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File Explorer "save as" folders not showing

Anonymous
2022-02-21T22:45:24+00:00

Hi Everyone,

Not even sure how to ask this question. It' sounds beyond dumb and I've never seen this before......

I was working in Photoshop and went to save a file. When the "save as" window opened, the left side folder directory was totally gone – total white space. I have a ton of files that are organized by folders and sub-folders and sub-sub-folders. I usually just select the folder where the new file needs to go, save it there and I'm done. Without the left hand directory to use, I'm totally lost. The file can be saved, but I have to go to the address bar and manually type in the full address to save the file. That's impossible because of so many named sub folders on my system. Without the left hand folder directory, I'll never find them. At first I thought maybe it was a Photoshop issue, but I can't see any folders if I try to save in Word or Excel too. There is a "Browse Folders" and "Hide Folders" button on the bottom left side of the screen. I tried both of those, but nothing changed on screen. The "Organize" button was also basically greyed out except for the Layout button, which did nothing,

Oddly, if I open File Explorer, all the folders show-up to view them. I checked settings and none of the folders are hidden.

Any suggestions, please? I'm hoping I just did something stupid and there's a quick fix. I'm dead in the water and afraid to do anything that might screw up Explorer and the directories that I can at least find and read for now.

Thanks, Anna

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-07-19T15:17:42+00:00

    Oh my Gosh, so easy to fix!!! I have been experiencing this and spending hours and hours trying to fix. Here is a video that shows how to fix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz9wNHfELZM

    Basically, we somehow reduced the reading pane where the folders/files are listed. Just hover below the line between "new folder" and "file name", click and drag to enlarge that reading pane and your files show!! Why couldn't someone say to just do this instead of all the command prompts and etc!!

    100+ people found this answer helpful.
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  1. Anonymous
    2022-05-11T16:43:57+00:00

    I have the same issue. I want to be able to "save as" a changed/updated file to a flash drive. Can't seem to find an answer anywhere on the internet.

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-05-04T08:46:46+00:00

    Hi Jerico,

    Thanks for the quick reply. Good news - I ran the scans and there were no integrity violations or corrupted file issues. System was already up to date.Image Bad news - I still have the problem. Any other suggestions to try?

    Here's a screen shot of the blank left side with no folders that I'm seeing when I try to save a file.

    Thanks, Anna

    I have the same issue, scans done. Still having to click into each folder to reach the correct one. What's the solutin please?

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-02-22T01:16:00+00:00

    Hi Jerico,

    Thanks for the quick reply. Good news - I ran the scans and there were no integrity violations or corrupted file issues. System was already up to date. Bad news - I still have the problem. Any other suggestions to try?

    Here's a screen shot of the blank left side with no folders that I'm seeing when I try to save a file.

    Thanks, Anna

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-02-21T23:50:39+00:00

    Hi AnjaShaw -

    I'm Jerico T., I understand that you're having some issues right now and I'd be more than happy to help you today.

    Please try to perform the troubleshooting methods below and check if any of the resolves fixes the issue.

    Method 1: Check for Windows Update

    1. Open settings by pressing windows key + I
    2. Select Update and security
    3. It will automatically check for available updates, if not, click the Check for updates button
    4. Download and install available updates, restart your computer if necessary and check if the issue still persist.

    Method 2: Perform SFC Scan and Repair Windows Image

    -This process will perform scan for any corrupted system files or integrity violation and will attempt to repair it along with the Windows Image.

    1. Open command prompt (Run as administrator)
    2. Type each command below and wait until scan is completed.

    sfc /scannow

    DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

    DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

    DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

    Quick note: Please be patient, it's expected to see the process stuck at 20 or 40 percent. After a few minutes, the process will complete successfully.

    1. Close the command prompt.

    If the methods above did not work, please don't hesitate to reach back.

    Hope this help. Have a good day.

    Thank you,

    Jerico T.

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