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

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-03-31T07:36:36+00:00

    TY, yes this did seem to work.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-03-01T01:56:09+00:00

    Windows Updater recently installed the 22H2 package on my laptop. Now I can't figure out how to sort my Quick Access folders in File Explorer. I have read and tried everything in this post. No luck.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-03-31T14:27:11+00:00

    Thanks, but didn't work for me :-(

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-03-31T16:47:09+00:00

    Same problem frustrated me as well, but I found somewhere a hint which I tried, and within seconds had solved the issue.
    Open Folder options in File Explorer, go to Tab "View", scroll down to object group "Navigation pane".
    There: uncheck the box "Show all folders"
    That's all it takes, now I am fully able to arrange/rearrange/order my Qick Access objects. Still haven't found any negative bi-effects of it.

    Mats!!!! You deserve some kind of award or reward! Thank you. This is EXACTLY the answer.

    Now if only somebody knows how to get around GoogleDrive's new 'shortcut' that they've added for Windows desktop.... Windows LOVES super long paths to folders - just look at JUST my root folder path for googledrive:

    G:.shortcut-targets-by-id\1uDFROmINzLqsllaiUzJ_1VAQpGPWPXek\

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  5. Anonymous
    2022-12-15T07:41:30+00:00

    Thank you for your answer.

    I was able to sort folders in Quick Access the first time I started this PC.

    Since the PC came with quite some bloatware, I made a clean installation of Windows 11.

    Now I have installed the software I need for working and nothing else.

    I know I can and how to perform a clean boot, but I do not understand what I could get from it. If I can "reorder" these items (like when I reinstalled windows), how do I detect the software preventing me from doing what I would like to do? If I detect it, since there are only work-related applications, what do I do?

    Furthermore, how can I detect the software preventing FIle Explorer to display one folder before another one?

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