Windows 10 Cannot add folders or shortcuts or anything in Documents folder under C:\Users\USER\Documents.

  • Thread starter Thread starter JoshuaLepon
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JoshuaLepon

Just recently, I installed Rstudio and was installing a package. However, for some reason, it couldn't install the package. It said that it couldn't find an R folder inside the Documents folder and thus threw the error. I tried investigating this and I found out that I couldn't create new Folders, Shortcuts, or anything for that matter in the Documents folder. However, I can delete existing folders inside Documents.


When manually creating a folder by right clicking > new > folder, it gives me this error "Could not find this item. This is no longer located in C:\Users\USER\Documents. Verify the item's location and try again." What? I am inside you for goodness' sake, how do you not exist?


I tried opening command prompt as admin, then went to the Documents directory and ran a mkdir FolderName command. Cmd threw an error "The system cannot find the file specified". Which is bonkers since, obviously, it doesn't exist - hence why I'm creating a folder! This is weird since I know I have created folders inside the Documents folder in the past.


I do not know why this happened but after a few trials and errors, I found a solution.


Solution:


1) Create a new folder anywhere else. In my case, I made a new folder in my desktop to make it easier to find.

2) Rename the folder to Documents (You don't have to do this, but I recommend it, just to be safe)

3) Go to C:\Users\Your User then right click Documents and click properties

4) Go to the Location tab and press the move button and move to the folder you created in step 1


Now, it fixes the issue where you can't create new stuff in the Documents folder and you could stop here. However, if you want to return the Documents folder back to C:\Users\USER\Documents, then follow the next steps.


5) Create a new folder in C:\Users\USER\Documents and name it Document or name it Documents if you can. In my case, I couldn't name the new folder Documents for some reason.

6) Right click the new Documents folder you created in step 1

7) Open properties > Location > move then move to the new folder you created in step 5

8) Pray it works


Thankfully, even though I named my folder Document and not Documents in step 5, when I moved the Documents folder on my desktop to the new empty Document folder in User, it was automatically renamed to Documents.


I have no idea why this happened, but these are the steps that helped me solve it.

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