How to Use Windows Explorer Favorites

How do I set up Favorites and Quick Access in Windows File Explorer?

Open File Explorer, browse to the folder you use constantly, right-click it and choose "Pin to Quick access" — or "Add to Favorites" for individual files. Both then appear at the top when you click the Home icon. Keep each list to three or four items or the shortcut stops being a shortcut.

Key takeaways

Quick Access is for folders, libraries and drives. They also appear in the left navigation panel.
Favorites is for files and folders you want handy without cluttering the left panel.
Right-click to add, right-click to remove — "Unpin from Quick access" or "Remove from Favorites".
Three or four in each section. More than that and you are back to hunting.
Use the built-in "Recent places" Favorite to jump back to whatever you were working in today.

We are going to learn how to set up and use the Windows Explorer Favorites (aka File Explorer Favorites) and Quick Access sections. Quickly find the right folder when retrieving or saving files or access your frequently used file from the favorites section. If you’ve been creating new files on your computer for any time at all, chances are the folder you need to pull files from and save new files to while you’re working today is five or six layers down in the navigation map in Windows Explorer. Before I figured out today’s tip, every time I needed to save a new file, I’d have to laboriously click down through the navigation panel to find the exact Save location, even though I had just looked at that folder a minute before. Not anymore. Now when I want to save a new file, I click on the folder in the Quick Access section. Additional updates made to a file that I open daily or weekly can quickly be accessed in the File Explorer Favorites section. Talk about a productivity improvement! I’ll show you how to set up both sections to save yourself time and aggravation when you retrieve or save files.

What is the difference between Quick Access and Favorites?

In the Home section, Quick Access is a shortcut to folders, libraries, or drives on your computer.
Quick Access folders are also shown in the left navigation panel in Windows Explorer (or File Explorer).
In the Home section, Windows Explorer Favorites are files or folders that you add to be easily accessed but don't necessarily need to be on the left panel section.

How do you pin a folder to Quick Access?

1. Open Windows Explorer 2. Browse to the folder, library, or drive that you frequently use. Right-click and select 'Pin to Quick access' from the menu. 3. Hit the Home icon, which is at the top of the left navigation panel, you will see the Quick Access section at the top portion of the window. 4. You will also see this folder, library, or drive pinned to the left navigation panel as well. To remove: From the Home view, select the item in Quick Access > Right click > Unpin from Quick access.

How do you add a file to Favorites?

1. Open Windows Explorer 2. Browse to the folder, library, or drive that you frequently use. Right-click and select 'Add to Favorites' from the menu. 3. Hit the Home icon, which is at the top of the left navigation panel, you will see the Favorites section at the top portion of the window. To remove: From the Home view, select the item in Favorites > Right-click > Remove from Favorites.

How many shortcuts should you keep?

Don’t add too many custom Favorites or Quick Access files. Shoot for just 3 or 4 of them in each section.
Use your custom Quick Access section to quickly and easily access top-level folders or drives.
Use your custom Favorites section to access those frequently used documents where you don't need anything else from the original file location.
During your daily work, use the built-in ‘Recent places’ Favorite to quickly get back to or save to a lower-level folder you’ve been using for that day’s work.

There are more trading computer tips like this in our EZ Trading Computers buyer's guide. Check out our “How To Buy a Trading Computer” e-book. We hope today’s Quick Tip helped you. If you found this helpful, you’ll want to check out the other computer How-To’s I’ve created on this page. You can always call us if you have questions: 800-387-5250.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Quick Access and Favorites?

Quick Access is for folders, libraries and drives, and anything pinned there also shows in the left navigation panel of File Explorer. Favorites is for files and folders you want to reach quickly without adding clutter to that panel. Both live at the top of the Home view.

How do I pin a folder to Quick Access?

Open File Explorer, browse to the folder, right-click it and choose "Pin to Quick access". Click the Home icon at the top of the left panel and it will be waiting there, and in the navigation panel too.

How do I remove something from Quick Access or Favorites?

From the Home view, right-click the item and choose "Unpin from Quick access", or "Remove from Favorites" for a Favorite. It only removes the shortcut — the original file or folder stays exactly where it is.

How many folders should I pin?

Three or four in each section. The whole point is skipping five or six clicks through the navigation panel, and a long list of pinned folders is just another list to search.

Will tidying up File Explorer make my trading computer faster?

It saves you time, not processing speed. If the machine itself feels slow during the session, that is a hardware question rather than a housekeeping one — the free benchmark test tells you in about two minutes whether your processor clears the 45,000 score serious trading needs.