How to Remove Files or Folders From Quick Access in Windows 10
Apply our detailed procedure right away
- The Quick Access location in File Explorer is the successor of Recent files feature.
- If you want to fully configure Quick Access, you can also set it to show only pinned items and choose what folder to open first.
Microsoft changed a couple of things in File Explorer in Windows 10 Technical Preview builds, as well as the stable Windows 10 OS versions. One of these changes/additions is Quick Access, which allows you to open the files you recently used. But if you want to remove a certain file from Quick Access, we’ll show you how in this article.
In Windows 10, a new File Explorer location, Quick Access opens automatically whenever you open File Explorer. It collects information about files and folders you recently used and shows them in the File Explorer, so you can easily access them again.
How to stop Quick Access from adding folders?
But sometimes, you might not want your private files to appear in Quick Access, and you’ll want to hide them. You can delete the file, but it will also be deleted from its original location, so we don’t recommend this.
But you can also hide the file from Quick Access section and prevent it from further showing up, and here’s how to do that:
- Open File Explorer and Quick Access will probably be opened by default, if not, click on Quick Access
- Right-click any file or folder you want to hide from Quick Access
- Choose Remove from Quick Access to hide the selected file or folder
That would be all, the file or folder you selected will never show up in the Quick access again.
The Quick Access location in File Explorer is the successor of Recent files feature, which was placed in the Start Menu in older versions of Windows.
Since the Recent Files feature is removed in Windows 10 Technical Preview, using Quick Access is probably the easiest and fastest way to access your recent files.
How to customize Quick Access in Windows 10?
If you want to fully configure Quick Access on your computer, you can also set it to show only pinned items and choose what folder you want it to open first. Or you could remove the Home icon from File Explorer. We’ll list the steps to follow below.
Display pinned folders in Quick Access
- Open Quick Access > go to the View tab > select Options.
- Clear the check boxes listed in the Privacy section > hit Apply and that’s it.
Open Windows 10 to This PC
- In this case, navigate to the View tab > select Options.
- Go to ‘Open File Explorer to’ > use the drop-down menu to select This PC > hit Apply.
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