Quick Fix: Can’t Move the Folder Because There is a Folder in OneDrive

User Case: Can’t move the Folder because there is a folder in Onedrive

“I reinstalled Windows and want to redirect my Documents and Pictures folder to be in their own folder on my HDD instead of on my C drive in Properties >Location since my C drive is a smaller SSD. It worked fine for my music, videos, and downloads.

However, documents and pictures will not redirect to them. I get an error stating "Can't move the folder because there is a folder in the same location that can't be redirected. Access is denied. They are currently directed to my OneDrive folder in C drive. I do not want them to be in my OneDrive. I want them on my HDD. Thank you!”

If you are also experiencing the above problem, then you can read on to learn why this problem is occurring and how to fix it. This article will provide different solutions and each method contains a detailed graphic tutorial.

Why Can’t Move Documents Folder Access Denied?

This error usually occurs when you modify the location of a personal folder and map that folder to another private folder. And when they revert, the values don't return to normal values.

The most important cause of this problem is the Windows 10 update in May 2019, which came out with a bug in OneDrive about how to integrate your personal folders, especially if you choose to point documents, pictures, music or more to another location externally, not allowing you to move the folder to another directory.

How to Fix Can’t Move Documents Folder out of OneDrive

After understanding the cause, this article will then introduce 2 ways to fix the “can’t move the folder because there is a folder in OneDrive” error in turn. The first one is to help you fix the problem by relinking OneDrive, and the other one is to achieve the goal by modifying the Registry Editor. You can try both methods in turn. Specific graphic tutorials are provided for each method. Please read on.

Fix 1. Relink OneDrive to Your PC

To fix this error, the easiest way you can try first is to relink your OneDrive to your PC. Because of OneDrive's sync issues, you can't move the Documents folder out of OneDrive as well. First, close all applications connected to OneDrive and then make sure OneDrive is the latest version. Next, follow the steps below.

Step 1. Click on the OneDrive icon in the Taskbar.

Step 2. Click on the gear icon and then click on Settings.

Step 3. Go to the Account tab, and click on Unlink this PC. A new OneDrive window will pop up, you can close it.

Step 4. Restart your PC.

Step 5. Once done, open OneDrive and sign in again with your account.

Fix 2. Modify Registry Editor

If the first method above didn't help you fix this error, you can achieve the goal by modifying the Registry Editor. Then follow the graphic tutorial below. Be very careful when using this method, because if you make a mistake in one of the steps there is a chance that your computer will crash. Therefore, it is best to create a system image in advance to keep your data safe.

Step 1. Press Win + R together to open the Run window, type regedit and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.

Step 2. If the UAC window pops up, just the Yes button to continue.

Step 3. Navigate to the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ User Shell Folders

Step 4. Locate a personal folder at the right panel that is displaying the error and double-click it.

Step 5. Modify the Value data. Replace the current value data with the corresponding Default Value.

• Desktop: %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
• Favorites: %USERPROFILE%\Favorites
• Music: %USERPROFILE%\Music
• Pictures: %USERPROFILE%\Pictures
• Videos: %USERPROFILE%\Videos
• Documents: %USERPROFILE%\Documents

Step 6. Restart your PC and then try moving the folder.

Bonus Tip: Effectively Protect Data from Any Issues

After solving this problem, you can also get an additional bonus tip. To protect your data from any problems, it is recommended that you back up your system regularly to prevent data loss due to unexpected situations.

The free backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard enables you to set different backup frequencies to automatically backup your system. This way, even if there is any problem with your system, you can use the previously created system backup for quick restore. Then use your computer normally.

• Incremental backup: When you run a scheduled backup, the software will automatically choose the incremental backup method for you to improve backup efficiency as well as save space.
• Different backup paths: You can backup your system to different destination paths such as HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, cloud, network, etc. according to your needs.
• Multiple systems: It also supports multiple Windows operating systems, including Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista, etc.

Download and install the free backup software – AOMEI Backupper Standard. Then, you can follow the graphic tutorial below to backup your system within just a few clicks.

Step 1. Open the freeware and click Backup > System Backup.

Step 2. You can modify the Task Name to distinguish it from other backup tasks. The software will select the system and boot partitions by default as the source. Please select a destination path for your system.

Notes:

• Options: You can write comments, split or compress your system backup as well as set email notifications to tell you when the backup task is complete.
• Schedule Backup: You can select different backup frequencies, such as Daily, Weekly, Monthly Event trigger or USB plug in. The last two are available in the Pro version.
• Backup Scheme: It offers 3 various backup methods and the automatic backup cleanup feature which can help you save the target disk space by deleting the older backups. And this feature is supported by the professional version or higher versions.

Step 3. Confirm all your operations and click Start Backup to perform the system backup.

Summary

This article describes why the “can’t move the folder because there is a folder in OneDrive” error occurs and two ways to fix it. Besides, this article also provides a bonus tip, to protect your data from any problem, you can backup your system regularly with the free backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard.

You can choose the different backup frequencies, backup path and Windows OS according to your needs. After setting up, the software will automatically backup your system periodically. Even if something goes wrong with your system accidentally, you can use the previously created system backup to perform a quick restore without losing any data.

Besides, it also offers Universal Restore, a feature that not only helps you restore system backups but also restore system backups to computers with different hardware. You can download this software to explore more features.