Remove folders from This PC in File Explorer
Overview
This category contains privacy scripts for Windows.
These changes use Windows system commands to update your settings.
This category includes scripts to hide specific folders from This PC in File Explorer and other file selection dialogs on Windows systems.
It enhances privacy by hiding personal folders from common Windows interfaces. This prevents accidental exposure of sensitive information when sharing your screen or allowing others to use your computer.
Removing folders may change how you access them if you often use This PC or file dialogs. You can still reach these folders through direct paths or shortcuts.
These scripts are not applicable to Windows 11, as it does not display user folders such as Documents, Pictures, and Music in This PC by default 1.
This action enhances privacy but may require extra steps for access.
Folder Identifier Reference
These items are known to Windows by their IDs 2:
| Name | Internal Name | Folder GUID |
|---|---|---|
| Network | NetworkFolder | D20BEEC4-5CA8-4905-AE3B-BF251EA09B53 |
| This PC | ComputerFolder | 0AC0837C-BBF8-452A-850D-79D08E667CA7 |
| Internet | InternetFolder | 4D9F7874-4E0C-4904-967B-40B0D20C3E4B |
| Control Panel | ControlPanelFolder | 82A74AEB-AEB4-465C-A014-D097EE346D63 |
| Printers | PrintersFolder | 76FC4E2D-D6AD-4519-A663-37BD56068185 |
| Sync Center | SyncManagerFolder | 43668BF8-C14E-49B2-97C9-747784D784B7 |
| Sync Setup | SyncSetupFolder | 0F214138-B1D3-4A90-BBA9-27CBC0C5389A |
| Conflicts | ConflictFolder | 4BFEFB45-347D-4006-A5BE-AC0CB0567192 |
| Sync Results | SyncResultsFolder | 289A9A43-BE44-4057-A41B-587A76D7E7F9 |
| Recycle Bin | RecycleBinFolder | B7534046-3ECB-4C18-BE4E-64CD4CB7D6AC |
| Connections | ConnectionsFolder | 6F0CD92B-2E97-45D1-88FF-B0D186B8DEDD |
| Fonts | Fonts | FD228CB7-AE11-4AE3-864C-16F3910AB8FE |
| Desktop | Desktop | B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641 |
| Startup | Startup | B97D20BB-F46A-4C97-BA10-5E3608430854 |
| Programs | Programs | A77F5D77-2E2B-44C3-A6A2-ABA601054A51 |
| Start Menu | StartMenu | 625B53C3-AB48-4EC1-BA1F-A1EF4146FC19 |
| Recent | Recent | AE50C081-EBD2-438A-8655-8A092E34987A |
| SendTo | SendTo | 8983036C-27C0-404B-8F08-102D10DCFD74 |
| Documents | Documents | FDD39AD0-238F-46AF-ADB4-6C85480369C7 |
| Favorites | Favorites | 1777F761-68AD-4D8A-87BD-30B759FA33DD |
| Network Shortcuts | NetHood | C5ABBF53-E17F-4121-8900-86626FC2C973 |
| Printer Shortcuts | PrintHood | 9274BD8D-CFD1-41C3-B35E-B13F55A758F4 |
| Templates | Templates | A63293E8-664E-48DB-A079-DF759E0509F7 |
| Common Startup | CommonStartup | 82A5EA35-D9CD-47C5-9629-E15D2F714E6E |
| Common Programs | CommonPrograms | 0139D44E-6AFE-49F2-8690-3DAFCAE6FFB8 |
