How to Show or Hide Drive Letters in Windows 11 File Explorer

This article describes steps to hide or show drive letters in the File Explorer (This PC) pane in Windows 11.

The latest File Explorer version in Windows 11 now defaults to Home, which was previously referred to as Quick access. It lets you quickly access and view your frequently accessed folders (Quick access), favorites, and recent files on the left pane.

You can also show drive letters in the File Explore Home pane under This PC. Internal and external drives connected to Windows are assigned letters from A to Z. The letter is used to reference the drive.

Here’s how to show or hide drive letters in Windows 11.

Display drive letters via File Explorer folder options

As described above, letters are assigned to the system’s drive and fixed and removable drives. File Explorer allows you to hide or show the assigned letters to drives.

Here’s how to do that in Windows 11

First, open the File Explorer folder options.

When File Explorer Folder Options window opens, under the View tab, Check or uncheck the box next to “Show drive letters” to show or hide drive letters in File Explorer.

Show or hide drive letters via Windows Registry

Another way to show or hide drive letters in Windows 11 is to use the Windows Registry editor.

Open the Windows Registry, and navigate to the folder key path as listed below.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

If you don’t see the Explorer folder key, right-click on the CurrentVersion parent key, then create the subkey (Explorer) folders.

Right-click on the Explorer folder key’s right pane and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value. Type a new key named ShowDriveLettersFirst.

Double-click the new value name (ShowDriveLettersFirst) and enter the Value data of 2 to hide the drive letter in File Explorer.

A Value data of 0 will show drive letters in File Explorer.

That should do it! Restart your computer to apply your changes.

Conclusion:

• The latest version of Windows 11 File Explorer introduces the Home feature for quick access to frequently used folders, favorites, and recent files.
• Users can show or hide drive letters in the File Explorer Home pane under This PC, effectively customizing the display of drive letters.
• The process involves accessing File Explorer folder options under the View tab to show or hide drive letters and utilizing the Windows Registry Editor to make similar adjustments.
• Following the outlined steps, users can seamlessly manage the visibility of drive letters in Windows 11 File Explorer to suit their preferences.