Quick Access in File Explorer lets you easily view and access your recent files and folders. While that’s convenient, you might want to remove files from Quick Access in Windows 11 to maintain privacy or declutter the list.
Windows lets you remove specific entries, clear out the entire list, or prevent Quick Access from displaying any recent files altogether. This guide will show how to perform those three actions on your Windows 11 PC.
Note: Microsoft has renamed Quick Access in File Explorer to File Explorer Home from the Windows 11, Version 22H2 (Build 22593). So if your computer runs that or later build, click on Home in File Explorer, instead of Quick Access.
Remove Files and Folders From Quick Access in File Explorer
If you want to remove a select files or folders from Quick Access (or Home) in File Explorer, you can do it in a couple of steps. Here’s how:
Step 1: Press the Windows key + E keyboard shortcut to open File Explorer on your PC and click on Home or Quick Access on the left sidebar.
Step 2: Locate and select the entry you want to delete. Hold down the Control key to select multiple entries. Right-click on your selection and choose ‘Remove from Recent’ from the context menu.
Likewise, you can also remove any pinned folders. Right-click on the folder you want to remove and select ‘Unpin from Quick access.’ You can hold down the Control key to remove multiple folders.
Remove All Entries From Quick Access at Once
While it is simple to delete a file or folder from Quick Access in File Explorer using the method mentioned above, it is not the most efficient way to clear all the entries at once. You can delete all the recent files and folders from Quick Access at once with the following steps:
Step 1: Press the Windows key + S keyboard shortcut to open the Windows Search menu.
Step 2: Type file explorer options in the search box and select the first result that appears.
Step 3: Under the General tab, click the Clear button next to Clear File Explorer history.
Windows will remove all the entries from the Quick Access section.
Prevent File Explorer From Showing Recent Files and Folders in Quick Access
Don’t want to delete Quick Access entries manually all the time? If so, you can prevent Windows from adding files and folders to the Quick Access (or Home) section. There are a couple of ways you can go about it. Let’s go through them one by one.
1. Modify File Explorer Options
The easiest way to stop File Explorer from showing any entries in the Quick Access (or Home) section is to adjust the privacy options in the File Explorer Options window. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Press the Windows key + E keyboard shortcut to open the File Explorer.
Step 2: Click the three horizontal dots menu icon at the top to select Options from the context menu.
Step 3: In the File Explorer Options window, switch to the General tab. Under the Privacy section, uncheck the boxes that read ‘Show recently used files’ and ‘Show frequently used folders.’ Then, hit Apply followed by OK to save changes.
2. Use the Settings App
Another method to prevent Windows from showing files in Quick Access (or Home) involves using the Settings app. Here are the steps for the same.
Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon and select Settings from the list. Alternatively, you can press the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to quickly open the Settings app.
Step 2: Select the Personalization tab from the left sidebar. Then, click on Start.
Step 3: Turn off the toggle next to ‘Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer.’
After that, File Explorer won’t display any entries in the Quick Access (or Home) section except for the folders you have pinned manually.
Clean Up Quick Access
Quick Access (or Home) in File Explorer eliminates the need to browse through drives and folders to open recently used files. However, you may need to remove files from Quick Access, especially if you share your Windows 11 PC with someone. Thankfully, it’s quite straightforward to do so using the steps mentioned above.
Categories: How to
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