Changing the Default Location of the My Documents Folder

The My Documents folder is your own personal folder in which you can store your documents, graphics, and other personal files. When there is more that one person using the computer, Windows creates a My Documents folder for each user on the computer.

Below is the steps on changing the default location of the ‘My Documents’ folder

Why would I want to do that?

I will do t his to all the computers in our LAN slash computer shop (InnerChild). The server (the PC with the Timer, scanner and printer attached) has its drive D shared to all 10 computers. Drive D contains all the game installers and other stuff. This shared drive is mapped (as Drive Z) on all workstation in the network.

The printer is shared amongst all the workstations. I have all computers on the network use that shared printer. Aside from that I’m thinking of setting the default My Documents folder for all the PC to their Drive Z, so they all can print on the server.

Let’s Do It

By default, the target or actual location of the My Documents folder is

C :\Documents and Settings\user name\My Documents

where C is the drive in which Windows is installed, and user name is the currently logged-on user. You can change the target if you want My Documents to point to a different folder location.

Change the Default Location of the My Documents Folder

To change the default location of the My Documents folder, follow these steps:

• Click Start, and then point to My Documents.
• Right-click My Documents, and then click Properties.

• Click the Target tab. In the Target box, do one of the following:

Type the path to the folder location that you want, and then click OK . For example, D:\My Stuff . If the folder does not exist, the Create Message dialog box is displayed. Click Yes to create the folder, and then click OK.

-or-

Click Move , click the folder in which to store your documents, and then click OK twice. If you need to create a new folder, click Make New Folder. Type a name for the folder, and then click OK twice. In the Move Documents box, click Yes to move your documents to the new location, or click No to leave your documents in the original location.

There, I hope it helps somebody.. There are other tips on about My Documents here, in case you’re interested in knowing them.

Enjoy!

One Response to “Changing the Default Location of the My Documents Folder”

1. Jim Mirkalami says:

   February 9, 2008 at 7:26 am

   I have been visiting this site a lot lately, so i thought it is a good idea to show my appreciation with a comment.

   Thanks,
   Jim Mirkalami