| Common Start Menu | CommonStartMenu | A4115719-D62E-491D-AA7C-E74B8BE3B067 |
| Public Desktop | PublicDesktop | C4AA340D-F20F-4863-AFEF-F87EF2E6BA25 |
| ProgramData | ProgramData | 62AB5D82-FDC1-4DC3-A9DD-070D1D495D97 |
| Common Templates | CommonTemplates | B94237E7-57AC-4347-9151-B08C6C32D1F7 |
| Public Documents | PublicDocuments | ED4824AF-DCE4-45A8-81E2-FC7965083634 |
| Roaming | RoamingAppData | 3EB685DB-65F9-4CF6-A03A-E3EF65729F3D |
| Local | LocalAppData | F1B32785-6FBA-4FCF-9D55-7B8E7F157091 |
| LocalLow | LocalAppDataLow | A520A1A4-1780-4FF6-BD18-167343C5AF16 |
| Internet Cache | InternetCache | 352481E8-33BE-4251-BA85-6007CAEDCF9D |
| Cookies | Cookies | 2B0F765D-C0E9-4171-908E-08A611B84FF6 |
| History | History | D9DC8A3B-B784-432E-A781-5A1130A75963 |
| System | System | 1AC14E77-02E7-4E5D-B744-2EB1AE5198B7 |
| System32 | SystemX86 | D65231B0-B2F1-4857-A4CE-A8E7C6EA7D27 |
| Windows | Windows | F38BF404-1D43-42F2-9305-67DE0B28FC23 |
| Profile | Profile | 5E6C858F-0E22-4760-9AFE-EA3317B67173 |
| Pictures | Pictures | 33E28130-4E1E-4676-835A-98395C3BC3BB |
| Program Files (x86) | ProgramFilesX86 | 7C5A40EF-A0FB-4BFC-874A-C0F2E0B9FA8E |
| Common Files (x86) | ProgramFilesCommonX86 | DE974D24-D9C6-4D3E-BF91-F4455120B917 |
| Program Files (x64) | ProgramFilesX64 | 6D809377-6AF0-444B-8957-A3773F02200E |
| Common Files (x64) | ProgramFilesCommonX64 | 6365D5A7-0F0D-45E5-87F6-0DA56B6A4F7D |
| Program Files | ProgramFiles | 905E63B6-C1BF-494E-B29C-65B732D3D21A |
| Program Files (Common) | ProgramFilesCommon | F7F1ED05-9F6D-47A2-AAAE-29D317C6F066 |
| User Program Files | UserProgramFiles | 5CD7AEE2-2219-4A67-B85D-6C9CE15660CB |
| User Common Files | UserProgramFilesCommon | BCBD3057-CA5C-4622-B42D-BC56DB0AE516 |
| Administrative Tools | AdminTools | 724EF170-A42D-4FEF-9F26-B60E846FBA4F |
| Common Administrative Tools | CommonAdminTools | D0384E7D-BAC3-4797-8F14-CBA229B392B5 |
| Music | Music | 4BD8D571-6D19-48D3-BE97-422220080E43 |
| Videos | Videos | 18989B1D-99B5-455B-841C-AB7C74E4DDFC |
| Ringtones | Ringtones | C870044B-F49E-4126-A9C3-B52A1FF411E8 |
| Public Pictures | PublicPictures | B6EBFB86-6907-413C-9AF7-4FC2ABF07CC5 |
| Public Music | PublicMusic | 3214FAB5-9757-4298-BB61-92A9DEAA44FF |
| Public Videos | PublicVideos | 2400183A-6185-49FB-A2D8-4A392A602BA3 |
| Public Ringtones | PublicRingtones | E555AB60-153B-4D17-9F04-A5FE99FC15EC |
| Resource Directory | ResourceDir | 8AD10C31-2ADB-4296-A8F7-E4701232C972 |
| Localized Resources | LocalizedResourcesDir | 2A00375E-224C-49DE-B8D1-440DF7EF3DDC |
| OEM Links | CommonOEMLinks | C1BAE2D0-10DF-4334-BEDD-7AA20B227A9D |
| CD Burning | CDBurning | 9E52AB10-F80D-49DF-ACB8-4330F5687855 |
| User Profiles | UserProfiles | 0762D272-C50A-4BB0-A382-697DCD729B80 |
