Windows 10: Pinning file explorer to the task bar to access files and folders

I accidentally unpinned the file explorer icon from the task bar at the bottom of the screen. It is the icon I use to access all my files and folders. Now I can't access any of my folders. What can I do to recover the icon on the task bar?

:)

 

Windows 10 lost my pinned OneDrive file links on the task bar

First, my files are not missing, I simply cannot access them the same way I did with Windows 8 and 8.1

Correct behavior from Windows 8.1:

1) Open Windows Explorer

2) Find and open Notepad file "Notes.txt" located in a OneDrive folder

3) Notepad is pinned to the task bar

4) Right-click on Notepad icon in task bar

5) List of recent files appears, including files recently opened on OneDrive

6) Right-click on "Notes.txt", left-click on Pin To This List

7) "Notes.txt" is now quickly accessible from the list of files in the Notepad list on the task bar

Under Windows 10, step 5 is broken. Files located on OneDrive never appear in the list of recent items for a pinned application on the task bar. This behavior is duplicated on the Start Menu Jump List.

Under Windows 8.1, I had many pinned documents connected to applications on my task bar. As soon as Windows 10 booted the first time, these links disappeared. Links to documents on the desktop or in my local Documents folder, remained linked to task bar
applications.

Has anyone else seen this behavior, or is it just my computer?

 

Pinning To File Explorer

I can confirm that in 1903 I can click and drag a folder and pin it to File Explorer on the taskbar. I can also confirm that the pinned folders on the taskbar are the same ones show in Quick Access in File Explorer, and that pinning a new one to the taskbar adds it to Quick Access.

It may be that your File Explorer jump list is corrupted. This can happen occasionally and have similar odd effects to those you describe. If so, you can delete the jump list and start again with an empty list. To do so, delete the file:

%appdata%\microsoft\windows\recent\automaticdestinations\f01b4d95cf55d32a.automaticDestinations-ms

To clear the jump lists for all apps, not just the one for File Explorer, see this tutorial.

Clear File Explorer History in Windows 10

 

Pinning To File Explorer

I have no problem pinning folders to the quick access in file explorer. However that's not the same list that I see when I right click on the file explorer icon in my task bar.

There are eleven items on the right click menu. There were 12 but I unpinned one. There are 13 folders pinned to the quick access menu when I open file explorer.

Yes, the 11 on the right click menu are also among the 13 pinned to quick access. But I need to see them all on the right click menu or it's nearly worthless. If I have to click on the file explorer icon to open it then find the item in the quick access list, there's no advantage at all in having the right click menu for file explorer.

For some reason this isn't working like it did when I had v.1803.