Quick Access in Windows 10 is designed to make your most-used folders feel one click away. The trade-off is that it often becomes a noisy mix of pinned and recently used items, especially on shared PCs or after lots of browsing.
If you want File Explorer to feel tidy again, you can disable Quick Access behavior, stop it from tracking recent/frequent items, and in some cases remove it from the navigation pane entirely.
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This guide covers the practical options that actually work on Windows 10 builds where Quick Access is present (commonly 1709 and later), including an optional registry approach if the UI settings don’t “stick.”
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Quick Access shows two types of content: pinned shortcuts and recently used/frequently used folders. It’s intended to shorten the path to your common directories, but it can also surface clutter you’d rather not see.
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When you browse many locations, Quick Access can grow quickly—then every File Explorer launch becomes a reminder of what you (or someone else) recently opened.
Prerequisites Before You Change Anything
- You’re on Windows 10 (Quick Access is typically available starting with the Fall Creators Update era and later).
- For registry or Group Policy methods, you should have admin rights.
- If you use the registry method, create a restore point first (recommended).
Quick backup tip: In the Registry Editor, export the key you’re modifying so you can roll back quickly if something looks wrong.
Method 1: Disable Quick Access in File Explorer Options
This is the cleanest UI method for most people. It stops Quick Access from showing your recent and frequent folders and can also change what File Explorer opens to.
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- Click … (More) in the top bar, then choose Options.
- Open the General tab.
- Under Privacy, uncheck:
- Show recently used files in Quick access
- Show frequently used folders in Quick access
- In Open File Explorer to: select This PC.
- Click Apply, then OK.
After this, Quick Access may still appear as a section, but it stops learning and it won’t keep repopulating with recent/frequent items.
Method 2: Remove Quick Access from the Navigation Pane
If what bothers you is Quick Access appearing in the left sidebar, you can remove it from the navigation pane (you’ll still have access to folders via This PC and your usual locations).
- Open File Explorer.
- Go to the View tab.
- Select Options.
- Switch to the Navigation tab.
- Under Navigation pane, set Show all folders to your preferred choice (leave it enabled if you want fewer surprises in the tree).
- Look for an option that allows showing or hiding Quick access. If you see Show Quick access, uncheck it.
- Click Apply, then OK.
Reality check: On some Windows 10 versions, the exact Navigation options differ. If you don’t see a “Show Quick access” checkbox, use Method 1 plus one of the policy/registry methods below.
Method 3: Turn Off Recent/Frequent Items (Quick Access Data)
If you only want to stop Quick Access from storing what you open, Method 1 already handles it. Still, it’s worth calling out because people often uncheck the wrong thing.
In File Explorer Options > General, under Privacy, disable both privacy toggles:
- Show recently used files in Quick access
- Show frequently used folders in Quick access
Then you’ll get a stable “tidier” experience—no ongoing list building every time you browse documents.
Method 4: Disable Quick Access via Registry (Power User)
If Windows 10 keeps re-enabling Quick Access after updates, or if your UI options don’t reflect what you need, a registry change can force the behavior. Use this method carefully.
Step 1: Back up and open Registry Editor
- Press Win + R, type
regedit, and press Enter. - In Registry Editor, right-click Computer (top) and choose Export to create a backup.
Step 2: Apply the Quick Access policy values
Use these registry keys/values. If a value doesn’t exist, you may need to create it.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turn off Quick Access recent items | HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced |
Start_TrackDocs |
DWORD (32-bit) | 0 |
| Turn off Quick Access frequent folders | HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced |
Start_TrackProgs |
DWORD (32-bit) | 0 |
How to set each value: Navigate to the path, then:
- Right-click in the right pane > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value (even on 64-bit Windows, DWORD is correct here).
- Name it exactly as listed (e.g.,
Start_TrackDocs). - Double-click it and set Value data to
0. - Repeat for
Start_TrackProgs.
Optional cleanup: If you want the “Quick access” list to empty immediately, you can clear existing Quick Access history in File Explorer (see Troubleshooting).
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Restart Explorer: After changing values, restart File Explorer (details in troubleshooting section).
Method 5: Use Group Policy (Pro/Enterprise)
If you’re on Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, Group Policy is often more reliable than per-user UI settings.
