How to Reset and Clear Quick Access Pinned Folders in Windows 10
The Quick access page in File Explorer is the shortest route to files you've been working on and folders you often use. These are your frequent folders and recent files.
You can Pin to Quick access and Unpin from Quick access folders in Windows 10. These folder locations can include local and network folders, drives, libraries, Recycle Bin, etc..., but files and apps cannot be pinned to Quick access.
Folders pinned to Quick access will display under Frequent 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.
Resetting and clearing Quick access pinned folders can be helpful if you are having issues using Pin to Quick access, Unpin from Quick access, or you just wanted to clear Quick access pinned folders back to default.
This tutorial will show you how to reset and clear Quick access pinned folders back to default for your account in Windows 10.
When you reset and clear Quick access, it will only automatically clear the folders you pinned to Quick access, and not the default folders pinned to Quick access.
Contents
- Option One: Reset and Clear Quick Access Pinned Folders in Command Prompt
- Option Two: Reset and Clear Quick Access Pinned Folders in File Explorer
EXAMPLE: Default folders pinned to Quick access in File Explorer
1 Open a 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 When successfully deleted, you can close the command prompt if you like.
1 Open File Explorer (Win+E).
2 Click/tap on the icon to the left in the address bar, copy and paste %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations into the address bar, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
3 Delete (Ctrl+D) the f01b4d95cf55d32a.automaticDestinations-ms file in the AutomaticDestinations folder. (see screenshot below)
4 When finished, you can close File Explorer if you like.
That's it,
Shawn Brink
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How to Reset and Clear Quick Access Pinned Folders in Windows 10
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New #1
Excellent tutorial.
I was in a strange situation where right-mouse clicking on Quick Access entries did not offer a menu item for unpinning. I tried numerous ways to view Quick Access in order to unpin items, but nothing worked. Removing this f01b4d95cf55d32a.automaticDestinations-ms file was the only way to clear it. Now I can add folders to Quick Access and right-mouse click menu shows an "unpin" option for every item added. Back to normal function!
How to Reset and Clear Quick Access Pinned Folders in Windows 10
Published by Shawn BrinkCategory: Performance & Maintenance16 Feb 2022
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