Fix Windows 11/10 Quick Access Pins That Disappear After Restart

Before you reset Quick access​

Quick access contains two different kinds of entries:

Quick walkthrough

• Pinned folders, which should remain until you unpin them.
• Recent files and frequent folders, which Windows generates automatically and can remove when history is cleared.

Clearing File Explorer history is the low-risk first repair. It removes recent and frequent items, but it should not intentionally remove your manually pinned folders. Rebuilding the destination data is more disruptive: it resets the custom Quick access pin list for the current Windows account. Record the folders you want to restore before using that method.

Also confirm that the problem is really a pinning failure:

• Press Windows key + E to open File Explorer.
• In Windows 11, select Home in the left navigation pane.
• Locate a local folder, such as Documents.
• Right-click the folder and select Pin to Quick access.
• Look for it under Quick access in the navigation pane and in Home.

If the command is missing only for one item, that item may not be a normal accessible folder. Try the same test with a folder in your user profile before resetting anything.

Make sure the Quick access view is visible​

A folder may be pinned correctly but hidden by the File Explorer layout.

Windows 11​

• Open File Explorer with Windows key + E.
• Select View on the command bar.
• Select Show.
• Make sure Navigation pane is enabled.
• Select Home in the navigation pane.
• If you do not see your normal known folders, select the Up arrow beside the address bar.
• Right-click the folder you want, such as Documents, and select Pin to Quick access.

Windows 11 Home can show recent and recommended content alongside pinned folders. Do not mistake a recent item for a pin: a pinned folder has the pin indicator and remains after you close and reopen File Explorer.

Windows 10​

• Open File Explorer.
• Select the View tab on the ribbon.
• Select Navigation pane.
• Make sure Navigation pane is selected.
• Select Quick access in the left pane.
• Right-click the required folder and select Pin to Quick access.

For both Windows versions, right-click a folder already listed in Quick access and choose Unpin from Quick access if you want to remove it. Do not use Remove from Quick access on a recent file as a test of pinned-folder behavior; that command removes an automatically suggested item rather than managing a permanent folder pin.

Clear File Explorer history first​

Clearing history removes the recent and frequent entries that can clutter Home or Quick access and can resolve a damaged history list. It does not delete your files or folders.

Windows 11​

• Close any File Explorer windows that are not needed.
• Open File Explorer.
• Select the See more button — the three dots (…) — on the command bar.
• Select Options.
• On the General tab, find the Privacy section.
• Select Clear beside Clear File Explorer history.
• Select Apply, then OK.
• Close File Explorer and open it again with Windows key + E.
• Right-click the folder you want to retain and select Pin to Quick access.

Windows 10​

• Open File Explorer.
• Select the View tab.
• Select Options, then select Change folder and search options if that label appears.
• On the General tab, find the Privacy section.
• Select Clear.
• Select Apply, then OK.
• Close and reopen File Explorer.
• Right-click the required folder and select Pin to Quick access.

If you prefer Quick access to show only folders you pin yourself, clear these two boxes in the same Privacy section:

• Show recently used files in Quick access
• Show frequently used folders in Quick access

Select Apply after changing them. These settings affect suggested content; they do not stop you from pinning folders manually.

Test pinning with a new local folder​

Before rebuilding the destination data, determine whether the fault affects all folders or only one path.

• Open File Explorer.
• Browse to your user profile folder. You can enter %UserProfile% in the address bar and press Enter.
• Create a test folder named QuickAccess-Test.
• Open the folder once, then return to its parent folder.
• Right-click QuickAccess-Test and select Pin to Quick access.
• Close all File Explorer windows.
• Open File Explorer again and inspect Quick access or Home.

If QuickAccess-Test stays pinned, Quick access itself is working. The original folder is likely unavailable, redirected, deleted, offline, or subject to access restrictions. Skip ahead to the permissions and availability checks rather than resetting all pins.

If even the new local test folder will not stay pinned, continue with the destination-data rebuild.

Rebuild the Quick access destination data​

Quick access pin information is stored per user in File Explorer’s automatic destination data. Replacing the specific Quick access destination file forces File Explorer to create fresh data. This is a user-profile repair; it does not affect other Windows accounts on the PC.

Warning: This procedure resets the manually pinned Quick access folders for the current account. It does not delete the folders themselves, but your custom pin list will be rebuilt from scratch. The commands below move the existing file to a timestamped backup rather than deleting it, so you can restore it if needed.

Click to expand...

