Windows 10: Windows 11 File Explorer Navigation Pane Item/Folder Spacing Bug / Issue

Can anyone explain or offer any solutions to my file explorer navigation pane spacing between items, the spacing is massive now as compared to a previous screenshot, this is with compact view on. I've tried rolling back GPU drivers, updating them, updating windows, running windows recovery, windows repair, command line repair commands, trying different resolutions or playing with scaling to no avail. Its very irritating. The first photo is the issue and how it is currently and the second photo is how it was and how it should be/ I want it to be, thanks in advance, AJScreenshot link as for some

:)

 

Not able to open sub-folders from navigation pane in File explorer.

Hi,



Thank you for posting on Microsoft Community. We will assist you in resolving the issue.



Before assisting further, I would like to ask you few questions:

• Under which drive are you not able to view the sub folders?
• Are you not able to expand the options from navigation pane of the File explorer?

This seems to be a temporary issue. Sometimes disabling and enabling some of the options will fix the issue.



Follow the steps below and check if the issue is resolved.

• Open File explorer by pressing Windows key + E keys on the keyboard.
• Click on View tab located at the top of the window.
• Click on Navigation pane and uncheck Navigation pane option.
• Close the window, follow the above steps from a to
  c, only this time check the option Navigation pane and check if the changes are effective.

Write back to us for further assistance, we will be happy to assist.



Thank you.

 

Hide or Show User Profile's Personal Folders in Navigation Pane

Thank you in advance to everyone for your help and time. Hopefully this write-up is succinct.
I believe there has to be additional registry modifications to solve this issue.


Problem:
In the Navigation Pane, specifically regarding the Current User folder tree, a Personal Folder (i.e. 3D Objects, Contacts, Desktop, etc... ) continues to show even after making active the Hidden property for that Personal Folder.

Expected Results:
Any Personal Folder that is marked "Hidden" in the File/Folder Listings Area should also be hidden in the Navigation Pane specifically within the Current User folder tree.

Steps to recreate the issue: (the following steps assume that the option is deactivated to see hidden folders.)

1. Open File Explorer
2. Within Navigation Pane, Right-click over any blank area
3. Select menu-option "Show All Folders"
4. Select and Expand the Current User folder tree which is listed as a child object to the "Desktop" folder
5. Within the File/Folder Listings Area, Right-click on a Personal Folder
6. Select menu-option "Properties"
7. Within the new Dialogue window, Select the "General" tab, Select to Activate the Attribute "Hidden", Select the "OK" button
8. Close File Explorer and then Open File Explorer
9. Select the Current User folder in the Navigation Pane
10. Notice the recently-hidden folder is still showing in the Navigation Pane even though it is hidden in the File/Folder Listings Area.

System Specs:

• Edition: Windows 10 Home 64bit
• Version: 1709
• OS Build: 16299.371
• Hard Drives: 2 (SSD & Mechanical)
• C:\ = SSD
• D:\ = Mechanical

Current Modifications of System:

• The %UserProfile% system folder was successfully transferred to D:\ by using Sysprep during Windows Setup. This is the only system folder moved to another drive.

Current Modifications of File Explorer in Navigation Pane: (using Regedit)

• Hidden = Quick Access
• Hidden = Libraries
• Hidden = OneDrive
• Hidden = Homegroup
• Hidden = This PC user personal folders

Current Modifications of File Explorer in Folder/File Listing Area:

• Each unwanted Personal Folder was changed to "Hidden" by Right-clicking the folder and Checking the Attribute checkbox marked "Hidden".

3rd-Party Software Installed:

• Classic Shell
• Mozilla Firefox
• IObit Driver Booster
• Macrium Reflect

 

Folder Remains in Navigation Pane After Uninstalling on Windows 11

I'm having a persistent issue with a Sync (the cloud storage company) folder that remains in my navigation pane in File Explorer, even though I've completely uninstalled Sync from my system. Here are the details:

System: Windows 11

Model: Huawei MateBook Pro X

Issue: A Sync folder appears in the navigation pane of File Explorer. When I click on it, I get a "Location is not available" error message pointing to C:\Users\myname\Desktop\sync (test).

Attempts to Resolve:

• Registry Editor: Searched and deleted any keys or values related to sync under:
  
  • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID
    
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID
    
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID
    
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace
    
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace
    
• ShellExView: Disabled any suspicious shell extensions.
  
• Autoruns: Searched for and deleted any autorun entries related to sync.com.
  
• PowerShell: Attempted to list and remove shell extensions.
  
• CCleaner: Cleaned the registry and checked for issues.
  
• Rebuilding Icon Cache: Rebuilt the icon cache to no avail.
  
• New User Profile: Created a new user profile; the folder still appears.
  

Despite these extensive efforts, the sync folder stubbornly remains in the navigation pane. I’m reaching out to see if anyone has faced a similar issue or has any additional solutions that I might have missed.

Additional Information:

• Error Message: "Location is not available. C:\Users\myname\Desktop\sync (test)"
  
• Current Steps Taken: All steps mentioned above have been thoroughly tried multiple times.
  
• Software Used: Registry Editor, ShellExView, Autoruns, PowerShell, CCleaner, and standard File Explorer options.
  

Any advice or guidance on how to completely remove this folder from my navigation pane would be greatly appreciated.