By default, Microsoft Edge displays files only from your Pictures folder, however, we can add new folder locations in the Photos app so that the images stored in those folders can be accessed using the app. In this post, we will learn how to use it.
This built-in Photos app in Windows allows the users to view images and perform basic editing of photos and videos, create albums, and even make movies. This application gathers photos from your system, phone, and other devices, and puts them in one collection place i.e. Local Pictures Folder along with the files stored in OneDrive. With the Photos app, you can easily look through the photos and find the one you are looking for in one single place.
In this tutorial we will take you through the process of adding new or removing folder locations in the Photos App on Windows 11/10. Follow the next steps to add a new folder or remove a folder location in the Photos App.
Add a new folder location in the Photos App
To add a new folder with images as an additional source in Photos, follow these steps.
Windows 11:
- Open the Photos app.
- Right-click on the Folders icon and select Add folder. Or, click on Folders > Add folder.
- Now, navigate to the location of the folder and select it.
- Finally, click on Select folder, it will be added to the Photos app.
Windows 10:
1] Open the ‘Start’ menu and type ‘Photos’
2] From the search results click on the ‘Photos’ app
3] From the top-right corner, click the main menu button i.e. three-dotted icon and select the ‘Settings’ option.
4] Now, under the ‘Sources’ section, click the ‘Add a folder’ button.
5] Select the new file location.
Please note, that on selecting the ‘add a folder’ option, Windows gives you folder suggestions that you can simply select and add. Hence, if your desired folder location is already in the suggestions simply check the option and hit ‘add folders’. Or select ‘Add another folder’ option to go to the folder of your choice.
6] Click the ‘Add this folder to Pictures’ button.
7] Once done, the new folder will be added to ‘Pictures’ and the Photos app will start indexing your images.
To add more locations to the Photos App, simply repeat the steps.
Read: Show or Hide OneDrive Images and Pictures from Private Folder in Photos App
To view pictures from all folders stored in the cloud
When using OneDrive, the Photos app will inevitably display the images stored inside the Pictures folders. But, if you do not store images in the Picture folders, you will need to change the settings to empower Photos to scan images from all the folders stored on the cloud.
On Windows 11’s Photos app, the images stored in the cloud or OneDrive will be displayed if you click on Pictures. You can also, expand the Pictures folder to access folders inside of it and then view the images located inside those folder.
To sync pictures from all folders stored in the cloud, follow these steps:
1] Open the ‘Start’ menu and type ‘Photos’
2] From the search results click on the ‘Photos’ app
3] From the top-right corner, click the main menu button i.e. three-dotted icon, and select the ‘Settings’ option.
4] Now, under the ‘Microsoft OneDrive’ section, open the drop-down menu, and hit the ‘All folders’ option.
Photos will now start displaying images from all folders stored on the cloud, i.e. OneDrive.
In case you do not prefer to see images from OneDrive, then simply turn off the ‘Show my cloud-only content from OneDrive’ toggle switch.
Remove existing folder location in Photos App
To remove an existing location with images that you do not wish to see in Photos, follow these steps.
Windows 11:
- Launch the Photos app.
- Go to the Folders section.
- Right-click on the folder you want to remove and click on Remove folders.
Windows 10:
1] Open the ‘Start’ menu and type ‘Photos’
2] From the search results click on the ‘Photos’ app
3] From the top-right corner, click the main menu button i.e. three-dotted icon, and select the ‘Settings’ option.
4] Under the ‘Sources’ section, hit the delete button i.e. ‘X’ icon appears next to the file location.
5] Now, click the ‘Remove Folder’ button.
Once these steps are completed, the Photos App will no longer index pictures from the removed location.
Please note: Removing a folder location from Photos, doesn’t delete the folder or images on it.
Done!
Read: Next or Previous arrows missing in Photos App of Windows
How do I add a folder to my Photos app in Windows 11?
To add a folder to your Photos app in Windows 11, all you have to do is open the Photos app by searching it out of the Start Menu, then go to Folders, and click on Add folder. You can then navigate to the location where the folder is located and select it.
Also Read: Add Favorites to Photos app in Windows.
