Restore created a duplicate nested Pictures folder - Need Help

Hi @Joseph5C9E 

I recently purchased a new Windows 11 computer. I backed up the My Catalog file on the old computer to an external hard drive, installed PSE 2020 on the new machine along with my Pictures folder, which was also backed up on the external drive, and then did a restore. At that time I was unaware of the user name assigned to the computers. The old computer user was Joe, the new computer user is gill2. Within my Pictures folder, I now have a new folder named Users with "Joe" nested inside. Within that folder is a duplicate Pictures folder! PSE now points to the duplicate Pictures folder to upload and edit photos -> C:\Users\gill2\Pictures\Users\Joe\Pictures. Changes I make in one folder are NOT duplicated in the other. 

 

How can I get Elements to use C:\Users\gill2\Pictures\?  -- Thanks in advance.

By @Joseph5C9E

You are not alone.

In my view,  the problem has not been only the change of your user name. There has also been changes from Microsoft (Pictures vs My Pictures...)

The result is that the length of the full path name is increased unnecessarily. Just compare the full path with the user name to the 'shortcut' starting with Pictures or My Pictures. You get four subfolder steps without pictures. By the way, many PSE users don't realize that the default folder steps are just a Microsoft shortcut for the full user hierarchy.

That's the reason why I have always been advocating NOT using the Microsoft default for pictures, but to create your own photo master folder just under the root drive of your chosen disk. I believe that choice is also recommended for Lightroom users.

To shorten the length of the full path including the unnecessary subfolders  steps, it's generally possible to use the drag and drop function to move a whole master folder with its subfolders to a new master folder in the folders tree panel.

You say that you backed up the My Catalog file (I assume you mean folder) and your My Pictures folder to an external drive and then did a restore.  It is unclear to me whether you used the Organizer to perform these operations or whether you used some other backup or copy procedure.

There are other solutions to you problem but the cleanest way for you to get to where you want to be is to start over.  Do a full backup of your catalog using the Organizer's Backup procedure.  Then, when you restore that backup to the new machine, use the option to restore to the Original Location.  Now, here is where it may get a little tricky because you have different User names set up on the two computers. 

(It has been so long since I have performed such an operation that I'm not sure whether this will work for you.  Perhaps that is what you have already done.  If that is the case, I suggest creating a new user account on your new machine with exactly the same name as the one on the old computer (Joe).  If you then log in under that account - I suggest you make it an Administrator account if possible - there should be no problem with restoring the catalog to the new computer.)

For further information about the backup/restore procedure see this HelpX Article.

If this doesn't work as expected, I can give you some other steps for you to make the changes manually.

One final point:  It is not clear to me what you mean when you say PSE now points to the duplicate Pictures folder to upload and edit photos.  If you are talking about Watched Folders or the default for saving files, these can easily be changed.