Windows 10 file explorer won't rename any New folder created

Question

There is a very similar post here that was closed. The answer was not working. There is also this post that I just found documenting the issue "Unable to rename folders through Explorer in Windows 8.1"

The issue happens for any New folder created (a sub-folder in any location).

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Window's error1:

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Title: "Rename folder"

Text:

"Can't find the specified file."

"Make sure you specify the correct path and file name."

"New folder"

"Date created: dd/mm/yyyy  hh:mm"

Box: "Try Again" or "Cancel"

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If I click 'Try Again'

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Window's error2:

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Title: "Rename"

"Text:" "warning sign"

"The file or folder does not exist."

Box: OK

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Context: A W7 clean install followed by a W10 "clean option" upgrade (24 July 2016), so one year after W10 launch. Still, another of my PC with a "dirty" W10 upgrade from W7 gives the same symptoms. I fixed it but don't remember how. Particularity: logical drives/folders on both PCs manually set for the Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Videos folders at different locations than Windows default. Whether relevant or not, I don't know. It is a common characteristic / difference from standard for these 2 PCs.

http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/er...rs-windows-10/ gives a solution but I am not 100% sure it is the right one, and it implies also modifying the registry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku-jsZ7HvfA gives a solution that could be similar to the reg fix in the 1st link. I identified that some keys are the same, but not all.

I can rename the "New folder" using an old "dos" type command opening a cmd window. That works fine. (e.g. in cmd, type H: (if H: is the logical drive on which it happens); cd "your folder_name" (reiterate if required); dir (to know if your "New folder" is there); ren "New folder" test1 (to rename your new folder to 'test1'); exit (and scream hallelujah))

Before touching the registry, would anyone with W10 insight know if these registry fixes make sense. I don't know the rationale which makes me uneasy; I am a mere user. Yes I could make backups & try but, even if it works now, I could still find out later that these fixes are damaging something else.

Thanks

acontrario Brussels

Answer 1

For what it is worth, this worked for me:

After reading a very old post on overclock.net (30 April 2010), I edited a small script to delete the following keys but it was so quick I did it manually in the end (deleted them using regedit).

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Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; http://www.overclock.net/t/721973/msupdate-kb980408-warning-to-all-win7-x64-users/10
; try to repare new folder rename issue

; "Name"="MusicLibrary"
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{2112AB0A-C86A-4ffe-A368-0DE96E47012E}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{2112AB0A-C86A-4ffe-A368-0DE96E47012E}\PropertyBag]

; "Name"="VideosLibrary"
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{491E922F-5643-4af4-A7EB-4E7A138D8174}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{491E922F-5643-4af4-A7EB-4E7A138D8174}\PropertyBag]

; "Name"="DocumentsLibrary"
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{7b0db17d-9cd2-4a93-9733-46cc89022e7c}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{7b0db17d-9cd2-4a93-9733-46cc89022e7c}\PropertyBag]

; "Name"="UsersLibrariesFolder"
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A302545D-DEFF-464b-ABE8-61C8648D939B}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A302545D-DEFF-464b-ABE8-61C8648D939B}\PropertyBag]

; "Name"="PicturesLibrary"
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A990AE9F-A03B-4e80-94BC-9912D7504104}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A990AE9F-A03B-4e80-94BC-9912D7504104}\PropertyBag]

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Situation before: the above keys existed but were empty Situation after reboot: the above keys remained deleted (not recreated)

But I had no problem renaming a New folder anymore! Why, I don't have a clue.

What are the possible side effects, I don't have a clue either, which is annoying. I basically don't know what I did but it worked.

I believe it is a similar solution to the YouTube link posted above. I found more links on MS forums as well.

Answer 2

Found this in Windows 21H2 still, and after trying ALL other remedies I could find (including removing the mentioned keys), I finally found that the issue for me was that the Favorites entry in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders was set to something other than %USERPROFILE%\Favourites which would not resolve.

All other folders already had the %USERPROFILE%\ prefix, and after restoring this one I was immediately able to rename folders, including the "New folder" ones.