I cannot find Quick Access in the new updated file explorer.

Anonymous
2023-09-27T14:02:02+00:00

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.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Windows update

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Anonymous
2023-09-29T08:01:11+00:00

Hi,
Same problem here.
Under Privacy, here is just no such setting. All I can see is:
Image

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.

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-12-25T01:20:19+00:00

    Didn't work for me.

    There are two files that don't stay deleted ... they just reappear. So I close the folder anyway and restart, but I still don't ahve quick access.

    I wonder if I should delete CustomDestinations folders also?

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-12-25T01:01:28+00:00

    Didn't work for me ....

    I have two additional options. My full list

    • Show This PC
    • Show Network
    • Show Libraries
    • Show All Folders
    • Expand to Current Folder

    They were all checked. I unchecked them one at a time, Things changed, but I still don't have "Quick Access" in my left hand navigation.

    One thing I did is I right clicked "Home" and added Home to Quick Access. Now when I click on home, I get Qujick Access and Favorits in the main display area. This is better than before, but I still want Quick Access in the left side navigation pane.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-12-23T12:25:14+00:00

    Had the same issue. Had to use the Bing Chat GPT to finally find a solution. I attached the solution it gave me.

    Keep in mind that this will clear all of your favorite folders and apps from Quick Access/Favorites, but it actually allows you to see items in Quick Access/Favorites again, so you are able to re-add your favorites/pinned stuff.

    It seems like your Quick Access cache is corrupted or outdated. You can try to clear it by deleting some files from a hidden folder. To do that, follow these steps:

    • Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
    • Type %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations and hit Enter.
    • This will open a folder with some files that have long names ending with .automaticDestinations-ms. These are the files that store the Quick Access data.
    • Select all the files in the folder and press Delete to remove them. You may need to confirm the deletion or provide administrator permission.
    • Close the folder and restart your computer

    Here's the copypasta for the shortcut without formatting:

    %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-12-21T14:16:51+00:00

    Microsoft should have done a user survey before they decided to remove it (will check at home later to find out if my employer may have removed Quick Access at work), I am disappointed, the quick access links helped me a lot in Windows 10)

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