No files showing on Desktop screen

[Eric2351]

How when I save to my SSA drive  (of my two built-in drives) on my new HP Envy can I also get that to appear on my desktop screen?  I know how to get my little Word (e.g.) documents into my (C:) drive, and I even can create a "Desktop" shortcut there, but it doesn't appear on-screen (my Desktop screen). Can't copy and paste it there, either. Hellp!

[zoey7886]

@Eric2351, Welcome to the HP Support Community!  

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding Adding Shortcuts to the Desktop Screen on HP ENVY Desktop PC TE01-5000i! 

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.  

To get your files saved on your SSA drive to appear on your desktop screen, you can create shortcuts on your desktop manually to those files or folders. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Save the file to SSA Drive:

• Save your Word or other files to the appropriate location on your SSA drive.

Locate the File:

• Open File Explorer and navigate to the SSA drive where your files are saved.

Create a Shortcut:

• Right-click on the file or folder you want to appear on your desktop.
• Choose "Create shortcut" from the context menu.

Move the Shortcut to Desktop:

• Right-click the shortcut you just created.
• Select "Cut" from the context menu.
• Go back to the desktop, right-click anywhere on the desktop screen.
• Select "Paste" from the context menu.

Alternatively Use Drag & Drop:

• You can also just drag the shortcut from the SSA drive to the desktop. Click and hold the shortcut, then drag it to the desktop and release it.a  

Hope this helps! 

Take care, and have an amazing day!  

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!  

Regards, 

[Eric2351]

May I ask a follow-up re: a related, but separate, function? 

When I save a document to my SSA drive (vs. my HDD drive or M'soft's cloud), I'm given the option to save to my Desktop (in This PC under Save As) --which is the place I'd really like it to lie until I file it (my Desktop). When I choose that "Desktop" save --which works!--it shows a location of C:\\Users\emend\\OneDrive\Desktop\.   Does the "OneDrive" portion of that location listing indicate that it's located BOTH on my (C:) drive  and on the OneDrive cloud?

If so, is my only way to avoid the cloud, keeping it on my hard drive (and subsequently my own external back-up drive): to do the creation and dragging or copying of a Shortcut to my desktop for each document I've created--which you just helped me find? This is one more step for each document than doing via This PC-->Desktop.

[zoey7886]

@Eric2351, Thanks for your thoughtful follow-up, and we're happy to help further!

You're absolutely right to notice that path:

C:\Users\emend\OneDrive\Desktop
This indicates your Desktop is currently synced with OneDrive, so anything you save there is both on your local C: drive and automatically uploaded to the cloud.

If you'd prefer to keep files strictly on your local drive (SSA) and not in the cloud, you have a couple of options:

✅ Option 1: Save to a Local-Only Desktop

Open File Explorer

Navigate to: C:\Users\emend\

Look for a folder named Desktop not inside OneDrive.

Save your files there to keep them local only.

✅ Option 2: Change Where Desktop Points (Optional)

If you're comfortable with a slightly advanced step, you can unlink Desktop from OneDrive and set it to point only to your local desktop folder. Let us know if you’d like help with that!

And no—you don’t have to create shortcuts manually every time. You can save directly to the local Desktop folder (outside OneDrive) instead.

Hope this clears things up!

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!  

Regards, 

[Eric2351]

Thanks, ZOEY7886.  Option 1 was helpful ... but just shy of what I need.

I was finally able to find my C:\Users\emend\ folder—and made a grand discovery: By having clicked on it, it now appears as a choice inside my Save to More Options toThis PC save sequence. (Yay!) This successfully saves to my hard drive alone. (I had done so before using just (C:).)  BUT I don’t see a Desktop folder within my C:\Users\emend\ folder or how to get a Save to C:\Users\emend\OneDrive\Desktop—which is where I want these documents to go first (I later file in different folders from there). I tried writing a New Folder I named Desktop within my Users\emend folder, but this didn’t seem to put the document I dragged into it onto my desktop, nor did it create this option under Save (that I could see). So, QUESTION:  How can I create the C:\Users\emend\OneDrive\Desktop path (I guess you call it) as one of my choices under Save (not only C:\Users\emend)?

Thanks!!!

[zoey7886]

@Eric2351, Thanks for the detailed update—glad to hear Option 1 helped a bit!

To clarify: the folder path C:\Users\emend\OneDrive\Desktop already exists because your desktop is currently synced with OneDrive. That’s why anything saved there shows up on your desktop and in the cloud.

If you’re not seeing this path as a save location, try this quick fix:

To Make "OneDrive\Desktop" Appear in Save Options:

Open File Explorer

Navigate to: C:\Users\emend\OneDrive\Desktop

Right-click Desktop > Choose "Pin to Quick Access" (left-hand side panel)

This makes it easier to find and select when saving new files—no more digging!

Let us know if you’d like help switching your desktop back to a local-only version (not synced to OneDrive). It’s possible and easy with a few steps!

Hope this helps! 

Take care, and have an amazing day!  

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!  

Regards,