slideshow with several folders

Sue Collins 5 Reputation points
2026-06-11T01:45:47.7+00:00

How do I run several folders of photos in a simple slideshow?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Music, photos, and video
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  1. AI answer

    2026-06-11T01:45:57.1733333+00:00

    In Windows, the built-in Photos apps can show a simple slideshow, but they work from the folders or albums that are added to the app. To run several folders of photos as a slideshow, first add those folders into the Photos/Photos Legacy app, then view them and start the slideshow from there.

    Using the current Photos app:

    1. Open Photos.
    2. In the left sidebar, select Gallery.
    3. Select Add folder, then choose each folder that contains photos to include.
    4. Once added, browse to the folder view in Photos and use the app’s slideshow controls (for example, open a photo and use the on-screen navigation to move through them). The app will show photos from the selected folder(s).

    Using Photos Legacy (if installed):

    1. Open Photos Legacy.
    2. By default it shows the Pictures folder. To add more folders, select the Folders tab at the top.
    3. Select Add a folder, then choose each photo folder to include.
    4. Open a folder and start viewing photos; use the navigation arrows to move through them as a simple slideshow.

    If photos are organized into albums in Photos Legacy, an album can be used as a logical grouping of several folders’ photos, then played through by opening the album and stepping through the images.

    References:

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  2. Thomas4-N 21,665 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-12T06:45:29.18+00:00

    Hello Sue Collins,

    Just adding to the AI answer — there are a couple of simpler routes for running several folders as one slideshow that might suit you better:

    • File Explorer is probably the quickest for a one-off. Open one folder, select the photos you want (or press Ctrl+A for all), then on the ribbon go to the Manage / Picture Tools tab > Slide show. You can repeat across folders, or copy/move the photos you want into a single temporary folder and run the slideshow once.
    • Photos Legacy > Albums is the cleanest if you want it to stick. Open Photos Legacy, go to Albums > New album, then pick photos from across your different folders. Open the album and press F5 (or use the Slideshow button) to play them all in one go.
    • In the current Photos app, after adding your folders via Gallery > Add folder, you can open any photo and press F5 to start the slideshow — but it plays from the current view, so it works best when all the photos are visible in one Gallery scroll.

    If you let me know roughly how many folders/photos you're dealing with, I can point at the option that'll be least fiddly.

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