Step 1: Open Group Policy Editor
- Press Win + R, type
gpedit.msc, and press Enter. - Navigate to:
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer
Step 2: Disable Quick Access tracking
- Find the policy items related to Quick access privacy/tracking (naming may vary by Windows 10 build).
- Set them to Enabled to disable tracking (or to Disabled depending on the policy wording).
- Click Apply.
Exact policy label names can differ across builds, so if you don’t find a perfect match, use the registry method (Method 4) which targets the underlying Explorer “track” values directly.
What Changes After Disabling Quick Access
You’ll typically see four outcomes after the privacy toggles are off and Explorer opens to This PC.
- No new “recent/frequent” entries appear in Quick access.
- File Explorer opens to This PC if you selected it in General options.
- Pinned items (if any) may still remain in the Quick access view unless you unpin them.
- Existing history may persist until cleared, depending on your approach.
Troubleshooting When Quick Access Won’t Stay Disabled
If Quick Access comes back after a restart or after a Windows update, it’s usually because the system re-applies Explorer defaults or another policy overrides your setting.
Restart File Explorer (faster than reboot)
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Find Windows Explorer.
- Right-click it and choose Restart.
Then reopen File Explorer and confirm the left pane and Quick access contents.
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Clear Quick access history
Windows 10 can keep previous entries around even after you stop tracking. To clear what’s already stored:
- Open File Explorer.
- In the address bar, paste:
%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent
- Delete the files you see there.
- Then open another address:
%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations
- Delete the contents shown.
- Optionally clear
CustomDestinationsas well:
%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\CustomDestinations
Gotcha: Deleting these folders affects Quick access history and Recent lists. If you don’t want to touch Recent behavior broadly, stick to the UI toggles and wait for updates to “settle.”
Check for policy overrides
If you’re in a managed environment (school/work PC), Group Policy or an endpoint tool can re-enable Quick access. Search for policies under the File Explorer node and confirm they match your desired state.
Confirm you’re on a build that supports the UI toggles
Some versions rename or relocate the checkboxes. Use File Explorer Options search quickly by going to the General tab and looking under Privacy for the two Quick access items.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Only unpinning items but leaving tracking enabled. You’ll still get new “frequent/recent” entries.
- Forgetting to set “Open File Explorer to: This PC.” You can disable tracking and still land in Quick access every time.
- Changing the wrong registry value path. The Advanced Explorer values live under
...for the current user.\Explorer\Advanced
- Not restarting Explorer after registry changes. Some updates won’t visually apply until you restart Explorer.
Quick Comparisons: Quick Access vs This PC
| Goal | Best option | What you’ll still see |
|---|---|---|
| Stop clutter from recent/frequent tracking | File Explorer Options (General > Privacy toggles) | Quick access may remain, but it won’t keep growing |
| Always start in a predictable folder view | File Explorer Options (General > Open File Explorer to: This PC) | Quick access exists, but you bypass it on launch |
| Hard disable tracking when UI keeps reverting | Registry (Advanced > Start_TrackDocs/Start_TrackProgs) | Quick access may still be present, but tracking is off |
| Managed setup across many machines | Group Policy | Consistent behavior across user accounts |
FAQs
Can I disable Quick Access but keep pinned shortcuts?
Yes. Uncheck the privacy toggles for recent/frequent tracking. Pinned items you add manually may still show up because pinning is independent of “tracking.”
Will disabling Quick Access remove my Recent history everywhere?
No. Quick access tracking is related to what File Explorer displays in Quick access and what it remembers for that view. Your system-wide “Recent” behavior depends on other components and settings.
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Why does Quick Access come back after a Windows 10 update?
Updates sometimes reset Explorer settings or re-apply defaults. If it keeps reverting, use the registry method (Method 4) or check Group Policy if your PC is managed.
Does this work on Windows 10 22H2?
In general, yes for the UI privacy toggles and “Open File Explorer to: This PC.” The navigation pane options may vary slightly by build, but the General tab privacy settings are the most consistent.
Bottom Line
If you want File Explorer to feel tidy on Windows 10, the most reliable path is File Explorer Options > General: turn off the two Quick access privacy checkboxes and set Open File Explorer to: This PC. That prevents new clutter from accumulating without fighting the UI every day.
If Quick Access keeps reappearing, use the registry method to disable tracking values for the current user, and restart Windows Explorer to force the changes to apply immediately.
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