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I completed the latest Windows update this morning and opened File Explorer, and the quick access was missing. I can still add files to quick access, but it is nowhere to be seen. When I search the internet, they refer to how great the new file explorer is. Without quick access, it is pretty useless to me, and I want to find out how to get it back.
I do not have AAD. However, the descriptions I see on the internet imply that I am looking at the AAD version and not the consumer version. A lot of the information to describe the new file explorer states the following "Users signed in with Azure Active Directory (AAD) will see a recommended files strip with thumbnail previews. Consumer devices will only show the “Quick Access”, “Favorites” and “Recent” sections."
I wish to see the “Quick Access”, “Favorites” and “Recent” sections." but cannot work out how to do it.
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Hi,
Same problem here.
Under Privacy, here is just no such setting. All I can see is:
What can I do now? I just can't pin anything. Can't add folders to Home. Best I can do is pin them to Start which is far from ideal.
Thanks
Quentin
I fixed this by un-checking the Show Recommended Section option.
Quick access tiles are back, but they are now arranged in a horizontal list. Seems like a couple of bugs here. But at least I have my quick action icons back.
Yes, this worked in that I can now see the quick access items. It has pre-set Documents, Desktop, Download and Pictures. I can add other ones, and they appear in the order I added them. I used to be able to move a recently added one up to the top in Windows 10. But now, I am completely unable to do that. When I try to move one to reorder them, I only get the opportunity to copy the one I'm moving into the one I'm hovering over. I can't imagine any utility this would do, but I imagine the actual folder (possibly GB of data) being copied into the actual folder represented by the quick access folder icon. Which I certainly would not use quick access to do. If I wan to reorder them, do I have to delete everything, and then assign them to quick access in the new order. This does not strike me as 'quick'. The utility of Quick Access has been badly damaged.
BTW, I don't get to Options via clicking on View , but rather by clicking on the ellipsis to the right of View. And it is now "Show recently used files" and "Show recently used folders", with no "in Quick Access" on the end of either one. I suppose the successive updates to Windows 11 are systematically degrading the Quick Access feature, trying to discourage more and more users from trying to use it. How else are we supposed to record network folders? Map each one of them? Create a Shortcut on our desktop?
We don't want "recently viewed files" we want to select custom folders to be available in quick access. So far this SUCKS, Microsoft foils again!
Even if I change options, I cannot get quick access to show in the home folder or anywhere. Why Microsoft changed this is beyond me. You can still right click on a folder and select Add to Quick Access but it doesn't go anywhere.
Go to folder options and select the view tab, then select restore defaults. That fixed it for me