| Playlists | Playlists | DE92C1C7-837F-4F69-A3BB-86E631204A23 |
| Sample Playlists | SamplePlaylists | 15CA69B3-30EE-49C1-ACE1-6B5EC372AFB5 |
| Sample Music | SampleMusic | B250C668-F57D-4EE1-A63C-290EE7D1AA1F |
| Sample Pictures | SamplePictures | C4900540-2379-4C75-844B-64E6FAF8716B |
| Sample Videos | SampleVideos | 859EAD94-2E85-48AD-A71A-0969CB56A6CD |
| Photo Albums | PhotoAlbums | 69D2CF90-FC33-4FB7-9A0C-EBB0F0FCB43C |
| Public | Public | DFDF76A2-C82A-4D63-906A-5644AC457385 |
| Programs and Features | ChangeRemovePrograms | DF7266AC-9274-4867-8D55-3BD661DE872D |
| App Updates | AppUpdates | A305CE99-F527-492B-8B1A-7E76FA98D6E4 |
| Get Programs | AddNewPrograms | DE61D971-5EBC-4F02-A3A9-6C82895E5C04 |
| Downloads | Downloads | 374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B |
| Public Downloads | PublicDownloads | 3D644C9B-1FB8-4F30-9B45-F670235F79C0 |
| Saved Searches | SavedSearches | 7D1D3A04-DEBB-4115-95CF-2F29DA2920DA |
| Quick Launch | QuickLaunch | 52A4F021-7B75-48A9-9F6B-4B87A210BC8F |
| Contacts | Contacts | 56784854-C6CB-462B-8169-88E350ACB882 |
| Gadgets | SidebarParts | A75D362E-50FC-4FB7-AC2C-A8BEAA314493 |
| Default Gadgets | SidebarDefaultParts | 7B396E54-9EC5-4300-BE0A-2482EBAE1A26 |
| Public Game Tasks | PublicGameTasks | DEBF2536-E1A8-4C59-B6A2-414586476AEA |
| Game Tasks | GameTasks | 054FAE61-4DD8-4787-80B6-090220C4B700 |
| Saved Games | SavedGames | 4C5C32FF-BB9D-43B0-B5B4-2D72E54EAAA4 |
| Games | Games | CAC52C1A-B53D-4EDC-92D7-6B2E8AC19434 |
| Search MAPI | SEARCH_MAPI | 98EC0E18-2098-4D44-8644-66979315A281 |
| Search CSC | SEARCH_CSC | EE32E446-31CA-4ABA-814F-A5EBD2FD6D5E |
| Links | Links | BFB9D5E0-C6A9-404C-B2B2-AE6DB6AF4968 |
| User Files | UsersFiles | F3CE0F7C-4901-4ACC-8648-D5D44B04EF8F |
| User Libraries | UsersLibraries | A302545D-DEFF-464B-ABE8-61C8648D939B |
| Search Home | SearchHome | 190337D1-B8CA-4121-A639-6D472D16972A |
| Original Images | OriginalImages | 2C36C0AA-5812-4B87-BFD0-4CD0DFB19B39 |
| Documents Library | DocumentsLibrary | 7B0DB17D-9CD2-4A93-9733-46CC89022E7C |
| Music Library | MusicLibrary | 2112AB0A-C86A-4FFE-A368-0DE96E47012E |
| Pictures Library | PicturesLibrary | A990AE9F-A03B-4E80-94BC-9912D7504104 |
| Videos Library | VideosLibrary | 491E922F-5643-4AF4-A7EB-4E7A138D8174 |
| Recorded TV Library | RecordedTVLibrary | 1A6FDBA2-F42D-4358-A798-B74D745926C5 |
| HomeGroup | HomeGroup | 52528A6B-B9E3-4ADD-B60D-588C2DBA842D |
| HomeGroup Current User | HomeGroupCurrentUser | 9B74B6A3-0DFD-4F11-9E78-5F7800F2E772 |
| Device Metadata Store | DeviceMetadataStore | 5CE4A5E9-E4EB-479D-B89F-130C02886155 |
| Libraries | Libraries | 1B3EA5DC-B587-4786-B4EF-BD1DC332AEAE |
| Public Libraries | PublicLibraries | 48DAF80B-E6CF-4F4E-B800-0E69D84EE384 |
