General Clear and Reset Quick Access Folders in Windows 11


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This tutorial will show you how to clear and reset Quick access frequent folders back to default for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Quick access in the navigation pane of File Explorer (Win+E) allows you to quickly access and view your pinned locations, frequent folders, and recent files from one location in Quick Access.

You can Pin to Quick access and Unpin from Quick access items. These locations include local and network files files (build 22557), folders, drives, libraries, OneDrive, This PC, Recycle Bin, etc...

Folders pinned to Quick access will display under Folders in Quick access in File Explorer, and under Quick access in the navigation pane of File Explorer.

Folders you pin or unpin for Quick access will also be pinned or unpinned in the jump list of File Explorer on the taskbar and Start menu.

Clearing and resetting Quick access folders will remove all frequent and pinned folders in Quick access, and restore the default pinned Desktop, Downloads, Documents, and Pictures folders in Quick access and File Explorer jump list. This can be helpful if you are having issues using Pin to Quick access, Unpin from Quick access, or you just wanted to clear and reset Quick access folders back to default.

Starting with Windows 11 build 22593, Quick access 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 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.

Starting with Windows 11 version 22H2 KB5030310 Build 22621.2361, now that File Explorer is powered by Windows App SDK, Microsoft is introducing a modernized File Explorer Home powered by WinUI. Recommended files for users signed into Windows with an Azure Active Directory (AAD) account will be displayed as a carousel and support file thumbnails which is coming soon. Quick Access folders (available by default for users signed into Windows with a Microsoft account), Favorites, and Recent also bring in an updated experience with WinUI.


Contents

  • Option One: Clear and Reset Quick Access Folders in Command Prompt
  • Option Two: Clear and Reset Quick Access Folders in File Explorer


EXAMPLE: Quick access folders and Pinned folders on File Explorer jump list before and after clear and reset

Quick_access_before_reset.png
Quick_access_after_reset.png


File_Explorer_jump_list_before_reset.jpg
File_Explorer_jump_list_after_reset.jpg





Option One

Clear and Reset Quick Access Folders 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\f01b4d95cf55d32a.automaticDestinations-ms"

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

Reset_Quick_access_folders_command.png





Option Two

Clear and Reset Quick Access Folders 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 f01b4d95cf55d32a.automaticDestinations-ms file in the AutomaticDestinations folder.

4 You can now close File Explorer if you like.

Reset_Quick_access_folders_File_Explorer.png



That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

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Hi Shawn :)

Thanking you for the great tutorial, please allow me to recommend a third option to Clear Quick Access folders, while preserving any user pinned Folders.
In that way only the system added recent Folders will be cleared, whereas any user pinned Folders will remain intact.
Please mind you, that this method doesn't break the newly added (Build 22000.527) weather content at the left side of the taskbar.

The only thing needed is to run in Terminal, in an elevated PowerShell tab, the following Commands (someone can also put them in a ps1 file and run it as a script!)

Powershell:
# Clear unpinned folders from Quick Access, using the Verbs() method
$RecentQuickAccessFolders = (0,0)
While ($RecentQuickAccessFolders) {
    $RecentQuickAccessFolders = (((New-Object -ComObject Shell.Application).Namespace("shell:::{679f85cb-0220-4080-b29b-5540cc05aab6}").Items() |
    where IsFolder -eq $true).Verbs() | where Name -Match "Remove from Quick access")
    If ($RecentQuickAccessFolders) { $RecentQuickAccessFolders.DoIt() }
}
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL Precision 3560
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7 (Tiger Lake)
    Motherboard
    DELL 004N73 / UEFI Ver. 1.18.1
    Memory
    SK Hynix 16GB DDR4 3200MHz SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel® iRIS® Xe Graphics / NVIDIA T500 2GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6"
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 IPS
    Hard Drives
    Internal: KIOXIA BG4 Series 512 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
    External: 2 x WD Passport 2TB USB 3.0, 1 x Toshiba 500GB USB 3.0
    Keyboard
    Standard laptop backlit keyboard with numeric keypad
    Mouse
    hp wheel mouse
    Browser
    MS Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    MS Windows Defender
    Other Info
    DELL USB slim Optical Drive DW316
    Macrium Reflect v8 (backup and.... lifesaver)
Hi Shawn :)

Thanking you for the great tutorial, please allow me to recommend a third option to Clear Quick Access folders, while preserving any user pinned Folders.
In that way only the system added recent Folders will be cleared, whereas any user pinned Folders will remain intact.
Please mind you, that this method doesn't break the newly added (Build 22000.527) weather content at the left side of the taskbar.

