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In other words:

There are two user profiles on a Windows 10 PC. Let's call them User_A and User_B.

A Documents folder already exists on D:.

Using an elevated command prompt...

Navigate to c:\users\User_A and delete the Documents folder. Then run the following command: mklink /J "c:\users\User_A\Documents" "D:\Documents"

Navigate to c:\users\User_B and delete the Documents folder. Then run the following command: mklink /J "c:\users\User_B\Documents" "D:\Documents"

That way, when either user is logged in and works on files in the default Documents folder the changes will be available to both users.

I realize there are alternative approaches to let them work on the same files but this keeps things easy and by default for the users.

user428697
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    I think the symbolic link is not needed, beginning with Windows 7 you can change the location of user folders like Documents, Images... from the folder properties. – Alberto Martinez Oct 09 '17 at 00:02

1 Answers1

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As pointed out in the comments, there should be no need for symbolic links.

Replacing Documents

  1. Open File Explorer from the start menu.
  2. From the left-hand Quick Access panel, highlight Documents. Right-click the icon and choose Properties.
  3. Under the Location tab, enter the full path for the existing folder you wish to use as the Documents folder. If the folder doesn't exist, Windows will offer to create it for you. Click Apply.
  4. You may wish to click No when it offers to manually move documents (since I am honestly unsure if actually does any erasing of the destination contents).
  5. Once you've made a decision, simply click OK to finalize everything (you can move documents manually from the old location if you choose not to have Windows move them for you).

The only minor drawbacks to this solution are:

  • Windows will represent the new folder as Documents even if it is named something else.

  • The old Documents folder might still be there (depending on your previous choices above) so you may want to delete it (typically C:\Users\Username\Documents). Note this default location can be restored with the same steps as listed above.

  • Depending on your changes, you may have to re-pin the Documents folder to the Quick Access layout (usually if you restore the default location).

Pin A Folder

As a slightly less cumbersome option, any folder can be pinned to the Quick Access menu. Simply open the folder in File Explorer, highlight then right-click the Quick Access item in the left-hand pane and select Pin Current Folder To Quick Access. This folder will appear with Documents, etc. and should be easy to select in most instances.

Safety

Regarding the "safety" of doing a similar thing with symbolic links, I would be hesitant simply because Windows has it's own way of dealing with these kinds of special user folders which may or may not work properly with such links.

Anaksunaman
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