File Explorer keeps going to Desktop

It seems like if you turn off "Show all folders" in the Windows Explorer options, then this problem goes away. I've been tormented with this for a while. I have shortcuts on my desktop to specific folders and when I double click them, instead of going to the folder, it goes to desktop. I click back and I'm at the folder. This is annoying and isn't how shortcuts are supposed to work. Turning off "Show all folders" seems to have fixed it. What a joke that Microsoft can't get their act together. They are so worried about making everything cloud-based and finding a way to get people to subscribe to M365 and OneDrive that they have completely broken a once useful tool.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Your description is exactly what I encounter. I am also a developer, not a photographer. I usually have over a dozen applications open on three monitors, and multiple windows of File Explorer. I noticed File Explorer was often showing Desktop and scratched my head for a while before I realized that I could use the back button to restore the original folders. It was happening in the background and I had no clue. I used photo folders as an example because I happened to notice one day that File Explorer went to Desktop while I was browsing photos.

Hi, hipswich

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

We understand that you are experiencing problems with File Explorer flashing back, we recommend that you try the following two options to rule out third-party software interference and system file corruption:.

I. Perform a clean boot

The method is as follows

1. Click Windows+R and type msconfig.
2. Open System Configuration and select General tab - Selective Startup.
3. Remove the checkbox of Load startup items.
4. Go to the Services tab - click Hide all microsoft services in the lower left corner, and then click Disable all.
5. Click OK and restart your computer. (Be sure to select Hide all Microsoft services first and then click Disable all, otherwise it may cause unforeseen problems such as not being able to access the system.)

See if the problem still recurs.

NOTE: Clean boot is a way to start Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs so that you can determine if background programs are interfering with your games or programs and help you figure out the cause of the problem. It will help you get back on track.

Disclaimer: A “clean boot” starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It helps to determine whether a background service is interfering with your game or program and to isolate the cause of a problem.    These steps of "clean boot" might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by step so that it will help you get back on track.

II. Try to repair your system

1. Search for CMD, find Command Prompt and select Run in Administrator Mode.
2. Enter the following commands one by one, be sure to execute the next command after the previous one is completed. DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth SFC /Scannow
3. When the scan is complete, you can check the scan information to see if the problem has been detected and fixed.

Sincerely

Nicholas | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Hi, hipswich

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

We understand that you are only experiencing this issue when opening the Photos folder and our tests have not been able to reproduce the issue, so it is possible that this is a bug in File Explorer, you can submit this issue and your ideas and suggestions through the Feedback Hub, and the development team will regularly review submissions for ideas or fixes.  Please share the feedback link here after submitting as it will allow others on the forum to vote for your submission, including me. More votes will lead to more visibility and higher priority to the development team.

Sincerely

Nicholas | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

It is definitely a bug in File Explorer and how it refreshes the tabs. It's annoying. It could be linked to OneDrive syncing but I'm not sure. This exact same behaviour has been happening to me for a few weeks already and it has little to do with what you're doing (working on Word docs, viewing photos, opening/closing files etc.). It seems to happen randomly or triggered by something in the background. I didn't know it's possible to navigate back to the previous folder with the back button, this helps while we wait for Microsoft to fix it...

Thanks for your reply. Being in dev, I guess it pains you just as much as me to not know how this is being triggered. It's valuable to have more input, as that can help hone down on the why.

One notable exception to the pattern happened yesterday. I came back to my File Explorer to find all the tabs but one navigated to Desktop: the one I had a .zip file open in. That tab was showing the contents of the archived file, and didn't navigate away to Desktop. Strange.

Just as a curiosity, do you use git? I've had a sinking feeling that when I do a commit, checkout or other changes that dynamically alter the file system, that's when the bug is triggered. Can't prove this yet.

Also, is this the best channel to notify MS of a bug? I've been searching out this issue for days and hadn't seen any mention of it until your post.