How to Clear Quick Access in Windows 11? All Methods

Windows 11 allows you full customization like hiding the Search Bar and changing the Taskbar Size. The shortcut of “Quick Access in Windows 11 shows recently accessed files and folders. With time, it becomes cluttered with outdated or irrelevant items which slows down file explorer performance and makes it harder to find what you need quickly. Additionally, Quick Access creates privacy concerns when you are sharing your computer or giving presentations, it can expose sensitive or personal information. In other words, you are sharing your files with others.

However, clearing the Quick Access list maintains your privacy by ensuring others cannot easily see your recent activities. After clearing the list, you will see organized, relevant, and most recent files and folders with faster navigation within the File Explorer.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll discuss how to clear the Quick Access list in Windows 11 using the Settings App, File Explorer, Registry Editor, and third-party tools. We’ll also discuss, refreshing pinned items, removing them all at once, and even clearing Quick Access in Microsoft 365 (if you use it).

Let’s get started with a:

Quick Solution:

Here’s how to get rid of your Quick Access in Windows 11 with just a few clicks:

• Open File Explorer > View > Options > Change folder and search options > General > Show recently used files in Quick Access
• To clean things out, click the “Clear” button next to it. This deletes the list of recent files.

Now, let’s move ahead and learn about how to delete your Quick Access list in Windows 11 using various methods:

Related: How to Show or Hide Desktop Icons Windows 11?

Using File Explorer to Clean Up Quick Access List in Windows 11

This method will clear all the file explore history from the Quick Access List.

Follow the simple steps to clean up the quick-access menu:

1. Press “Win + E” or click the “Start Menu”, type and search for “File Explorer” or find it pinned to the taskbar. Once you find it open it.
   
2. In the File Explorer window, on the left side, you’ll see “Quick Access.” Click on it and select “Options” from there. If you don’t find it then click on the three dots (More options) in the toolbar at the top and select Options from the dropdown menu.
   
3. In the General tab, under the Privacy section, click on the Clear button next to “Clear File Explorer history” to remove all recent files and folders from Quick Access.
   
4. Click OK to save the changes and close the dialog box.

Doing so will clear file explorer history and your Quick Access list is fresh, ready for you to pin your favorite folders for faster access.

Using the Registry Editor to Clear Quick Access List in Windows 11

You can easily use Windows Registry Editor to clear the quick access list in Windows 11 and to achieve this follow the simple steps below:

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type “regedit” (without Quotes) and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
   
3. Navigate to the following registry key:HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\TypedPaths
4. Right-click on the TypedPaths key and select Delete.
5. Close the Registry Editor, and the Quick Access list should be cleared.

Using Disk Cleanup Method to Remove Quick Access List

1. Press Win+R, type cleanmgr and hit enter.
2. In the Disk Cleanup window, select the drive you want to clean (usually C:).
3. Check the files you want to delete (select the Recycle Bin, Temporary Internet Files, and Recent options) and then click the Clean up system  files button.
4. Click OK to start the cleanup process.

Manually Remove Items from Quick Access in Windows 11

If you do not like the idea of clearing everything (completely removing history) then, you can also remove specific items from your Quick Access list one by one.

Here’s how you can manually delete files or folders from Quick Access on Windows 11:

1. Press Win + E and open File Explorer
2. You’ll see Quick Access at the right-hand side potion at the top or in the left-hand sidebar, click on Quick Access.
3. Right-click on the item you want to remove.
4. Select Remove from Quick Access.
   

This keeps your Quick Access list tidy and full of only the things you use most often.

Turn Off Quick Access Completely By Disabling Recent Files and Frequent Folders

If you want to prevent recent files from being added to the Quick Access list in the future, you can do this through Folder Options.

Follow these steps:

1. Go to Start menu and search for “File Explorer” or press “Win + E”.
2. Click on the More Options button (three dots) in the toolbar located at the top and select “Options” from the drop down menu.
   
3. In the “Options” window, find the “General” tab. There, you’ll see options “Show recently used files in Quick Access” and “Show frequently used folders in Quick Access” Uncheck the boxes to disable Quick Access completely.

Now, File Explorer won’t show your recent files anymore.

Using the Control Panel to Clear the Quick Access List in Windows 11

Another way to clear the Quick Access list is to use the Control Panel, here is how to do it:

1. Search for “Control Panel” in the Start menu and open it. Or press the “Windows key + R” and type “Control Panel” and then hit enter.
2. Click “Appearance and Personalization”, then click on “File Explore Options”
   
3. To Clear File Explorer History, click on the General tab by default.
4. Under the Privacy section, uncheck all “Show recently used files”, “Show frequently used folders” and “Show files from office.com” and then click on the “Clear” button next to Clear File Explorer history.
   
5. To apply changes, Click on OK and close the window.

By following these steps, you have cleared the Quick Access list in Windows 11.

How to Reset Quick Access Pinned Items

To reset quick access back to its default settings:

1. Open File Explorer (by pressing Win + E).
2. In the left sidebar, right-click on Quick Access. Or go to “More Options” (click on three dots at the top).
3. Select Options from the menu.
4. In the General tab, click the Restore Defaults button to clear pinned items
   Click OK to Apply Changes.

Using Third-Party Quick Access Cleaner

Finally, there are special programs (not made by Microsoft) that can also clear your Quick Access list. These programs can be handy, but be careful! Before downloading any, make sure it comes from a trusted source by doing some research online.

Tools like CCleaner, and Wise Disk offer options for cleaning temporary files and browser data, and Quick Access list.

How to Restore Quick Access in Windows 10 and 11

Restore Quick Access in Windows 10

To restore Quick Access toolbar in Windows 10 follow the simple steps below:

1. Click on “Options” on the right side.
2. In the “Folder Options” window that appears, select the “General” tab.
3. Under the “Privacy” section, check the box next to “Show recently used files in Quick access”.
4. Click “Apply” and then “OK” to save the changes.

Can’t Find Quick Access in the Recent Updated File Explorer

follow these steps to restore Quick Access toolbar in Windows 11

1. Open “File Explorer” by pressing “Win + E”.
2. Then select “Options”.
3. Go to “General” tab, and then under the ‘Privacy’ section, tick “Show recent used files”, and “Show recently used folders”.
4. Click Apply and then OK

Conclusion

In short, your Windows 11 computer keeps track of all files and folders you used recently and makes them easier to find again. This can be helpful, but the list can get cluttered and outdated. With these methods, you should be able to clear your Quick Access list in Windows 11, remove unwanted pinned items, or even completely disable the feature if you prefer. You can also remove everything at once, and take out specific files.