How to Customize Quick Access in File Explorer on Windows 11

How to pin or remove items

Pinning folders you use often keeps them at the top of the pane, whatever else you open. A pinned folder stays put until you unpin it. Windows does not push it out when you browse elsewhere. To pin a folder:

1. Press the Win plus E to open File Explorer 📁.
2. Browse to the folder you want, for example in This PC or on another drive.
3. Right-click the folder and select Pin to Quick access. If you don’t see it, click Show more options first, or press Shift plus F10 to open the full menu.

The folder now appears under Quick access in the left pane with a small pin icon next to it. To undo this, right-click the pinned folder and select Unpin from 📌 Quick access. The folder itself is not deleted or moved.

How to change Quick Access settings

You customize Quick Access through the Folder Options window, which controls which files and folders appear and where File Explorer 📁 opens. From there you can change the privacy settings and choose whether File Explorer opens to Home (Quick access) or This PC. The steps below show how to reach it.

1. Open File Explorer 📁 from the taskbar 🖥️, or press the Win plus E.
2. Click the three dots (…) in the top menu. A drop-down menu opens.
3. Select Options. The Folder Options window opens on the General tab.

If the three dots are missing, widen the File Explorer 📁 window. The menu is part of the toolbar, and it can be hidden when the window is very narrow.

With Folder Options open, look at the General tab. The Open File Explorer 📁 to drop-down lets you choose where File Explorer 📁 lands first. If you would rather see your drives than Quick access when it starts, change the setting to This PC. On Windows 11 22H2 and later, the other choice is called Home. On older builds it is called Quick access.

The change takes effect the next time you open File Explorer 📁. You don’t need to restart Windows. To go back, set the drop-down to its other value again.

Next, to stop Windows from showing your recent files, scroll down to the Privacy section at the bottom of the window:

• Uncheck the boxes for Show recently used files and Show frequently used folders. The first stops recent files from being listed. The second stops Windows from adding folders you open often.
• Click Apply to save your changes.

Unchecking these boxes only hides the lists. Your folders and files are not deleted, and anything you pinned stays where it is. If you also want to wipe the history Windows has already stored, click Clear next to Clear File Explorer 📁 history in the same Privacy section. To bring the lists back, tick the boxes again and click Apply.

How to show only your pinned folders

You can make Quick Access show only your pinned folders by turning off the settings ⚙️ that track your recent activity. Open File Explorer 📁, click the three dots, choose Options, and uncheck the privacy boxes for recent files and frequent folders. This hides your history and leaves only the folders you pinned yourself. This is a good setup on a shared PC, or if you simply want a short, predictable list.

1. Open File Explorer 📁.
2. Click the three dots (…) and choose Options. The Folder Options window opens.
3. Ensure Open File Explorer 📁 to is set to Quick Access. On Windows 11 22H2 and later this choice is labelled Home.
4. In the Privacy section, uncheck the boxes for recent and frequent items. These are Show recently used files and Show frequently used folders.
5. Click Apply. Then click OK to close the window.

If an old entry is still in the list afterwards, right-click it and choose Remove from Quick access. You can also use Clear in the Privacy section to wipe the stored history in one go.

Click Apply to save the new setup. Quick Access will now show only the folders you have manually pinned. Open a new File Explorer window to check. If a folder you expect is missing, pin it again from its right-click menu. To go back to the automatic lists, tick the two Privacy boxes again.

Summary

Quick Access saves time once you set it up the way you work. Pin the folders you use every day so you stop searching for them. Then adjust the privacy settings to remove clutter and keep your recent activity private. Every change here can be reversed, so you can try different setups safely.