Weird Behaviour linked to a Desktop folder within Pictures.

Hi,

I have a 2021 MBP M1 Max running the latest version of MacOS (Sonoma 14.6.1). I have a bit of a weird situation that I think I've traced to what looks to be some sort of Desktop folder located in Pictures. No idea if it's always been there or if I did something that caused this to happen but it, I think, is causing some weird behaviour when I create new files that I wish to have on my desktop for easy access.

If for example I run up Pages and create a new document and save it on my desktop, then close the document and the Pages app. If I look at my desktop, the document is not there. If I'm in Preview looking at a file that I have downloaded from the internet and export it to my Desktop as a, let's say, PDF, when I close preview down and look for the PDF on the desktop, it's not there. If I create a file with photoshop and save it to my Desktop, again when I look for it, it's not there.

However, after much searching around using Finder, I found a folder called Desktop within Pictures. If I double click on that folder using my Finder window then all the missing files are shown, along with all the files and folders on my actual Desktop.

With regard to my actual Desktop (ie the one that is displayed on my monitor when no apps or programs are open), if I copy an existing stand alone file on that desktop and paste it to that desktop, it does what I expect and creates a copy showing the original file name with "copy" added to the name to differentiate between the two.

So, I'm not quite sure what has happened or is happening but it's a blooming pain in the neck.

At least I know where to look for the "missing" files and documents etc., but I'd rather have it back the way it was with only the one Desktop.

I've attached screen shots that I hope show the issue.

Any advice, enlightenment will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you and kind regards,

Howard.