About Moving Quick Access Back to the Top of File Explorer

Question

About Moving Quick Access Back to the Top of File Explorer

Marzena Ryt 30

Could you please guide me on how to move Quick Access back to the top of the navigation pane in File Explorer on Windows 11 Pro.

The idea of Quick Access is to have it immediately available at the top of the list for convenience, but in the current layout it’s lower down. Is there a way to customize or restore it so that Quick Access appears at the very top again?

Any instructions or tips you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Tim Gent 0 Reputation points

2026-04-08T12:16:56.8433333+00:00

I came with the same question. The answer given by @Quinnie Quoc looks crazy to me. The prompt to pin still says 'Pin to Quick Access'. And then adds the folder to what looks very much like the Quick Access list ... but no longer in a place that makes it convenient to access! (The 'All Folders' thing does nothing helpful, complete red herring).
Just another bizarre UI decision from Microsoft? Possibly like relocating the taskbar this will get fixed eventually...
(Not going into registry changes for such a simple UI change, that's madness!!!)

1 answer

Your answer

Tim Gent 0 Reputation points

2026-04-08T12:16:56.8433333+00:00

I came with the same question. The answer given by @Quinnie Quoc looks crazy to me. The prompt to pin still says 'Pin to Quick Access'. And then adds the folder to what looks very much like the Quick Access list ... but no longer in a place that makes it convenient to access! (The 'All Folders' thing does nothing helpful, complete red herring).
Just another bizarre UI decision from Microsoft? Possibly like relocating the taskbar this will get fixed eventually...
(Not going into registry changes for such a simple UI change, that's madness!!!)

Answer 1

Quinnie Quoc 11,810 Independent Advisor

Dear Marzena Ryt,

In Windows 11, the File Explorer layout has evolved, and what was previously labeled as "Quick Access" is now part of the "Home" section. By default, Home appears at the top of the navigation pane, while pinned folders (formerly Quick Access items) are listed below.

To improve visibility and restore a familiar layout, you can try the following:

Open File Explorer, go to View > Show, and ensure Navigation pane is enabled.

Right-click the left pane and uncheck “Show all folders”—this often reorders the pane to prioritize Home and pinned folders.

To pin folders to Quick Access, right-click any folder and select “Pin to Quick Access”.

If you'd prefer a registry-based solution to adjust the sort order, advanced users have shared methods on Windows 11 forums.

We appreciate your feedback and encourage you to submit suggestions via the Feedback Hub (Windows key + F), as user input helps shape future updates.

If this message is useful for you, please give it a vote.

Best regards,

Quinnie Quoc.

Quinnie Quoc 11,810 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-09-11T03:05:43.2233333+00:00

Hi Marzena Ryt,

In Windows 11, the File Explorer layout has evolved, and what was previously labeled as "Quick Access" is now part of the "Home" section. By default, Home appears at the top of the navigation pane, while pinned folders (formerly Quick Access items) are listed below.

To improve visibility and restore a familiar layout, you can try the following:

Open File Explorer, go to View > Show, and ensure Navigation pane is enabled.

Right-click the left pane and uncheck “Show all folders”—this often reorders the pane to prioritize Home and pinned folders.

To pin folders to Quick Access, right-click any folder and select “Pin to Quick Access”.

If you'd prefer a registry-based solution to adjust the sort order, advanced users have shared methods on Windows 11 forums.

We appreciate your feedback and encourage you to submit suggestions via the Feedback Hub (Windows key + F), as user input helps shape future updates.

If this message is useful for you, please give it a vote.

Best regards,

Quinnie Quoc.
Quinnie Quoc 11,810 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-09-11T03:18:55.0633333+00:00

Hi,

In Windows 11, the File Explorer layout has evolved, and what was previously labeled as "Quick Access" is now part of the "Home" section. By default, Home appears at the top of the navigation pane, while pinned folders (formerly Quick Access items) are listed below.

To improve visibility and restore a familiar layout, you can try the following:

Open File Explorer, go to View > Show, and ensure Navigation pane is enabled.

Right-click the left pane and uncheck “Show all folders”—this often reorders the pane to prioritize Home and pinned folders.

To pin folders to Quick Access, right-click any folder and select “Pin to Quick Access”.

If you'd prefer a registry-based solution to adjust the sort order, advanced users have shared methods on Windows 11 forums.

We appreciate your feedback and encourage you to submit suggestions via the Feedback Hub (Windows key + F), as user input helps shape future updates.

Best regards,

Quinnie Quoc.
James Seabrook 30 Reputation points

2025-10-09T10:00:27.1566667+00:00

Dear Quinnie,

I appreciate you have tried to help here, but I think you've answered a different question to the one asked. The question asked is "how to move the whole of the quick access section to the top of the navigation panel in Explorer."

I can't find a way to do this. As OP indicated, this would be very useful. Please answer the question asked. If it's not possible, please say so and also indicate how to add it to an enhancement request list.

Thank you.
Taylor, Tracey 0 Reputation points

2025-12-04T18:31:29.78+00:00

Anyone have a link to the vaguely referred-to registry changes? I can't find them.
¯_(ツ)_/¯

"If you'd prefer a registry-based solution to adjust the sort order, advanced users have shared methods on Windows 11 forums."
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Ben M 0 Reputation points

2026-07-01T05:42:42.4066667+00:00

Completely unhelpful answer unfortunately. Saying it has 'evolved' is incorrect. It's devolved. It's less user-friendly than it was.

What needs to happen, what SHOULD happen, is for Quick Access to be the topmost section. It is not. It is below the "Home" section.

If you have expand to current folder, then whenever you click a pinned folder, it opens and shunts everything down, meaning to access the quick access, it's significantly out of the way. It should remain literally pinned at the top.

The 'option' of turning off expand to current, is not helpful either and just leads to more clicking to expand out folders and waste time.