Downloads folder disappeared in Windows 11

As the name suggests, the Download folder generally stores documents, images, or any files downloaded from the web. For all users who are logging on to the system, each of them would have the Downloads folder located under the user’s folder. However, if the Downloads folder has disappeared in Windows 11, and you can’t find it anywhere, here is how to fix it.

Downloads folder disappeared in Windows 11

The below-mentioned methods can help us restore the Downloads folder to its original location as detailed below:

1. Through Shell Command
2. From File Explorer
3. From Windows Registry
4. Through Batch File Script

How to restore missing Downloads folder in Windows?

1] Through Shell Command

The download folder, if missing from its default location, can be traced through shell commands as described below:

• Open File Explorer by pressing the Win + E keys and clicking the This PC icon in the left pane.
• In the location bar, type shell:downloads and press Enter to display the downloads folder.

• Right-click on the Downloads folder and click on Properties.
• In the Properties window, click Restore Default to restore the Downloads folder to its original location.

Go back to File Explorer, and you should have the Downloads folder back into the same location.

Read: Downloads Folder not responding in Windows

2] From File Explorer

Clearing the Explorer history can help reset the explorer memory and re-establish the correct path of the downloads folder. The below-mentioned steps can help in resetting the same:

• Search for File Explorer options in the Start menu, and click on the first option appearing in the search results.

• Under the General tab, navigate to the Privacy section and click the Clear button to clear the Explorer history.

Read: Fix Slow loading Downloads folder in Windows

3] From Windows Registry

Resetting or re-initializing the path of the downloads folder can also be performed through the Windows Registry Editor as detailed below:

Type regedit in the Desktop Search Bar and click on it to open the Registry Editor.

Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

Double click {7D83EE9B-2244-4E70-B1F5-5393042AF1E4} and set its Value Data to %USERPROFILE%\Downloads.

Double click {374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B} and set its Value Data to %USERPROFILE%\Downloads.

Close the registry editor, restart the system for the changes to take effect, and it will restore the Downloads folder to its default location.

4] Through Batch File Script

Batch Files, in Windows, stores commands that are executed serially once the file is executed. They can help us with automatic tasks, mainly routine ones. The commands or scripts as mentioned below can be executed serially to restore the Downloads folder in Windows, in case it is not found in its original location:

Open Notepad and enter the below commands in the same order as mentioned below:

@ echo off

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe

timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul

if not exist "%UserProfile%\Downloads" mkdir "%UserProfile%\Downloads"

reg add "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders" /v "{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}" /t REG_SZ /d "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Downloads" /f

reg add "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" /v "{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}" /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /d %%USERPROFILE%%"\Downloads" /f

reg add "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" /v "{7D83EE9B-2244-4E70-B1F5-5393042AF1E4}" /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /d %%USERPROFILE%%"\Downloads" /f

attrib +r -s -h "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads" /S /D

timeout /t 1 /nobreak >nul

start explorer.exe

where,

@ echo off : Supresses the display of the command being executed.

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe, timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul: kills the explorer.exe process and then waits for 2 seconds before displaying any output.

if not exist, “%UserProfile%\Downloads” mkdir “%UserProfile%\Downloads”: Checks for the default location of the downloads folder, and if not found, create one using the mkdir command.

The first registry addition command (reg add) sets the Sownloads folder’s default location. In contrast, the second one sets the user-specific location, followed by the third one, which sets the location of the Sownloads folder for the libraries.

attrib -r -s -h “%USERPROFILE%\Downloads” /S /D : removes the read-only (-r), system (-s), and hidden (-h) attributes of the downloads folder so that it is accessible and can be modified as well by the user.

timeout /t 1 /nobreak >nul, and start explorer.exe : Pauses the script for a second before starting the explorer process, allowing us to access the newly restored Downloads folder.

Save the file in the system with the extension .bat ( default extension for batch files).

Double-click on the file to run it, allowing the commands to execute and restore the Downloads Folder.

Restoring the downloads folder involves resetting or reconfiguring the system settings, especially when registry modifications are made through the Registry Editor or batch files. Hence, a registry backup is always recommended before proceeding with the above steps.

Read: Videos folder missing from File Explorer in Windows

Why did my files in my desktop disappear?

You might have selected the option to hide desktop icons, which makes everything disappear on the desktop. You can right-click, click on View, and check the Show Desktop icons.

Read: Files and folders suddenly disappeared in Windows

Why is my folder invisible?

Folders are invisible if their Hidden property is enabled. First, make sure you can view the hidden folder in the File Explorer. Then, you can go to Properties for that particular folder and choose to unhide.