How to stop folders from automatically adding into Quick access please?

I had to Right-Click on the title "Quick access", Clicked on "Options" which brought up the Folder Options screen. Then I unclicked "Show recently used files in Quick access" and "Show recently used folders in Quick access" Screenshot included.

Unfortunately Microsoft made another stupid update since you posted this and there is no "Quick Access" title anymore and they have changed the privacy selections. It has been so hard to find current steps to do something with all the changes Microsoft makes. It seems like when someone finds a way around one of their "Great Ideas" (not) they make a change.

I had to search for Folder Options to get this window, as "Options" was not available. No now it's called File Explorer Options. I wonder how long it will take MS to change this? LOL

There is no "view ribbon". So please don't tell me to go there. Microsoft goes out of it's way to make things more difficult and less private with every new update.

There is no view tab nor view ribbon anywhere in file explorer so please miss me with the stock answers.

There is a view pulldown and a sort pulldown and three dots. Those are the only things clickable on file explorer and none of them have anthing to do with quick access or any other intrusion of privacy.

There IS a ribbon bar!

For some reason, nobody explained to you how to access the entire ribbon bar. The Folder Options dialog is in the ribbon bar (and other places).

To turn it on, first make sure that you have "Always show menus" option checked in "folder options":

1. There are multiple ways to open the "folder options" dialog as some have already shown you in their replies. But here is another: It's in Control Panel (you can also search for it with the start button):

2. When that opens, you can immediately turn off the automatic folder add to the quick access feature (your main question) .

Those check boxes are on the General tab.

3. Next, flip over to the "View" tab and make sure the "Always show menus" box is checked:

4. Now when you open File Explorer, you will have a ribbon bar.

You can show or hide it with the arrow on the right side next to the help question mark button:

TIPS: There are two settings that i ALWAYS use, give them a try!

1) On the General Tab of folder properties, select "Single-click to open an item" and "Underline icon titles only when I point at them"

This makes file explorer work like a web page, where every link is a single click and the links are underlined when you point or hover over them. so this setting in Explorer eliminates all the double clicking you used to have to do in file explorer, and it EVEN works on desktop icons!

Try it, once you get used to it you won't go back....

2) On the VIEW tab, select "Use check boxes to select items". With option selected, a check box is places to the left of every file and folder in Explorer.

This makes it very easy to select and un-select files and folders without having to use the shift and CTRL combination keys which is easy to mess up:

Enjoy!

This didn't work with my version of Windows. Here is another method to try:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1yTDrauGSY

On Windows 11, it is three dots (hover and it says "See More"). It's on the middle pane between "View" and "Details". Then you click on "Options".