How to reorder items in Quick access (File explorer, Windows 11)

Anonymous
2022-12-14T15:33:05+00:00

I think my File Explorer (Windows 11) is possessed by an evil creature that enjoys rattling me. Every once in a while it decides to substitute my pinned folders with some random and mostly useless ones.

Today I decided to retry and re-organize that section of File explorer.

I am not able to sort the items I put in Quick Access. Folders are in a completely random order, not alphabetical, not based on usage. It is random.

When I try and move a folder, File Explorer put it back where it was.

This is an incredibly bad application. I fail in understanding how Microsoft is not able to provide a simple and functional File Explorer. I use also a Mac OS system and cannot belive how much better their simple Finder is. At least it enables users to organize their pinned locations as they like.

Is there anyone with a suggestion?

By the way. Besides the name, what do you think the difference between "Quick access" and "Favorites" is?

For the experts: reinstalling Windows is not an option.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage

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.

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-01-10T11:25:36+00:00

    OMG! This simple untick of the "Show all folders" works perfectly! Thank you Mats - Superstar!

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-01-09T13:53:19+00:00

    Turning OFF "Show All Folders" allows you to reorder the list!? Then you can just turn it back on.

    Terrible workaround but it gets the job done til they fix the issue.

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-01-09T13:51:23+00:00

    I wish we could vote "Most Helpful" or something.
    This is definitely the best "solution" even though it's technically a workaround (the sorting problem still exists when "Show all folders" is turned on)

    The awesome thing is the sorting stays when I go back to Show All.

    THANKS!

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-12-23T03:18:29+00:00

    That is how I have been re-ordering my pins. I just thought "there has to be a better way to do this." I'm surprised there isn't. But OS-changes happen frequently, so maybe one day they will fix this.

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-12-23T03:01:41+00:00

    Like many of you, this is one of these simple customizations that the inability to do is infuriating, after having spent a bunch of time fruitlessly and uselessly trying in vain.

    At any rate, there is one end-run-around option which "works" (and may well have been mentioned earlier) but can be tedious: delete all your quick access pins and redo the list one-by-one in the desired order.

    The drawback is, of course, that any changes you want to make afterward may entail redoing the list all over again. So, in that sense, this option does not solve the problem of reordering the pins.

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