The only thing needed is to run in Terminal, in an elevated PowerShell tab, the following Commands (someone can also put them in a ps1 file and run it as a script!)

Powershell:
# Clear unpinned folders from Quick Access, using the Verbs() method
$RecentQuickAccessFolders = (0,0)
While ($RecentQuickAccessFolders) {
    $RecentQuickAccessFolders = (((New-Object -ComObject Shell.Application).Namespace("shell:::{679f85cb-0220-4080-b29b-5540cc05aab6}").Items() |
    where IsFolder -eq $true).Verbs() | where Name -Match "Remove from Quick access")
    If ($RecentQuickAccessFolders) { $RecentQuickAccessFolders.DoIt() }
}
Nice one Dmitri, haven't tested it but I like the PS code.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows
Nice one Dmitri, haven't tested it but I like the PS code.
Thanks Craig! :wink:
Please whenever you find time give it a try and let us know!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL Precision 3560
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7 (Tiger Lake)
    Motherboard
    DELL 004N73 / UEFI Ver. 1.18.1
    Memory
    SK Hynix 16GB DDR4 3200MHz SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel® iRIS® Xe Graphics / NVIDIA T500 2GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6"
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 IPS
    Hard Drives
    Internal: KIOXIA BG4 Series 512 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
    External: 2 x WD Passport 2TB USB 3.0, 1 x Toshiba 500GB USB 3.0
    Keyboard
    Standard laptop backlit keyboard with numeric keypad
    Mouse
    hp wheel mouse
    Browser
    MS Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    MS Windows Defender
    Other Info
    DELL USB slim Optical Drive DW316
    Macrium Reflect v8 (backup and.... lifesaver)

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 PRO
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS GL703GS
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-8750H
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GTX 1070 8GB
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC295
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AUO B173HAN03.2 G-Sync, XiaoMi Mi 34" FreeSync Premium
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080@144Hz (internal), 3440x1440@144Hz (external)
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WD Black SN850X 1TB, SanDisk SDSSDH3 2TB
    PSU
    230W
    Mouse
    ROG Strix Carry Wireless-BT mouse
    Other Info
    4K UHD USB Archgon Star Blu-Ray 4K UHD,
    8BitDo Arcade Stick,
    EasySMX X10 controller
@Brink
Can you add a hint to simply reset Quick Access/Home view mode in case it gets corrupt?
:wink:
 

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
Ah! I was sure there was already a tutorial for that... ;-) Sorry, I couldn't find it with a common search: "reset Quick access view".
Maybe it can be added to the Related Tutorials links?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 PRO
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS GL703GS
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-8750H
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GTX 1070 8GB
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC295
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AUO B173HAN03.2 G-Sync, XiaoMi Mi 34" FreeSync Premium
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080@144Hz (internal), 3440x1440@144Hz (external)
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WD Black SN850X 1TB, SanDisk SDSSDH3 2TB
    PSU
    230W
    Mouse
    ROG Strix Carry Wireless-BT mouse
    Other Info
    4K UHD USB Archgon Star Blu-Ray 4K UHD,
    8BitDo Arcade Stick,
    EasySMX X10 controller
Hi Shawn.

Is there a way to programmatically (registry tweak, batch/powershell, etc) clear Quick Access INCLUDING the default folders (Desktop, Downloads, Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos)?

In other words, I am looking for a "clear WITHOUT reset" of Quick Access, or a separate "clear the default folders in Quick Access".

Thanks - Seto
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink U59
    Other Info
    Build 22621.1194
Hi Shawn.

Is there a way to programmatically (registry tweak, batch/powershell, etc) clear Quick Access INCLUDING the default folders (Desktop, Downloads, Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos)?

In other words, I am looking for a "clear WITHOUT reset" of Quick Access, or a separate "clear the default folders in Quick Access".

Thanks - Seto

Hello Seto, :alien:

If you're not wanting to use "Quick access", then you could see if using the tutorial below to remove it may work in this situation.

 

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
@Brink

Thanks for this tutorial. My Documents and Pictures folders disappeared from Quick Access, and they are now back! (y)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop

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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