Deleting pictures on pc

Question

How do I turn off the feature that Windows scans all files and moves all video photo and audio to the gallery I don’t use the gallery. I only save in user in public folders. I want to be able to delete all photos from the gallery without affecting the photos in my public and user folders

Answer 1

Hello

Gallery is not really a folder, but more of a presentation to show you your pictures from different locations.

If this happens again in the future, in the photos app, on the left, simply right click on each folder, and choose "remove folder from Photos". This means, gallery is not allow to read the photos from that folder and present them in the Gallery/Photo app. Files are still intact in its original location. I hope this makes sense.

Answer 2

Windows does not physically move photos, videos, and audio out of the user or public folders into “Gallery” or the Photos app. The Photos/Photos Legacy apps and the Pictures library only index and display media from folders that are included as sources. To stop seeing items there and avoid deleting real files, remove those folders from the app’s/library’s sources instead of deleting the media.

To keep using only your user and public folders while “turning off” the gallery view:

1. Open the Photos (or Photos Legacy) app.
2. Go to its Settings (for Photos Legacy: Settings → Sources).
3. Remove any folders you do not want the app to index. Removing a folder from Photos/Photos Legacy does not delete the folder or its contents from the PC; it only stops showing them in the app.
4. After that, do not delete photos from inside the Photos/Photos Legacy app if you want to keep them on disk, because delete operations there send the actual files to the Recycle Bin (and, for OneDrive/iCloud folders, to their online recycle bins as well).

If the concern is File Explorer “Pictures” or other media libraries:

1. Use a UWP app (or built-in Photos) to manage which folders are part of the Pictures/Music/Videos libraries.
2. When a folder is removed from a library via StorageLibrary.RequestRemoveFolderAsync, the folder remains in its original location on disk and is simply no longer included in the library or Photos.

This way, all photos remain in the user and public folders, but they no longer appear in the gallery/library views, and deleting from the gallery is not needed.

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References:

• Manage photos and videos with Microsoft Photos app
• What is Photos Legacy?
• Files and folders in the Music, Pictures, and Videos libraries