• Write down the folders currently pinned to Quick access that you want to restore.
• Save any work and close all File Explorer windows.
• Press Windows key + X.
• Select Terminal or Windows PowerShell. You do not need to run it as administrator for your own profile.
• Copy and run this command to stop File Explorer:
  taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
  The taskbar, desktop icons, and open File Explorer windows will disappear temporarily. That is expected.
• In the same PowerShell window, copy and run the following command exactly:
  
  Code:

  $target = Join-Path $env:APPDATA 'Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations\f01b4d95cf55d32a.automaticDestinations-ms'
  if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $target) {
      Move-Item -LiteralPath $target -Destination "$target.backup-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd-HHmmss)"
  }

  If the file exists, PowerShell moves it to the same folder and appends the current date and time to the backup filename. If it does not exist, no change is made.
• Restart the Windows shell:
  Start-Process explorer.exe
• Wait for the taskbar and desktop to return.
• Open File Explorer with Windows key + E.
• Pin one local folder, such as QuickAccess-Test or Documents.
• Close File Explorer, reopen it, and confirm that the folder remains under Quick access.

Do not delete the .backup-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS file immediately. Keep it until you have verified that your newly pinned folders stay in place through a restart or sign-out/sign-in cycle.

Restore your previous destination data if the reset made things worse​

Restoring the backed-up file can put the earlier destination data back, although it may also restore the original pinning problem.

Warning: Restore only the backup file created during this procedure. Do not download destination files from another PC or the internet. They contain user-specific File Explorer history and paths.

Click to expand...

• Open PowerShell.
• Stop File Explorer:
  taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
• Open the destination folder by running:
  Start-Process "$env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations"
• Locate the backup file beginning with:
  f01b4d95cf55d32a.automaticDestinations-ms.backup-
• Rename the newly created f01b4d95cf55d32a.automaticDestinations-ms file, if present, to a different name such as f01b4d95cf55d32a.automaticDestinations-ms.new.
• Rename the backup file by removing everything from .backup- onward, leaving this exact filename:
  f01b4d95cf55d32a.automaticDestinations-ms
• Return to PowerShell and run:
  Start-Process explorer.exe

If the restored file brings back the problem, repeat the rebuild procedure and leave the fresh destination data in place.

Check the affected folder’s availability and permissions​

A Quick access pin is only useful while its target can be reached. A folder on a disconnected network location, unavailable removable drive, paused cloud-sync location, or deleted path may remain visible but fail when opened. If the pin disappears or refuses to work only for one folder, check the folder rather than changing File Explorer settings.

• In File Explorer, browse directly to the affected folder.
• Confirm that it opens normally and that its contents appear.
• Right-click the folder and select Properties.
• Select the Security tab.
• Select your signed-in account in Group or user names.
• Confirm that you have at least the permissions needed to open and list the folder’s contents, normally including Read & execute and List folder contents.
• Select Cancel when finished.

Do not change folder ownership or permissions merely to make it pin. Permission changes can affect other accounts, applications, shared folders, and inheritance from a parent folder. If the folder is managed by work or school IT, on a file server, or inside a shared location, ask the administrator to confirm your access.

For a OneDrive folder, make sure the folder is available locally and that OneDrive is signed in and not reporting a sync error. For a network share, reconnect to the network or VPN first, then open the folder directly before pinning it again. For removable storage, connect the drive and verify it receives the same drive letter or is otherwise reachable.

Fix common Quick access pinning failures​

The folder appears in Home but not in the left pane​

Make sure the Navigation pane is enabled under View > Show in Windows 11 or View > Navigation pane in Windows 10. Then select Home or Quick access and test the pin again.

Only recent items disappear after clearing history​

That is expected. Clearing File Explorer history removes recently used files and frequent folders. Pin the folders you need manually after the history is cleared.

The Pin to Quick access command is missing​

Confirm that you right-clicked an actual folder, not a file, a search result, or a broken shortcut. Browse to the folder’s real location and try again. Test with a newly created folder under %UserProfile%. If the command works there, troubleshoot the original location’s availability or permissions.

The pin works until you sign out or restart​

Rebuild the Quick access destination data using the backup-first procedure above. If the fresh destination data also fails to retain a pin for a local test folder, install available Windows updates and restart before escalating further.

File Explorer is also slow, hangs, or fails to open​

Do not keep resetting Quick access data if File Explorer has broader problems. First install pending Windows updates and restart. If the issue persists, open Command Prompt as administrator and run these commands in order:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
sfc /scannow

Wait for the first command to report that the operation completed successfully before running the second. Do not close the command window while System File Checker is still verifying files. Restart Windows after the scans complete, then test Quick access pinning again.

The issue occurs only in one Windows account​

Quick access destination data is stored separately for each user profile. Sign in to another local account, if available, and test pinning a new folder under that account’s Documents folder. If pinning works there but not in the affected account after a rebuild, the problem is likely limited to the original user profile. Back up personal files and involve your organization’s IT support or use Windows recovery options if File Explorer problems extend beyond Quick access.