General Add and Remove Favorites in File Explorer Home in Windows 11


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This tutorial will show you how to add, remove, or clear and reset Favorites in File Explorer Home for your account or all users in Windows 11.

Starting with Windows 11 build 22593, Quick access in File Explorer (Win+E) is now called Home. The name Quick access has been repurposed for the pinned/frequent Folders section, and Pinned files is now called Favorites to align with Office and OneDrive. Recent and pinned files (Favorites) displayed in Home are now searchable using the search box in File Explorer even if they are not local files, so you can find Office files recently shared with you.

Home in the navigation pane is the default homepage of File Explorer (Win+E) that allows you to quickly access and view your pinned/frequent locations (Quick access), Favorites (pinned files), and Recent files from one location.

You can Add to Favorites and Remove from Favorites files you want in File Explorer Home.


Contents

  • Option One: Add to Favorites in File Explorer Home for Current User
  • Option Two: Remove from Favorites in File Explorer Home for Current User
  • Option Three: Hide or Show Favorites in File Explorer Home for All Users using REG file
  • Option Four: Clear and Reset Favorites in File Explorer Home for Current User in Command Prompt
  • Option Five: Clear and Reset Favorites in File Explorer Home for Current User in File Explorer


EXAMPLE: Favorites in File Explorer Home

Favorites_in_File_Explorer_Home.png





Option One

Add to Favorites in File Explorer Home for Current User


1 Select one or more files you want to add. (see screenshot below)

2 Right click on the selected file(s).

3 Click/tap on Add to Favorites.

Add_to_Favorites.png





Option Two

Remove from Favorites in File Explorer Home for Current User


1 Open Home in File Explorer (Win+E). (see screenshot below)

2 Select one or more files under Favorites you want to remove.

3 Right click on the selected file(s).

4 Click/tap on Remove from Favorites.

Remove_from_Favorites.png





Option Three

Hide or Show Favorites in File Explorer Home for All Users using REG file


You must be signed in as an administrator to use this option.

This will not remove the Favorites section from File Explorer Home. It will only hide or show the pinned files (Option One) under Favorites instead.


1 Do step 2 (hide) or step 3 (show) below for what you would like to do.

2 Hide Favorites in File Explorer Home for All Users

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​

Hide_Favorites_in_File_Explorer_Home_for_all_users.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HomeFolderMSGraph\NameSpace\DelegateFolders\{3134ef9c-6b18-4996-ad04-ed5912e00eb5}]

3 Show Favorites in File Explorer Home for All Users

This is the default setting.


A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​

Show_Favorites_in_File_Explorer_Home_for_all_users.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HomeFolderMSGraph\NameSpace\DelegateFolders\{3134ef9c-6b18-4996-ad04-ed5912e00eb5}]
@="Recent Files Folder"

4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7 If Home in File Explorer is currently open, then refresh (F5) or close and open the window to apply.

8 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.




Option Four

Clear and Reset Favorites in File Explorer Home for Current User in Command Prompt


1 Open Windows Terminal, and select Command Prompt.

2 Copy and paste the command below into the command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

del /f /s /q /a "%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations\5f7b5f1e01b83767.automaticDestinations-ms"

3 You can now close the command prompt if you like.

Clear_Favorites_in_Home_command.png





Option Five

Clear and Reset Favorites in File Explorer Home for Current User in File Explorer


1 Open File Explorer (Win+E).

2 Perform the following actions. (see screenshot below)
  • Click/tap on the icon to the left in the address bar of File Explorer.
  • Copy and paste %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations into the address bar, and press Enter.
3 Delete (Ctrl+D) the 5f7b5f1e01b83767.automaticDestinations-ms file in the AutomaticDestinations folder.

4 You can now close File Explorer if you like.

Clear_Favorites_in_Home_File_Explorer.png



That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

Attachments

  • Home.png
    Home.png
    7.5 KB · Views: 155
  • Show_Favorites_in_File_Explorer_Home_for_all_users.reg
    780 bytes · Views: 253
  • Hide_Favorites_in_File_Explorer_Home_for_all_users.reg
    732 bytes · Views: 244
Last edited:
After running the reg file "Show Favorites in File Explorer Home", File Explorer will now always crash when trying to press Home.

(I have just installed 23h2.)
Hello, :alien:

The Show_Favorites_in_File_Explorer_Home_for_all_users.reg file in step 3 of option three is the default setting, so it doesn't make any changes unless you used Hide_Favorites_in_File_Explorer_Home_for_all_users.reg first.

Do you have the latest 2631.2506 (23H2) build below installed?

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
My bad. I of course meant Hide, not Show.

I have all the latest updates.

Could it be that I have StartAllBack installed?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Enterprise
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire V5-552PG
    Memory
    12 GB
My bad. I of course meant Hide, not Show.

I have all the latest updates.

Could it be that I have StartAllBack installed?

Could be. 3rd party UI programs such as that have been known to break things from time to time.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Uninstalling StartAllBack solved the problem; File Explorer doesn't crash anymore when pressing Home. And like I already mentioned, this problem started after installing the 23h2 update.

I guess I have to contact the developer of this software then.

However, the .reg file posted on page 1 in this thread, "Hide_Favorites_in_File_Explorer_Home_for_all_users", does not work.
The favorites are still there.
 

Attachments

  • pic.jpg
    pic.jpg
    21.2 KB · Views: 15

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Enterprise
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire V5-552PG
    Memory
    12 GB
Uninstalling StartAllBack solved the problem; File Explorer doesn't crash anymore when pressing Home. And like I already mentioned, this problem started after installing the 23h2 update.

I guess I have to contact the developer of this software then.

However, the .reg file posted on page 1 in this thread, "Hide_Favorites_in_File_Explorer_Home_for_all_users", does not work.
The favorites are still there.
Sorry you had to uninstall StartAllBack to fix the bug.

Option Three will not remove the Favorites section from File Explorer Home. It will only hide or show the pinned files (Option One) under Favorites instead.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Sorry you had to uninstall StartAllBack to fix the bug.

Option Three will not remove the Favorites section from File Explorer Home. It will only hide or show the pinned files (Option One) under Favorites instead.
Is there a way to remove the Favorites section completely?

(I must have misunderstood something here.)


By the way, StartAllBack has already been updated; I was in contact with the developer and he fixed it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Enterprise
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire V5-552PG
    Memory
    12 GB
Is there a way to remove the Favorites section completely?

(I must have misunderstood something here.)


By the way, StartAllBack has already been updated; I was in contact with the developer and he fixed it.

Currently, option three will only hide items from showing under Favorites, but doesn't remove the Favorites section.

I haven't found a way to completely remove Favorites yet.

Great news on StartAllBack. They're usually pretty good about fixing things.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium

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