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Quick Access Folder Order in Windows 11: How to Rearrange Pins in File Explorer

Windows 11 has no documented Quick access reordering control, but turning off Show all folders may let you drag pinned folders into a new order.
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You can try to reorder pinned folders in File Explorer’s Quick access section by turning off Show all folders and dragging pins within the left navigation pane. This is a community-reported workaround, not a documented Microsoft feature, and it does not work consistently on every setup.

How to rearrange Quick access folders

  1. Press Windows key + E to open File Explorer.

  2. Open the navigation pane settings. Depending on your Windows 11 interface, look under View > Show > Navigation pane or Folder Options > View > Navigation pane. Microsoft documents View > Show > Navigation Pane for displaying the pane, but does not document a reordering control. Microsoft’s File Explorer guidance covers pinning and unpinning instead.

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  3. Turn off Show all folders. A Windows 11 Forum tutorial reports that this makes Quick access a distinct section where pins can be moved.

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  4. In the left navigation pane, drag a pinned folder to its new position within Quick access. Release only when an insertion line appears between the intended folders. Do not drop directly onto another folder: that may create a shortcut inside the target folder rather than reorder the pin.

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Moving a folder to the first position

The tutorial says a folder cannot be dropped above the current top pin. Its suggested workaround is to move the folder you want first below the current top folder, then move the former top folder below it.

What the workaround changes—and what it does not

The tutorial says the new order should appear both in the navigation pane and in the Quick access group on Home. Quick access pins are available in both places. This procedure concerns the order of pinned folders in Quick access; it does not establish a way to move fixed top-level entries such as Home, Gallery, or OneDrive.

Microsoft’s File Explorer support page documents adding a folder by right-clicking or long-pressing it and choosing Pin to Quick access, and removing one with Unpin from Quick access. It does not specify a folder-reordering feature or endorse the drag-and-drop workaround.

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If dragging does not change the order

Community reports are mixed, including reports from Windows 11 23H2 Home and Pro systems. These reports are not controlled compatibility tests and do not establish which current builds support the behavior. The method is best treated as an experiment rather than a guaranteed setting. See the Microsoft Q&A discussion and community tutorial for user-reported experiences.

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Curate the list if custom ordering is unavailable

If reordering fails, you can still control which folders are pinned: use Pin to Quick access for folders you want readily available and Unpin from Quick access for ones you do not.

Starting with Windows 11 version 22H2, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Music, and Videos are available by default as pinned folders in Quick access in Home and the left navigation pane. If you unpin one, Microsoft says to open Home, select the Up arrow beside the address bar to show the known folders, and pin the folder again.

Quick access can also show recent files and frequent folders. To show only pinned folders, use View > Options and clear the applicable privacy checkboxes. That changes whether recent and frequent items appear; it is separate from pinning folders or attempting to reorder them.

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