High Sierra loses my desktop folder and functionality

Question

pasiphae Author

Level 1

21 points

High Sierra loses my desktop folder and functionality

I upgraded to macOS High Sierra from macOS Sierra last week and since then my desktop has gone.

What happened?

My Desktop folder (~/Desktop) changed from a folder to a file alias.

This now means:

No files, folders or icons may appear on my desktop
Desktop context menu doesn't show "New Folder"
Rectangular selection when dragging the cursor shows a rectangle but doesn't select anything, as there's nothing on the desktop to select
Desktop background still appears
iCloud Desktop & Documents Folders has never been selected and is still not selected
Finder preferences to show/hide desktop icons has no effect
Screen captures produced an error saying they couldn't write to the desktop since there is no desktop so I had to change their default location to another folder

It also means I have lost the few files I had stored on my desktop. I have no desktop except for the background image.

I created a screen recording to show related actions: 2017 09 30 macOS High Sierra loses desktop (YouTube)

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Brian.

MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.7.2)

Posted on Sep 30, 2017 6:32 AM

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Answer 1

Sep 30, 2017 5:14 PM in response to pasiphae

Apologies, I didnt' watch the entire video. I wonder if checking the option in iCloud then turning off would put the folder back. I would move everything out of your Documents folder for this test.

In Finder Preferences > Sidebar is Desktop checked?

I have seen similar when using a terminal command to move user folders to an external drive. Usually you can put the folder back by creating a new folder and name it Desktop. I doubt any of the move back steps will work since you didn't move to an external drive.

If simply creating a new folder and naming it Desktop does not work, log out/in to Guest. Do you see the Desktop folder? If yes, this indicates the problem is specific to your User's folder.

You might want to boot into the Recovery Drive and select to reinstall macOS.

Boot into the Recovery Drive by holding down Command R when restarting.

This step is not necessary, but it's easy to do and it would verify there are no issues with your drive.

Open Disk Utility

Run First Aid on your internal drive, Macintosh HD

Quit Disk Utility

Select Reinstall macOS

Depending on your internet connection this could take some time to download the installer. Connect via Ethernet if possible

(You can reinstall High Sierra over High Sierra. This procedure is no different than installing one OS over another.

This process should not damage your data but it's always advised that you backup first.

MORE INFO:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314

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Answer 2

adamo010

Level 1

4 points

Nov 14, 2017 8:16 PM in response to pasiphae

I had the EXACT same issue, and wanted you guys to know how I fixed it. Amazingly, simply.

Terminal.

mv Desktop BlahDesktop (may need to be done as sudo)

Relaunch Finder. (hold option key, right click Finder, select Relaunch)

<Voila, Desktop folder now exists.>

Rm BlahDesktop (may also need to be sudo)

Problem solved.

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Answer 3

Oct 2, 2017 3:51 PM in response to pasiphae

If you were not able to get your Desktop folder back try resetting permissions on your home folder.

Resolve issues caused by changing the permissions of items in your home folder - Apple Support

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Answer 4

Nov 23, 2017 9:50 AM in response to Vtcd

From your Mac, go to Apple menu > System Preferences
Open System Preferences > iCloud
Select iCloud Drive > Options
Uncheck Desktop & Documents Folders
Click Done

When you turn off Desktop and Documents, your files stay in iCloud Drive and a new folder is created on your Mac. You can move files from iCloud Drive to your Mac as you need them, or select all of your files and drag them to the place you want to keep them.

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Answer 5

Lanny

Level 6

13,245 points

Oct 6, 2017 7:25 PM in response to pasiphae

Verify that the option is unchecked in iCloud System Preferences. The option was introduced with Sierra or possibly El Capitan.

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Answer 6

Sep 30, 2017 6:36 AM in response to pasiphae

Have you tried logging out and logging back in again? Or a complete restart of the computer?

If Finder is missing a Desktop directory it should create a new one

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Answer 7

pasiphae Author

Level 1

21 points

Sep 30, 2017 3:51 PM in response to ShadowDust99

Yes, I have logged off and on, as well as restarted (and shutdown and turned on) quite a few times.

Even if Finder would recreate my Desktop correctly, which it hasn't, it still doesn't explain why it was turned into a broken alias in the first place.

