How to stop Photos app from displaying thumbnails of my user/pictures folder?

[revoc]

If you start up the Windows Photos app, it opens with a screen displaying all the photos in your user/pictures folder in thumbnail form which I find highly annoying. I want it to start with a blank screen. Is there a way to do this? I thought I might get it to clear up by pointing the folder it monitors to an empty folder and removing the user/pictures folder from settings but the thumbnails are still there...

 

[Ma Rio]

Opening up the photos app shows all pictures in your monitored folders. If you have pictures there, they will be shown, and there's no way to hide them.
If you don't want any pictures there, just remove all folders from the Source list found under settings.
Also turn off showing pictures from OneDrive. Though I don't see the point of doing all of this.

If you've already done all of this and it still shows you pictures, then the thumbnails are probably cached somewhere, and I can't help you with that.

 

[revoc]

If you've already done all of this and it still shows you pictures, then the thumbnails are probably cached somewhere, and I can't help you with that.

Yes, the thumbnails are still showing even after I removed the folders from the source list, or pointed the source towards an empty folder.

 

[Ma Rio]

Yes, the thumbnails are still showing even after I removed the folders from the source list, or pointed the source towards an empty folder.

Are the photos maybe from OneDrive?

 

[revoc]

Are the photos maybe from OneDrive?

Nope, they're all from my Pictures folder.