| User Pinned | UserPinned | 9E3995AB-1F9C-4F13-B827-48B24B6C7174 |
| Implicit App Shortcuts | ImplicitAppShortcuts | BCB5256F-79F6-4CEE-B725-DC34E402FD46 |
| Account Pictures | AccountPictures | 008CA0B1-55B4-4C56-B8A8-4DE4B299D3BE |
| Public User Tiles | PublicUserTiles | 0482AF6C-08F1-4C34-8C90-E17EC98B1E17 |
| Apps | AppsFolder | 1E87508D-89C2-42F0-8A7E-645A0F50CA58 |
| All Programs | StartMenuAllPrograms | F26305EF-6948-40B9-B255-81453D09C785 |
| Common Start Menu Places | CommonStartMenuPlaces | A440879F-87A0-4F7D-B700-0207B966194A |
| Application Shortcuts | ApplicationShortcuts | A3918781-E5F2-4890-B3D9-A7E54332328C |
| Roaming Tiles | RoamingTiles | 00BCFC5A-ED94-4E48-96A1-3F6217F21990 |
| Roamed Tile Images | RoamedTileImages | AAA8D5A5-F1D6-4259-BAA8-78E7EF60835E |
| Screenshots | Screenshots | B7BEDE81-DF94-4682-A7D8-57A52620B86F |
| Camera Roll | CameraRoll | AB5FB87B-7CE2-4F83-915D-550846C9537B |
| OneDrive | OneDrive | A52BBA46-E9E1-435F-B3D9-28DAA648C0F6 |
| OneDrive Documents | SkyDriveDocuments | 24D89E24-2F19-4534-9DDE-6A6671FBB8FE |
| OneDrive Pictures | SkyDrivePictures | 339719B5-8C47-4894-94C2-D8F77ADD44A6 |
| OneDrive Music | SkyDriveMusic | C3F2459E-80D6-45DC-BFEF-1F769F2BE730 |
| OneDrive Camera Roll | SkyDriveCameraRoll | 767E6811-49CB-4273-87C2-20F355E1085B |
| Search History | SearchHistory | 0D4C3DB6-03A3-462F-A0E6-08924C41B5D4 |
| Search Templates | SearchTemplates | 7E636BFE-DFA9-4D5E-B456-D7B39851D8A9 |
| Camera Roll Library | CameraRollLibrary | 2B20DF75-1EDA-4039-8097-38798227D5B7 |
| Saved Pictures | SavedPictures | 3B193882-D3AD-4EAB-965A-69829D1FB59F |
| Saved Pictures Library | SavedPicturesLibrary | E25B5812-BE88-4BD9-94B0-29233477B6C3 |
| Retail Demo | RetailDemo | 12D4C69E-24AD-4923-BE19-31321C43A767 |
| Device | Device | 1C2AC1DC-4358-4B6C-9733-AF21156576F0 |
| Development Files | DevelopmentFiles | DBE8E08E-3053-4BBC-B183-2A7B2B191E59 |
| 3D Objects | Objects3D | 31C0DD25-9439-4F12-BF41-7FF4EDA38722 |
| Captures | AppCaptures | EDC0FE71-98D8-4F4A-B920-C8DC133CB165 |
| Local Documents | LocalDocuments | F42EE2D3-909F-4907-8871-4C22FC0BF756 |
| Local Pictures | LocalPictures | 0DDD015D-B06C-45D5-8C4C-F59713854639 |
| Local Videos | LocalVideos | 35286A68-3C57-41A1-BBB1-0EAE73D76C95 |
| Local Music | LocalMusic | A0C69A99-21C8-4671-8703-7934162FCF1D |
| Local Downloads | LocalDownloads | 7D83EE9B-2244-4E70-B1F5-5393042AF1E4 |
| Recorded Calls | RecordedCalls | 2F8B40C2-83ED-48EE-B383-A1F157EC6F9A |
| All App Mods | AllAppMods | 7AD67899-66AF-43BA-9156-6AAD42E6C596 |
| Current App Mods | CurrentAppMods | 3DB40B20-2A30-4DBE-917E-771DD21DD099 |
| AppData Desktop | AppDataDesktop | B2C5E279-7ADD-439F-B28C-C41FE1BBF672 |
| AppData Documents | AppDataDocuments | 7BE16610-1F7F-44AC-BFF0-83E15F2FFCA1 |