You've touched on a good point though: since Finder isn’t recreating it, how do I create a Desktop folder? I’m assuming there’s some metadata that needs to be stored along with the folder so that it recognises it as a desktop.

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Answer 8

Sep 30, 2017 4:50 PM in response to pasiphae

Go to System Preferences > iCloud

Select iCloud Drive > Options

Do you have Desktop & Documents Folders checked?

If yes, uncheck and your folders will go back the usual location.

(You should see them under iCloud in the sidebar if this is selected)

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Answer 9

pasiphae Author

Level 1

21 points

Sep 30, 2017 4:59 PM in response to dianeoforegon

Yes, thanks Diane. I had already checked that setting and I mentioned it in my original post. You can see the setting in the YouTube video. It has never been turned on.

I’m wondering whether anyone else has had the problem and also how to create a Desktop folder with all the right metadata.

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Answer 10

pasiphae Author

Level 1

21 points

Oct 6, 2017 6:34 PM in response to dianeoforegon

Thanks again. I checked out your site and it’s very informative so a thumbs up from me 👍

As for moving the files, I literally moved most of them using sudo mv and changed the owner once moved over. I’m very familiar with UNIX, as it was my second O/S when I cut my teeth at uni; first being CP/M in the 80s. I moved the folders and files by hand and it wasn’t too bad. Nothing that wholesale is without a bit of pain, though!

Where your valuable info really came into play was to do with the Apple-specific folders, such as ~/Library. You confirmed my suspicions with those folders and I heeded your warning. It was just what I needed. Thank you for all of your suggestions and assistance.

Thanks,

Brian.

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Answer 11

Vtcd

Level 1

4 points

Nov 22, 2017 9:51 PM in response to adamo010

Can you please explain this in lay man's terms? My computer automatically updated to high sierra and all my settings / system folders are present except for the desktop folders where all my work files are... thank you!!!

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Answer 12

Nov 29, 2017 6:50 PM in response to adamo010

Sorry--like the user below, my knowledge of fixing computers (especially Macs) is almost non-existent. I'm not sure what "sudo" means, but I can see "Desktop" in my finder. It just doesn't contain any files since it was wiped from the update.

I had a significant number of files and folders on my desktop, and I've been trying to troubleshoot with free recovery software apps for macs that won't even open. If anyone can recommend another solution that hasn't been listed already in this thread, I'd be extremely grateful! Thank you!

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Answer 13

Oct 6, 2017 11:31 PM in response to pasiphae

Glad you got your data moved to the new User. You will find it time well spent.

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Answer 14

Nov 29, 2017 8:35 PM in response to kristalina822

sudo is a Terminal command.

Have you checked to see if your iCloud settings for iCloud drive is checked for Desktop and Documents?

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Answer 15

pasiphae Author

Level 1

21 points

Oct 6, 2017 12:37 AM in response to dianeoforegon

Apologies for the delayed response... busy week!

Thanks for your suggestions. I appreciate it!

My replies

I checked the Finder preferences and Desktop is turned on. The problem is that the Desktop folder is no longer a folder at all; it is now an alias. There is no folder to show.
I can also report that over the last week, a few more folders have appeared in my home folder that sit at the same level as the Desktop alias. Every time I logon, more folders appear. This is what I have so far:
- Two new folders with no name (i.e. blank)
- One new folder with a name of "?àz"
- One new folder with a name of "fdy"
- One new folder with a name of "Localip"
- One new folder with a name of "ontents"
- One new folder with a name of "rt"
You're right about the Desktop issue being specific to my user account. To prove it, I created a new test account and its Desktop works fine. The guest account also works fine. Another user's Desktop also works fine. They all have a Desktop folder that can contain files and folders. It is a true container and the icons of its contents works on the Desktop as expected.

Next steps

I think the operating system is functioning ok so before reinstalling macOS, I'll create a new user account and move all my files over and then delete this malfunctioning user account. If I continue having issues with the Desktop and other spurious folders, I'll go down the route of reinstalling macOS.

I'll sign off and mark your answer as the solution. If you have any further ideas on what may be creating weird folders, I'd be interested to hear. My main fear is that some of the file system may have become corrupt when installing High Sierra and migrating the storage to APFS.

Thanks for your help!

Brian.

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