Getting Rid of a Built-in Windows Library

Written by Barry Dysert (last updated November 16, 2020)

Libraries are a great feature of Windows. They collect in one place files and folders that may be scattered among several disks and several folders. The libraries don't actually contain the files, so if you delete a library your files are still in place. Windows comes configured, by default, for four default libraries:

  • Documents
  • Pictures
  • Music
  • Videos

These libraries are maintained by Windows in system files located at the following path. (Replace the username placeholder with the username of the person whose libraries you want to get rid of.)

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Libraries

If you want to get rid of one of the built-in libraries, launch File Explorer, navigate to the aforementioned folder, and delete the library file you want to get rid of. Remember—you are only getting rid of the library file, not getting rid of any files that may be aggregated in the library.

Alternatively, you can also simply navigate to the "Libraries" node in the Explorer navigation pane and then delete the library in the right pane. Again, the files that the library pointed to are not affected; just the library that pointed to these files is now gone.

 This tip (12719) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Author Bio

Barry Dysert

Barry has been a computer professional for over 35 years, working in different positions such as technical team leader, project manager, and software developer. He is currently a software engineer with an emphasis on developing custom applications under Microsoft Windows. When not working with Windows or writing Tips, Barry is an amateur writer. His first non-fiction book is titled "A Chronological Commentary of Revelation." ...

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