File Explorer - displaying Quick Access within Home via registry

ninbura · Dec 27, 2023

A few Windows 11 updates ago they changed the Home view in File Explorer pretty dramatically.

It used to be that when I disabled the following explorer settings on the General tab of Folder options my Home view would just display Quick Access.

Show recently used files - HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShowFrequent
Show frequently used folders - HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShowRecent
Include account-based insights, recent, favorite, and recommended files - HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShowCloudFilesInQuickAccess

But now disabling all these options leaves the Home view completely blank... Until I manually re-enable one of the above options through the ui, and then disable it again. Then all I see is Quick Access which is what I want. However, I'm trying to achieve this final result through registry modification via a PowerShell script.

After running my PowerShell script:

After checking "Show recently used files", applying, unchecking "Show recently used files", and applying again:

Any ideas as to how I can disable all these options & get Quick Access to display in Home without interacting with the UI? Similar discussion here, but they never actually got to the bottom of it, and just enabled one of the view settings.

dacrone · Jan 1, 2024

Can you just reenable Quick Access with

Code:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

And set HubMode to 0 ?

That used to be it, but I haven’t used it in a long time

hdmi · Jan 1, 2024

Microsoft renamed Quick Access to Home in Windows 11 version 22H2. However, unlike Home, Quick Access allowed the user to select which recent files will be listed in Quick Access by selecting and deleting those specific files that were not wanted there.

Personally, I, have zero use for the new File Explorer that has the Command bar at the top instead of the Windows 10 Ribbon (and tabs). The navigation pane (with its piddle poor behavior and with its severely degraded customizability options, when compared to the old File Explorer) is only one of multiple reasons why that is. As a matter of true fact, this whole File Explorer is still rife with bugs. It really boggles the mind that they couldn't get it fixed after all this time. So, I use ExplorerPatcher (from GitHub) to surgically remove the new File Explorer and substitute it with the old one. Open-Shell (also from GitHub) works perfect with it for me, and so do Winearo Tweaker and Ultimate Windows Tweaker (both of which include multiple tweaks that can optionally be used to customize File Explorer further still, among various other useful tweaks).

ninbura · Jan 6, 2024

dacrone said:
Can you just reenable Quick Access with

Code:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

And set HubMode to 0 ?

That used to be it, but I haven’t used it in a long time

Unfortunately this didn't work.

hdmi said:
Microsoft renamed Quick Access to Home in Windows 11 version 22H2. However, unlike Home, Quick Access allowed the user to select which recent files will be listed in Quick Access by selecting and deleting those specific files that were not wanted there.

Personally, I, have zero use for the new File Explorer that has the Command bar at the top instead of the Windows 10 Ribbon (and tabs). The navigation pane (with its piddle poor behavior and with its severely degraded customizability options, when compared to the old File Explorer) is only one of multiple reasons why that is. As a matter of true fact, this whole File Explorer is still rife with bugs. It really boggles the mind that they couldn't get it fixed after all this time. So, I use ExplorerPatcher (from GitHub) to surgically remove the new File Explorer and substitute it with the old one. Open-Shell (also from GitHub) works perfect with it for me, and so do Winearo Tweaker and Ultimate Windows Tweaker (both of which include multiple tweaks that can optionally be used to customize File Explorer further still, among various other useful tweaks).

Ah, that's right. It didn't even use to be called "Home".

I personally prefer the new explorer. I never used the Ribbon. For the most part, I use context menus. People hate the new context menu as well, I don't. I can just hold shift to access the expanded context menu the 10% of the time I need it. For me, tabs in explorer is by far the most important update. I was using qttabbar in the past; added tabs, but caused many other issues.

ninbura · Jan 6, 2024

This seems to have changed since the update that added "Show recommended section" & changed "Show files from Office.com" to "Include account-based insights, recent, favorite, and recommended files" in File Explorer's options. I can't recall after which update these options were added.

My goal is to hide everything except for quick access within File Explorer Home without using the gui. I use to be able to do this by either disabling each option's respective registry key, or disabling every option except "Show frequently used folders".

Powershell:

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer" -Name "ShowRecent" -PropertyType "DWord" -Value 0 -Force
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer" -Name "ShowCloudFilesInQuickAccess" -PropertyType "DWord" -Value 0 -Force
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer" -Name "ShowFrequent" -PropertyType "DWord" -Value 1 -Force

But now this leaves File Explorer Home blank:

Adding your suggested path to the mix changes nothing, at least with the above configuration.

Powershell:

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HomeFolderMSGraph\NameSpace\DelegateFolders\{3936E9E4-D92C-4EEE-A85A-BC16D5EA0819}" -Name "(Default)" -Value "Frequent Places Folder" -Force

However, if I open up the "Folder Options" dialog, and manually uncheck/check "Show frequently used folders", it displays as desired:

But as I mentioned before; I'd like to accomplish this without touching the gui. I've verified that the keys are actually being generated / set properly after running my PowerShell code. And it reflects in the Folder Options dialog... no dice.

While verifying results within Registry Editor, I noticed that in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer there's a new folder called HomeFolderMSGraph_WithRecommendations. And if I add {3936E9E4-D92C-4EEE-A85A-BC16D5EA0819} to its decedents (\NameSpace\DelegateFolders); quick access displays in Home. But so does the Recommended section, which I don't want.

