How to Show or Hide Gallery in Windows 11 File Explorer

Windows 11 includes a feature called Gallery in your File Explorer. It acts as a central hub for all your photos. Why use it? It makes finding and organizing your pictures much faster. What happens when you use it? Your photos appear in one view without moving the actual files from their original folders.

If you prefer a cleaner look, you can remove the Gallery icon from the sidebar. Here is how to manage it.

Add or Remove the Gallery

Note: This process requires administrative privileges to edit the Windows Registry.

1. Open the Windows Registry by typing “regedit” in your search bar and pressing Enter.
2. Navigate to this path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{e88865ea-0e1c-4e20-9aa6-edcd0212c87c}
3. If you do not see the {e88865ea-0e1c-4e20-9aa6-edcd0212c87c} folder, right-click on the CLSID folder, select New, and create the subkey.

4. Right-click in the empty space on the right side of the window.
5. Select New, then choose DWORD (32-bit) Value.
6. Name the new item: System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree
7. Double-click your new System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree item.
8. Set the Base to Decimal.
9. Change the Value data to 1 to show the Gallery or 0 to hide it.

Save your changes and restart your computer to see the update.

Summary

The Gallery feature helps you view photos from your phone and computer in one place, starting with Windows build 23435 in File Explorer. If you use OneDrive Camera Roll Backup, your mobile photos sync automatically. By editing the registry, you can show or hide this folder to suit your workflow, just like you would with other items in the file-picking dialog.

Reference: Microsoft.com