A few days before, when I was writing an article about the new file explorer feature in Windows 11, I needed a picture of the file explorer window to show it visually. But, the Quick access section and the Recent section were full of folders and files that I did not want to show them up. Then, I customized the quick access section as I do in the following paragraphs.
Quick Access is a directory /section in the File Explorer app that provides the user with a list of the recently or frequently opened files and folders. This feature helps you easily navigate and get back to your work.
In today’s tutorial, I will write about How to use and customize Quick Access in Windows 11.
Related: How to customize the Taskbar in Windows 11?
Stop showing auto-added folders in Quick Access
Quick access is enabled by default when you install Windows 11 on your computer. The files and folders you often use automatically add to the quick Access and Recent section. The list of files and folders changes as you access different folders.
Follow the steps below to stop showing dynamically added folders and files in the Quick Access and Recent section.
- Open File explorer by pressing the Windows + E buttons. Alternatively, you can also open it from the taskbar or search box.
- Once in the File explorer Window, click on the three-dot icon at the toolbar
- A small menu shows up; click on the Options
- From the window, unselect the ‘Show recently used files’ and ‘show frequently used folders’ options under the privacy section in the General tab.
- Finally, click on Apply button and OK.
Now, if you close the File explorer Window and reopen it, the recent and frequently used files and folders do not appear. Only the pinned folders and files are displayed.
How to pin and unpin folders to Quick Access in Windows 11
After you stop showing auto-added folders and files in the Quick Access, you can pin your desired folders in the section. To pin a folder:
Right-click on the folder you want and select Pin to Quick Access.
On the other hand, if you want to unpin a folder from Quick Access, right-click on the folder in the quick access section, and select Unpin from Quick Access.
After you pinned some folders in the Quick access section, you can re-arrange folders according to your preferences. Open File Explorer and drag the folder you want from the left side, then move and drop in the position you like in the Quick access section.
Conclusions
To sum up, the Quick Access feature provides easy and quick access to frequently used folders in Windows 11. You can customize it and pin your favorite folders.
