How to add and remove folder locations on Photos for Windows 11

Here are the easy steps to add or remove folder locations from the Photos app on Windows 11.

Photos app add folder
Photos app add folder
  • To add a new folder or drive location to Photos on Windows 11, open the Photos app, click “Folders,” choose “Add a folder,” select the new path, and click “Select Folder.”
  • To remove folder location on Photos, click “Folders,” right-click the location and choose “Remove folder.”

Windows 11 includes the Photos app, which is the default experience for viewing and organizing your pictures and videos, no matter where they are located locally on your computer on in the cloud using OneDrive or Apple’s iCloud Photos.

However, by default, the app only includes the Pictures folders. If you keep your media files on external storage or in the network, you can use the “Folders” settings to add or remove any location to the Photos app. You can even hide the OneDrive and iCloud Photos integrations if you don’t use these services.

This guide will teach you the steps to add and remove folder locations on the Photos app for Windows 11.

Add folder location to Photos on Windows 11

To add a new folder (or drive) location to the Photos app, use these steps:

  1. Open Photos app on Windows 11.

  2. Click on Folders.

  3. Click the “Add a folder” button.

    Photos add folder

  4. Choose the folder location to include in the Photos apps.

  5. Click the Select Folder button.

Once you complete the steps, the app will show the media files from all the locations.

Remove folder location from Photos on Windows 11

To remove a folder location from the Photos app, use these steps:

  1. Open Photos app.

  2. Click on Folders.

  3. Right-click the location and select the Remove folder option.

    Photos remove folder

After you complete the steps, the folder will continue to be available on your computer, but its content will no longer be available through the Photos app.

Hide OneDrive or iCloud Photos locations

To remove the OneDrive or iCloud Photos folders from the Photos app on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Photos app.

  2. Click the Settings (gear) button on the top-right corner.

  3. Under the “Personalization” section, turn off the “Show iCloud Photos toggle” switch.

    Photos hide OneDrive and iCloud

  4. Under the “OneDrive Accounts” section, turn off the “OneDrive” toggle switch.

Once you complete the steps, the cloud storage services will no longer show pictures and videos in the Photos app.

If you hide the OneDrive folders, this action will remove the “Pictures” folder if connected to the cloud storage service from the “Folders” settings page.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].