Quick Access menu missing in Windows 11

Quick Access, a feature in File Explorer allows you easy access to your recent files and folders. You can manually pin or unpin frequently used folders via Quick Access. In the recent Windows 11 update, Quick Access is not in the place where it used to be. You can now find it in the left Navigation pane as a folder. But Some users encountered that the Quick Access menu is missing in Windows 11 and hence, they are not able to access files and folders. In this article, we are going to show you how to handle this issue.

How to fix the Quick Access menu missing in Windows 11

If the Quick Access menu is missing in Windows 11, then execute the solutions mentioned below:

1. Update your Windows 11
2. Clear File Explorer History
3. Enable All Options under Navigation Pane
4. Re-pin all Quick Access items
5. Perform an in-Place repair

Let’s get this work rolling.

1] Update your Windows with the latest version

It is a known fact that if you are running an outdated version of the OS then you are definitely going to run-in into errors, however, sometimes, an issue can be caused due to an update or you may encounter the issue in question due to a bug. If this scene is applicable, you can update the Windows, and your issue will be resolved. This will not only resolve the issue but also power up the overall performance of your PC. So, go ahead and update your Windows, hopefully, your issue will be resolved.

2] Clear File Explorer History

Quick Access Menu is a part of File Explorer, therefore you have to make sure there is no issue related to File explorer. For instance, you are going to face the issue if the File Explorer’s cache is corrupted as it will slow down its loading, and may just stop Quick Access Menu from launching. You can get rid of this issue by clearing the File Explorer history, and following the steps prescribed below to do the same.

• Click Win+E to open File Explorer.
• Now, click on the Action button (three horizontal dots), and then on the Options.
• Go to the General tab, in the Privacy option, select the Clear button.

Wait for the process to complete, and then check if the issue resolves.

3] Enable All Options under Navigation Pane

You need to make sure that you have not configured the Quick Access menu to stop appearing in File Explorer Windows 11, and even Windows 10 have a highly customizable Navigation Panel, hence, a slight adjustment can cause a huge turmoil. So, let us fix it and get you your Quick Access back using the following steps.

• Click Win+R to open the Run dialog box and then type the following:

  control.exe folders

• Now, click Ctrl+Shit+Enter to open File Explorer Option, and select the Yes button when the User Account Control box will appear. Doing so will grant access to admin.
• After doing that, go to the View tab and find Navigation Pane.
• Finally, enable each item under it and select the Apply button.

Once done, reboot your PC, and then see if the Quick Acess menu issue persists or not.

Related: Quick Access pinned folders missing or disappeared

4] Remove Quick Access items and re-pin it

In this solution, we are going to make sure that the Quick Access link is not corrupted. If it is corrupted then this can become the source of this error, and you can only resolve the error by removing each and every content from Quick Access and then re-pinning it. If this scene is applicable to you, execute the steps mentioned below.

• Click Win+R to open the Run dialog box.
•  Type cmd and click Ctrl+Shit+Enter and click on the Yes button when the User Account Control screen appears on the screen to run Command Prompt as administrator.
• After doing this, delete Recent, Automatic Destination, and Custom Destinations in the Quick Access menu, to do the same, execute each of the following commands respectively.

del /F /Q %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\*

del /F /Q %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations\*

del /F /Q %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\CustomDestinations\

Now, reboot your device and see whether you can see the Quick access.

5] Repair System Files

Lastly, the error can also plague your PC if there are any internal system issues. In such cases, you can repair the Windows computer using the Installation Media.

Why is my Quick Access not showing up?

Many users are also facing the issue where Quick Access is not working or slow to open due to various reasons such as App data, glitches, and so on. If you are in the same boat, don’t worry, as you can solve it in a few steps.