complained about this, I have to assume that it is caused by some strange interaction with something else I have installed/running on my PC.

The "Automatically expand to current folder" setting seems to be running the way it used to (so far).
Of course it is expanding my User folder now.

I haven't added any Explorer add-ons (e.g. HashCheck Shell Extension or IconViewer Shell Extension).
Maybe one of the context menu additions is responsible.

 

[Brink]

That's odd. I haven't been able reproduce that issue on my system so far. Please keep us up to date, and I'll do some more testing.

I agree that it is weird.

Since no one else has complained about this, I have to assume that it is caused by some strange interaction with something else I have installed/running on my PC.

The "Automatically expand to current folder" setting seems to be running the way it used to (so far).
Of course it is expanding my User folder now.

I haven't added any Explorer add-ons (e.g. HashCheck Shell Extension or IconViewer Shell Extension).
Maybe one of the context menu additions is responsible.

LOL, odd duck issue you had there.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Fascinate/Frustrate

LOL, odd duck issue you had there.

These type of problems always fascinate/frustrate me (like how Firefox won't run properly for some people).