Why can't I see my favorites in file explorer?

In current Windows, what used to be called “Favorites” in File Explorer is now surfaced mainly as Quick access (Windows 10 and 11) and the pinned folders under it. If those are missing, either:

• The folders were unpinned from Quick access, or
• The navigation pane (the whole left side) is hidden, or
• In Windows 11, the known folders (Desktop, Documents, etc.) were unpinned and need restoring.

Below are concrete checks and fixes for both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

1. Make sure the navigation pane is visible (Windows 11)

If the entire left side is gone, the navigation pane may be hidden.

1. Open File Explorer (Start > File Explorer, or press Windows logo key + E).
2. On the top command bar, select View.
3. Select Show > Navigation Pane.
4. Confirm that a left-hand tree now appears, with Home, Quick access, This PC, etc.

If the navigation pane is back but the favorites/pinned folders are still missing, continue below.

2. Restore pinned “favorite” folders in Windows 11

In Windows 11 version 22H2 and later, the main “favorite” folders are the known Windows folders pinned under Quick access:

• Desktop
• Documents
• Downloads
• Pictures
• Music
• Videos

If these were unpinned, they can be restored:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. In the left navigation pane, select Home.
3. At the top of the File Explorer window, to the left of the address bar, select the Up arrow.
   • This shows a view with all 6 known folders: Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Music, Videos.
4. For each folder that should appear as a favorite in the left pane:
   • Right‑click the folder.
   • Select Pin to Quick access.

After this, the selected folders will appear:

• Under Quick access in the left navigation pane.
• In File Explorer Home as pinned folders.

If other custom folders are missing (for example, a project folder on D:\ or a network share), re‑pin them the same way:

1. Browse to the folder in File Explorer.
2. Right‑click the folder.
3. Select Pin to Quick access.

To remove a folder from this favorites area later, right‑click it under Quick access and select Unpin from Quick access.

3. Restore favorites/pinned folders in Windows 10

In Windows 10, the favorites area is also Quick access.

1. Open File Explorer (Start > File Explorer or Windows logo key + E).
2. In the left pane, locate Quick access.
3. To add a folder back as a favorite:
   • Browse to the folder.
   • Right‑click it.
   • Select Pin to Quick access.
4. To remove a folder from favorites:
   • Under Quick access in the left pane, right‑click the folder.
   • Select Unpin from Quick access.

If Quick access is full of recent items and makes it hard to see the pinned favorites, it can be configured to show only pinned folders:

1. In File Explorer, go to the View tab.
2. Select Options (on the right side of the ribbon).
3. In the Folder Options dialog, under Privacy:
   • Clear Show recently used files in Quick access.
   • Clear Show frequently used folders in Quick access.
4. Select Apply.

Now Quick access will show only the folders that are explicitly pinned, effectively acting as a clean Favorites list.

If Libraries are expected and missing (Windows 10):

1. In File Explorer, go to the View tab.
2. Select Navigation pane.
3. Select Show libraries.

This adds Libraries to the left pane, but the main favorites area remains Quick access.

4. Summary of what to check

1. Navigation pane visible?
   • Windows 11: View > Show > Navigation Pane.
2. Known folders re‑pinned? (Windows 11 22H2+)
   • Go to Home, click Up arrow, right‑click each known folder > Pin to Quick access.
3. Custom favorite folders re‑pinned?
   • Right‑click any folder > Pin to Quick access.
4. Quick access cleaned up (Windows 10)?
   • View > Options > Privacy: turn off recent/frequent items so only pinned favorites show.

After these steps, the favorites/pinned folders should again be visible in the left side of File Explorer under Quick access.

References:

• File Explorer in Windows