- Open File Explorer.
- Click the three-dot icon at the top-right of the window.
- Select “Options.”
- Click the “General” tab.
- Change the “Open File Explorer To” option to “Home.”
- Click “OK” and relaunch File Explorer.
Can’t find your pinned items in your PC’s Quick Access menu? Or, has the entire menu just disappeared for you? Either way, you can force your computer to bring the menu back and display all your items in it. Here’s how to do that on your Windows 11 PC.
First, Set File Explorer to Open to Home
When you don’t see your favorite Quick Access menu in File Explorer’s left sidebar, make the file manager launch to the “Home” section to bring that menu back.
To do that, open a File Explorer window using Windows+E. At the top of the window, click the three dots and choose “Options.”
On the “Folder Options” window, at the top, click the “General” tab. Then, select the “Open File Explorer To” drop-down menu and choose “Home.”
Save your changes by clicking “Apply” followed by “OK” at the bottom.
Close and reopen File Explorer, and you’ll see the Quick Access menu.
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Re-Pin Your Items to Quick Access
If some items are missing from the Quick Access menu, re-pin those items to bring them back in the menu.
To add an item to Quick Access, first, find that item in a File Explorer window. Then, right-click that item and choose “Pin to Quick Access.”
Windows will immediately add that item to your Quick Access menu, and you’re all set.
Enable the Recent Files Option in File Explorer
If your recent files have disappeared from Quick Access, ensure the option that displays those files is enabled in your File Explorer settings.
To do that, open File Explorer, click the three dots, and choose “Options.”
On the “Folder Options” window, in the “General” tab, toggle on the “Show Recently Used Files” option.
Then, at the bottom, click “Apply” followed by “OK.”
File Explorer now displays your recent files in Quick Access, letting you quickly get back to them.
RELATED: How to Clear Your File Explorer “Recent Files” History in Windows 10
Clear Your File Explorer History
Sometimes, a minor glitch in File Explorer can cause the Quick Access menu not to appear, even if its’ enabled. In this case, clear your file manager history to possibly fix your issue.
To do that, open File Explorer, click the three dots, and choose “Options.” On the “Folder Options” window, click the “General” tab. Then, next to “Clear File Explorer History,” click “Clear.”
File Explorer will wipe your history, and your Quick Access menu should be back.
Fix Windows’ Corrupted Files
Windows 11’s corrupted operating system files can cause your various PC features to malfunction. Quick Access not appearing in File Explorer may be the result of bad system files.
In this case, use Windows’ built-in SFC (System File Checker) tool to find and fix all the broken system files on your computer.
To do that, open the “Start” menu, find “Command Prompt”, and select “Run as Administrator.” In the “User Account Control” prompt, choose “Yes.”
In Command Prompt, type the following command and press Enter. This command requests Windows Update to download the required files to fix your faulty files.
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
When your PC has downloaded the required content, run the following command to start finding and fixing broken files on your system:
sfc /scannow
When your corrupted files are fixed, restart your PC. You’ll now see the Quick Access menu in your File Explorer utility.
Now that you’ve got Quick Access back in your File Explorer, learn how to get rid of check boxes in File Explorer, or check out File Explorer’s best features.
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