| AppData Favorites | AppDataFavorites | 7CFBEFBC-DE1F-45AA-B843-A542AC536CC9 |
| AppData ProgramData | AppDataProgramData | 559D40A3-A036-40FA-AF61-84CB430A4D34 |
| Local Storage | LocalStorage | B3EB08D3-A1F3-496B-865A-42B536CDA0EC |
Folder Class Identifier (CLSID) Reference
Certain special folders within Windows are identified by unique strings called CLSIDs 3.
They include:
| Name | Internal Name | GUID |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop | CLSID_ThisPCDesktopRegFolder | B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641 |
| Music | CLSID_ThisPCMyMusicRegFolder | 1CF1260C-4DD0-4ebb-811F-33C572699FDE |
| Downloads | CLSID_ThisPCDownloadsRegFolder | 374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B |
| Pictures | CLSID_ThisPCMyPicturesRegFolder | 3ADD1653-EB32-4cb0-BBD7-DFA0ABB5ACCA |
| Videos | CLSID_ThisPCMyVideosRegFolder | A0953C92-50DC-43bf-BE83-3742FED03C9C |
| Documents | CLSID_ThisPCDocumentsRegFolder | A8CDFF1C-4878-43be-B5FD-F8091C1C60D0 |
| Local Downloads | CLSID_ThisPCLocalDownloadsRegFolder | 088e3905-0323-4b02-9826-5d99428e115f |
| Local Pictures | CLSID_ThisPCLocalPicturesRegFolder | 24ad3ad4-a569-4530-98e1-ab02f9417aa8 |
| Local Music | CLSID_ThisPCLocalMusicRegFolder | 3dfdf296-dbec-4fb4-81d1-6a3438bcf4de |
| Local Videos | CLSID_ThisPCLocalVideosRegFolder | f86fa3ab-70d2-4fc7-9c99-fcbf05467f3a |
| Local Documents | CLSID_ThisPCLocalDocumentsRegFolder | d3162b92-9365-467a-956b-92703aca08af |
These CLSIDs can be inspected by running the following command. The command displays their internal name as the default value on Windows 11 but not on Windows 10:
$registryPath = "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace"
$subkeys = Get-ChildItem -Path $registryPath
foreach ($key in $subkeys) {
# Get the key name (GUID)
$keyName = $key.PSChildName
# Get the (Default) value
$defaultValue = (Get-ItemProperty -Path $key.PSPath -Name "(default)" -ErrorAction Ignore)."(default)"
# Output the results
Write-Output "Key: $keyName"
Write-Output "Default Value: $defaultValue"
Write-Output "------------------------"
}
You can open a folder with CLSID using the following command:
start shell:::{CLSID}
This category should only be used by advanced users. None of its scripts are recommended for daily use as it breaks important functionality. Do not run it without having backups and system snapshots.
Apply now
These scripts are written using Batch (batchfile) scripting language.
Choose one of two ways to apply:
- Automatically via privacy.sexy: The easiest and safest option.
- Manually by downloading: Requires downloading a file.
Alternative 1. Apply with Privacy.sexy
privacy.sexy is free and open-source application that lets securely apply this action easily.
