Windows 10: Open to This PC or Quick access in File Explorer in Windows 10

How to: Open to This PC or Quick access in File Explorer in Windows 10

Set File Explorer to Open to This PC or Quick access by Default in Windows 10


Information In Windows 10, File Explorer opens to Quick access by default which shows your Frequent folders and Recent files.

• Frequent folders = Displays up to ten folders that you frequently opened on the system.
• Recent files = Displays up to twenty files that you most recently opened.

This PC displays your Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, and Videos folders in addition to the usual devices and drives (hard drives, optical drives, and removable devices) and network locations.


This tutorial will show you how to set File Explorer to open to either This PC, Quick access, or Downloads by default for your user account in Windows 10.


CONTENTS:

• Option One: Set to Open File Explorer to Quick access in File Explorer Options
• Option Two: Set to Open File Explorer to Quick access using a REG File

EXAMPLE: File Explorer opened to "This PC" and "Quick access"














OPTION ONE [/i] Set to Open File Explorer to Quick access in File Explorer Options
1. Open File Explorer Options.

2. In the General tab, select Quick access (default) or This PC in the Open File Explorer to drop menu for what you want, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)









OPTION TWO [/i] Set to Open File Explorer to Quick access using a REG File


Note The .reg files below will modify the DWORD value below in the registry key below.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

LaunchTo DWORD

1 = This PC
2 = Quick access
3 = Downloads


1. Do step 2 (Quick access), step 3 (This PC), or step 4 (Downloads) below for what you would like to do.


2. To Open File Explorer to Quick access
NOTE: This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.

Open_File_Explorer_to_Quick_access.reg

Download

3. To Open File Explorer to This PC
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.

Open_File_Explorer_to_This_PC.reg

Download

4. To Open File Explorer to Downloads
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.

Open_File_Explorer_to_Downloads.reg

Download
5. Save the .reg file to your desktop.

6. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

7. When prompted, click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

8. You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.


That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Create a This PC Shortcut in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove This PC in Navigation Pane of File Explorer in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove Control Panel from This PC in Windows 10
• How Add or Remove Folders from This PC in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove Quick access in Navigation Pane of File Explorer in Windows 10
• How to Change Icons of Folders in This PC in Windows 10
• How to Change Default Icon for This PC in Windows 10
• How to Change Quick Access Icon in File Explorer in Windows 10

:)

 

File Explorer not responding after Win 10 Fall Creator update

Thank you for the quick reply and suggestions.

What I tried that worked so far and I'll probably leave at that: go into file explorer options and select 'open file explorer' to This PC. The bugaboo in my case seems to be the Quick Access button. If File Explorer opens to Quick Access or if you select
Quick Access after File Explorer opens successfully, File Explorer freezes.

 

Windows Explorer Crashes after Resizing/Snapping

The bug is in "Quick Access." If you set the windows explorer to open to "This PC" instead of Quick Access the problem goes away.

Here's how:

Open Windows Explorer

Right click on Quick Access

Go to Options

In the General tab change "Open File Explorer to "This PC".

Here's a youtube video that shows how:

Microsoft, fix this please. It's rather annoying.

 

Found another method that not only sees any new File Explorer windows open direct to the This PC but also eliminate all clutter seen for folders above drives as well as cleaning things up under Quick Access and the navigation pane all rolls into one simple task.





When someone was asking how to find the This PC this method was part of the replies posted which is quite basic to see done as you will notice.
1) go to the Windows directory and locate the "explorer.exe" file which is for the main Windows shell.
2) right click and choose the create new shortcut option which is when the prompt seen there will appear indicating the new shortcut can only be made on the desktop since that is in a protected OS system folder.
3)Once created you simply right click to rename the shortcut to File Explorer, Explorer, or "This PC" as you will arrive at when clicking on it.

In the past when having accidentally nuked the pre-pinned shortcut for Explorer I saw this done as a replacement. And now in 10 with these two Quick Access, This PC, and additional folders being clutter in the drive pane this was a fast solution. In previous versions this would have appeared as the My Computer or Computer icon you would have seen on the default desktop or pinned as the WE in 7. And if you have need for multiples you can easily see the new shortcut dragged into a new Quick Launch type toolbar added onto the main taskbar as well as being pinned.