Photos on screensaver missing from PC files

Question

Photos on screensaver missing from PC files

David Bendell 0

I use Screensaver to show random photos, but some that I recognise and treasure, are missing from Pictures. Searches with Explorer using the IMG number on all files yields nothing. I use Windows 11 home, 64-bit, Microsoft 365. This question has been asked before, but the possible solutions (search C:\Windows\SysWOW64 or %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\CachedFiles) doesn't find anything. I’m age 88 and struggling technically, so if anyone can suggest a solution, please send me an idiot’s guide! Thank you.

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Answer 1

David Bendell 0

Thank you, very much, for your helpful detailed reply. I followed it carefully and know the images must be somewhere, but when I got to Pictures -Properties, I went into 'Applying Attributes' , which took about 15 minutes, thinking it might find them! I shouldn't have digressed as to my horror then found my Pictures folder empty. My 30,000 digitalised photos are all sorted by key words in Adobe Lightroom, which feeds from the original but keeps it. If I move or change the name of the original I lose it from Lightroom. A huge relief, therefore, when I found Lightroom still operating, but presumably from another Pictures file, but I don't know how to find it! I am getting out of my depth and will try and find a neighbour who is IT literate to help me locate it, as I am nervous about going further. To my chagrin I never got as far as opening the %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets path you advised. But, thank you for taking the time and trouble to respond to my plea for help.

Ian-Ng 10,515 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-19T22:14:52.9633333+00:00
Hi @David Bendell,

Thank you for your response. As you described, the photos are still on the computer because Adobe Lightroom is still able to display them. Lightroom tracks the physical location of the files and would report a missing file error if they were deleted.

I recommend using Lightroom to find the folder location:

Open Adobe Lightroom.

Right-click any photo in the library.

Select the option Show in Explorer.

This will open the folder where the files are located.

The 15-minute process previously performed likely changed the folder attributes to hidden or modified the view settings. I recommend waiting for the neighbor to review these settings.

In case you reach out to the neighbor, you can inform that the user performed an attribute change on the Pictures folder. The files are confirmed to be on the drive because Adobe Lightroom still has a working link to them. Please check if the folder or files were marked as hidden or if the folder permissions were modified.

Thank you for your cooperation and hope you have a nice day.
David Bendell 0 Reputation points

2026-02-20T16:07:26.0533333+00:00

Thanks again, Ian, but what I did has resulted in my photos metadata not working. I have tried changing the capture time and key words, but no response! And I'm afraid that right clicking to find the folder in the library also says folder is empty. I don't suppose you can help me unwind what I have innocently or ignorantly done? Any helping had would be appreciated. So cross with myself!
Ian-Ng 10,515 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-23T22:04:55.09+00:00
Hi @David Bendell,

Thank you for your reply. Please, don't be cross with yourself! Technology has a way of turning a simple click into a confusing maze, but what you are experiencing is a very common hiccup that is almost certainly reversible.

The 15-minute process you ran likely turned on two specific settings: Hidden (which is why the folders look empty) and Read-only (which is why Lightroom cannot save your keywords or capture times).

Here is a step-by-step guide to "undoing" those changes:

Find your Pictures folder: Open File Explorer (the yellow folder icon). Look for the Pictures folder on the left-hand side.

Open Properties: Right-click on that Pictures folder and select Properties at the very bottom of the menu.

Clear the Attributes: At the bottom of the small window that opens, look for the Attributes section.

Read-only: If there is a checkmark or a colored square, click it until the box is completely empty and white. (This fixes the metadata/Lightroom issue).

Hidden: If there is a checkmark here, click it until the box is completely empty and white. (This fixes the "empty folder" issue).

Apply to everything: Click the Apply button at the bottom.

Confirm the change: A box will pop up. Ensure the option "Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files" is selected, then click OK.

Wait for the progress bar: Since you have 30,000 photos, this will likely take another 10–15 minutes. This is normal! Windows is busy "unlocking" every single photo for you.

I hope it clears your concerns and please don't hesitate to reach out when you have any further questions.

Answer 2

Hi @David Bendell,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Thank you for reaching out, I understand how worrying it is to see familiar photos appear in a screen saver but not be able to find them in File Explorer. Below is a step‑by‑step way to track down where Windows is pulling those pictures from and how to recover them if they were moved or deleted.

1/ Confirm which folder the “Photos” screen saver is actually using On Windows 11, the Photos screen saver can be pointed at a specific folder (not always the one you expect).

Open Settings > Personalization > Lock screen > Screen saver, set Screen saver to Photos, then select Settings.
In the Photos screen saver settings, check “Use pictures from” and select Browse to see (or change) the exact folder path Windows is using.

2/ Check the “Pictures” Library (it may include other locations)

Sometimes the Pictures “view” in File Explorer is a Library that can combine multiple folders (for example, local Pictures + other folders).

In File Explorer, enable and open Libraries.
Then open Libraries → Pictures → Properties and review the list of included folders/locations. This helps you find photos that are stored somewhere other than the usual Pictures folder.

3/ If the images look like Windows Spotlight / Lock screen images (not your personal photos)

If the “missing” images are actually Windows Spotlight/lock screen images, they are stored in a hidden cache with unusual filenames and no file extensions.
By opening Run (Windows key + R) and paste this path: %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets
Copy the files to a new folder (e.g., Desktop), then rename them by adding .jpg so they can be viewed normally.

4/ If your Pictures folder is synced with OneDrive, check the OneDrive Recycle Bin

If OneDrive backup/sync was enabled, photos may have been moved online or deleted from the synced location.
You can often restore them by signing in to OneDrive on the web, opening the Recycle bin, selecting the items, and choosing Restore.

Once you identify the source folder (Step 1), you should be able to locate the images directly in File Explorer. If you still cannot find them after these checks, the next safest step is to look in the Windows Recycle Bin as well (in case they were deleted locally) and avoid saving lots of new files to the same drive until you confirm whether recovery is needed.

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Photos on screensaver missing from PC files

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