Files saving to Documents despite navigating to Desktop

sjsjsjsjsjsjs wrote:

When I save a new document to Desktop from Chrome, Preview, Word, or other applications, I click the Desktop folder from the sidebar and then the Save button. Half the time the folder location jumps to the main level of the Documents folder and saves the document there. I can click Desktop in the sidebar repeatedly but the save window still stays navigated to the Documents folder.

This has persisted for well over a year now, through two OS X full versions (Monterey & Ventura) and two different laptops (2015 MacBook Pro & MacBook Air M2).

This makes it sound like third party interference... 2 macOS, 2 different computers

To trouble shoot further you can:

—A SafeBoot Use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support will sort many anomalies

Does a quick disk repair before it fully boots up, and certain system caches get cleared and rebuilt, third party system modifications and system accelerations are disabled.

Login and test. Reboot as normal and test. Caches get rebuilt automatically.

This test will tell you if third party interference; most* extensions etc are not loaded in safe boot mode.

—Test issue in another user (or guest user) account Change Users & Groups settings on Mac - Apple Support

This will tell you if it a universal issue or isolated to your user/admin account. 

unplug all third party peripherals when testing

Uninstall all third party apps that are Cleaners/Optimizers/VPN/Anti-Virus

all known to cause issues on the macOS