It allows selectively choose parts of this action to conduct. You can fully restore this action (revert back to the original behavior) using the application.
privacy.sexy instructions
- Open or download the desktop application
- Search for the category name:
Remove folders from This PC in File Explorer. - Check the category by clicking on the checkbox of the category.
- Click on Run button at the bottom of the page.
Alternative 2. Download
Consider restarting your computer for all changes to take affect.
This action is completely reversible, you can restore your changes to the initial/default state. The restore/revert methods provided here can help you fix issues.
If something goes wrong, use the Revert script provided above.
All
This script includes Standard, Strict recommendation levels along with unrecommended scripts.
This script should only be used by advanced users. Some of these changes are NOT recommended for daily use as it breaks important functionality. Do not run it without having backups and system snapshots.
Download all scripts:
Restore these changes if you decide to revert them by downloading the restore script:
Explore further
This category includes total of 7 scripts but no subcategories.
Explore its 7 scripts:
Remove "Desktop" folder from This PC in File Explorer
This script hides the Desktop folder from This PC in File Explorer. It improves privacy by hiding desktop contents, which often include personal files, shortcuts, and temporary items. This reduces the risk of accidentally revealing sensitive information when using file dialogs. However, this may impact your workflow if you frequently access desktop items this way. The desktop remains visible and accessible by minimizing windows or using File Explorer. This script hides the folder...
Remove "Documents" folder from This PC in File Explorer
This script hides the Documents folder from This PC in File Explorer. It enhances privacy by hiding the Documents folder, which often contains personal and sensitive files. This action reduces the risk of accidental exposure of private information during common file operations or when others briefly access your computer. This change may disrupt your workflow if you often access files in the Documents folder via these interfaces. You can still access the Documents folder d...
Remove "Downloads" folder from This PC in File Explorer
This script hides the Downloads folder from This PC in File Explorer. It enhances privacy by concealing your downloaded files from casual view, potentially including sensitive documents, personal data, or temporary items. This reduces the risk of unintentional exposure of potentially private information when using common file dialogs. However, this may affect your workflow if you frequently access downloaded files through these interfaces. The Downloads folder remains accessible ...
Remove "Videos"folder from This PC in File Explorer
This script hides the Videos folder from This PC in File Explorer. It enhances privacy by hiding your video collection, which may contain personal or sensitive content. This reduces the risk of inadvertently exposing private videos when using common file dialogs. However, this change may affect your workflow if you frequently access video files through these interfaces. You can still access the Videos folder directly in File Explorer or via media applications. This script hid...
Remove "Music" folder from This PC in File Explorer
This script hides the Music folder from This PC in File Explorer. It improves privacy by hiding your music collection, which may reflect personal tastes or contain sensitive audio files. This reduces the risk of unintentional exposure of private audio content when using common file dialogs. However, this may affect your workflow if you frequently access music files through these interfaces. The Music folder remains accessible through direct navigation in File Explorer or medi...
Remove "Pictures" folder from This PC in File Explorer
This script hides the Pictures folder from This PC in File Explorer. It enhances privacy by concealing your image collection, which may include personal or sensitive photos. This reduces the risk of accidentally revealing private images in common file dialogs. However, it may impact your workflow if you frequently access picture files through these interfaces. The Pictures folder remains accessible via direct navigation in File Explorer or image viewing applications. This scr...
Remove outdated "3D Objects" folder from This PC in File Explorer
This script hides the 3D Objects folder from This PC in File Explorer. This script improves privacy as this folder may contain personal projects or designs. This action reduces the risk of unintentional sharing of potentially sensitive 3D models or related files. Microsoft removed this folder in Windows 10 Build 21322 and later versions. If you often use the 3D Objects folder, this change may affect your workflow. The folder remains accessible through direct navigation in File ...
Explore Categories
This action belongs to UI for privacy category. This category configures Windows using 24 scripts. These scripts are organized in 3 categories. The category includes 10 subscripts and 3 subcategories that include more scripts and categories. Read more on category page ▶
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