Powershell:

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HomeFolderMSGraph_WithRecommendations\NameSpace\DelegateFolders\{3936E9E4-D92C-4EEE-A85A-BC16D5EA0819}" -Name "(Default)" -Value "Frequent Places Folder" -Force

Pretty lost, kind of just seems like something's bugged. But maybe there's just a new key I don't see or know about.

hdmi · Jan 6, 2024

ninbura said:
I personally prefer the new explorer. I never used the Ribbon.

The ribbon has an option to stay hidden.

ninbura said:
For the most part, I use context menus. People hate the new context menu as well, I don't. I can just hold shift to access the expanded context menu the 10% of the time I need it.

The old context menu also lets me hold Shift to access the expanded context menu. So, I don't think I understand what's your point. The new context menu contains fewer menu items (commands) and also is harder to customize than the old one. The icons at the top of the new context menu are an unnecessary distraction. The two-tone color scheme of these icons contributes to what I like to call "the icon soup effect". For people who are not colorblind, it just makes these icons harder to distinguish and pinpoint them spontaneously effortlessly in a flash because they all look very similar so as a result they become just another distraction by drawing the user's attention away from the menu items listed directly below them, thereby causing added fatigue when it's not necessary. GUI design is a part of science. These kinds of detrimental effects have all been studied in depth. They are productivity killers, and are verfied to be that. The user shouldn't have to go in the Windows registry to be able to correct the issue. Period.

ninbura said:
For me, tabs in explorer is by far the most important update. I was using qttabbar in the past; added tabs, but caused many other issues.

Tabs in File Explorer only have two main purposes. First and foremost, it is to encourage the user to hit the wrong tab. Their second purpose being, that they take up more additional screen estate for no good reason besides upping the need for secondary display devices that benefits those who are selling those devices.

hdmi · Jan 6, 2024

ninbura said:
Pretty lost, kind of just seems like something's bugged. But maybe there's just a new key I don't see or know about.

The only things that appear under Home in File Explorer for me are the folder items that I have pinned to it. That's just because I surgically removed the new File Explorer and substituted it with the old one. As a matter of fact I even wrote a pair of VBScripts to be able to automate the process of changing the list of pinned items under Home. See my post #1 below this tutorial: How to Backup and Restore Quick Access Pinned Folders in Windows 10
Please let me know when you found a way to make the new File Explorer less annoying and appear less buggy........

oldschool · Jan 6, 2024

ninbura said:
I personally prefer the new explorer. I never used the Ribbon. For the most part, I use context menus. People hate the new context menu as well, I don't. I can just hold shift to access the expanded context menu the 10% of the time I need it. For me, tabs in explorer is by far the most important update.

My experience precisely! Change is the only certainty in this uncertain world.

dacrone · Jan 6, 2024

my pc is fully updated and i still have this:

i do use start all back, but have it set to windows 11 style... if thats the difference...

hdmi · Jan 6, 2024

oldschool said:
My experience precisely! Change is the only certainty in this uncertain world.

That's why I changed the new File Explorer back to the old one. To restore certainty where Microsoft decided to replace certainty with something that appears to have a pretty strong tendency to functionally behave more like a slot machine in Las Vegas.

ninbura · Jan 6, 2024

Oops... I meant to post that new long winded message with all the new screenshots in this thread. Doesn't look like I can edit or delete it here... So, I guess it's here to stay

hdmi said:
The ribbon has an option to stay hidden.

The old context menu also lets me hold Shift to access the expanded context menu. So, I don't think I understand what's your point. The new context menu contains fewer menu items (commands) and also is harder to customize than the old one. The icons at the top of the new context menu are an unnecessary distraction. The two-tone color scheme of these icons contributes to what I like to call "the icon soup effect". For people who are not colorblind, it just makes these icons harder to distinguish and pinpoint them spontaneously effortlessly in a flash because they all look very similar so as a result they become just another distraction by drawing the user's attention away from the menu items listed directly below them, thereby causing added fatigue when it's not necessary. GUI design is a part of science. These kinds of detrimental effects have all been studied in depth. They are productivity killers, and are verfied to be that. The user shouldn't have to go in the Windows registry to be able to correct the issue. Period.

Tabs in File Explorer only have two main purposes. First and foremost, it is to encourage the user to hit the wrong tab. Their second purpose being, that they take up more additional screen estate for no good reason besides upping the need for secondary display devices that benefits those who are selling those devices.

I understand that everyone has different needs and experiences. In my experience the new File Explorer & context menu have been near perfect. IMO tabs in a file explorer are as integral as tabs in an internet browser. Can't believe how long it took Microsoft to add tabs to their explorer when every other operating system on the planet had them for decades.

hdmi · Jan 7, 2024

ninbura said:
I understand that everyone has different needs and experiences. In my experience the new File Explorer & context menu have been near perfect.

For me, they have been better than perfect... because I can disable them. Similarly, Edge has been the most used browser... to download Chrome.

ninbura said:
IMO tabs in a file explorer are as integral as tabs in an internet browser. Can't believe how long it took Microsoft to add tabs to their explorer when every other operating system on the planet had them for decades.

It's called Microsoft Windows... not Microsoft Tabs.

Sammy888 · Jan 19, 2024

ninbura said:
I understand that everyone has different needs and experiences. In my experience the new File Explorer & context menu have been near perfect. IMO tabs in a file explorer are as integral as tabs in an internet browser. Can't believe how long it took Microsoft to add tabs to their explorer when every other operating system on the planet had them for decades.

Well, the UN recently has said that society/world is becoming unhinged. In other words, dysfunctional. I am not surprised that folks believe what they do now.

As for me, the last (near perfect) File Explorer and context menu was in Windows 7.

File Explorer - displaying Quick Access within Home via registry

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