Windows 10: CAN'T DELETE A FOLDER IN QUICK ACCESS IN FILE EXPLORER

Hi... I'm using a Dell laptop with Windows 10 Pro which is up todate. I have a folder listed in the Quick access list under My PC which no longer exists and I can't remove it or delete it.Does anyone have any idea as to how I can remove / delete the entry ?thanks B.E.

:)

 

Quick Access Crashes Explorer

Hi Bill,

Quick Access is a new feature in Windows 10 File Explorer navigation pane which helps users quickly navigate to locations which are frequently used. However, if you're having issues with Quick Access, you can try to disable and enable it. To disable Quick
Access, follow these steps:

• Type File Explorer Option in the search box.
• Click on File Explorer Options.
• Under General tab, choose This PC in the Open File Explorer to: drop down menu.
  
• Uncheck Show recently used files in Quick access and
  Show frequently use folders in Quick access.
• Click Apply an OK.
• Restart the computer and re-enable Quick access.

Let us know how it goes after performing the suggested troubleshooting steps.

 

File Explorer Quick Access change

Hi,

It is quite possible that your Quick Access is broken or corrupted. As an initial troubleshooting step to try resolve the issue, kindly follow the steps below:

• Open File Explorer and paste the following folder paths in the address bar and hit
  Enter.
  • %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations
  • %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\CustomDestinations
• 
  Once the folder is opened, press Ctrl+A to select all files. Right-click and select
  Delete, to delete all files in the folder.
  
• 
  Do the same for both the above-mentioned folders.
  
• 
  Restart your Windows 10 computer.
  

If you need further assistance, don't hesitate to get back to us.

 

Quick Access Not Working

Hi Dustin,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

Follow the below steps to repair the broken database of Quick Access.

Method 1:

Before repairing the database, try to disable and then re-enable Quick Access to see if it helps. To disable and re-enable Quick Access, follow the below steps:

Step 1: To remove frequent folders and recent files list from Quick Access, open File Explorer > click on View tab in Ribbon >
click on Options > Change folder and search options to open Folder Options.

Step 2: You’ll have to uncheck the following two check-boxes present under the Privacy section to disable Quick Access:

• Show recently used files in Quick Access.
  
• Show frequently used folders in Quick Access.
  

Step 3: Click Apply and Exit. The action will instantly remove these two sections from Quick Access in File Explorer. (To clear your Quick Access history press the ‘Clear’ button against Clear File Explorer History).

Step 4: Then, check
the following two check-boxes again to enable Quick Access that you did in
Step2.

• Show recently used files in Quick Access.
  
• Show frequently used folders in Quick Access.
  

Step 5: Restart the PC once and check the issue and if the issue persist, follow the
Method 2.

Method 2:

The Method 2 will repair the broken database of Quick Access.

Step 1: Open File Explorer and paste this folder path: %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations in the address bar and hit Enter.

Step 2: Once the folder is opened, press ‘Ctrl’ key and the ‘A’ from your keyboard to select all of its contents and delete it.

Step 3: Do the same for this folder path as well: %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\CustomDestinations

Step 4: Restart the PC once and check the issue.

Hope it helps.

Shafeeq Ali Khan

Microsoft Community - Moderator