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

16 replies

Oct 6, 2017 1:17 PM in response to pasiphae

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.

Moving to the new User is definitely the way to go. Are you familiar with how to use the Shared folder to moving your data? If you need help, see this old article for moving to a new Mavericks User. The steps are the same.

http://www.needhelp4mac.com/2014/06/move-your-data-to-a-new-user-or-a-new-maveri cks-partition/

I want to emphasize the following:

Delete the files from Shared desktop folder you copied over to the new User. If you are low on disc space be careful since the process copies data. Move one item at a time then delete the original before starting the next copy.

The User’s Library folder is one you need to be very careful in what you bring over. Most likely the issue is in your User’s Library. Mail and most of the items in Application Support are safe to bring over. Bring over the Safari and Calendar folders only if you are not syncing via iCloud. Keychain can be brought over but best to start fresh. Keychain tends to keep a lot of old entries and starting fresh eliminates all the crud that has accumulated.

(Fair disclosure: Needhelp4Mac is my site. I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from links on my site.)

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High Sierra loses my desktop folder and functionality