Remove the network from Windows 10 Explorer. Removing the Quick Launch Panel
One of the most noticeable innovations in the File Explorer program appeared in operating system Windows 10 is the "Quick Access Toolbar". Quick access(Quick Access) contains links to frequently used folders and recently used files, and the user can also add “favorite” folders to this panel. If you don't want to see this panel or want to hide information about the files you recently opened from other users, this article is for you.
Disable and configure the list of recent files and popular directories in the Quick Access Toolbar
By default, the Quick Access Toolbar displays your most recently opened files and directories. Any computer user who runs Explorer can see them. If you want to hide the list of these files from strangers or this innovation is simply inconvenient for you, instructions are written below that will help you disable frequent folders and recent files in the “Quick Access Toolbar” section.
In Explorer, open the "View" tab and click the "Options" button, then select "Change folder and search options."
At the bottom of the window that opens, you will find the “Privacy” section; it contains two parameters. One of the options disables or enables the display of recently used files, and the second enables or disables the display of frequently used folders. Check the boxes next to the settings you need and click OK.
You can also clear your browsing history (log). To do this, in the same section you need to click the “Clear” button. True, in this case, the latest files and folders will be displayed, Windows will just start tracking them from scratch.
If you want the Quick Access Toolbar to display frequently used folders, but want to remove a specific folder or file from this list, right-click on the desired object and context menu select “Remove from Quick access”.
Adding files and folders to the Quick Access Toolbar
In addition to displaying the latest files and frequently used folders, for your convenience, you can add the folders and files you need to Quick Access, which will create a kind of “favorites” panel for Explorer.
Adding a folder is very easy, just right-click on it and select “Pin to Quick Access Toolbar” from the context menu. It's the same with files.
Disabling the Quick Access Toolbar
If you don't like the Quick Access Toolbar at all, you can completely disable it and replace it, for example, with My Computer.
To do this, open the “View” tab and click the “Options” button, then select “Change folder and search options.” In the window that opens at the top there will be an item “Open Explorer for”; select the required item from the drop-down menu.
Don't forget that any changes can be reverted by doing all the above instructions in reverse order.
To do this, go to the Start menu and find the Settings application there, then open the Update & Security > Center Windows updates" If there are updates waiting to be installed, the “Select reboot time” option will be available here and you can set the desired time.
4. Fastening windows
Windows 10 has significantly improved the ability to dock windows to the sides of the screen. Now the screen can be divided not only vertically, but also horizontally. As a result, there can be up to four windows on one screen that are visible at the same time. To do this, just move the window to the edge of the screen (or to a corner), the system itself will show in which place it is possible to place this or that window. This mode now fully works with two screens. If previously it was impossible to use the mouse to position a window on the side of the screen where it meets the second one, now the system processes this action correctly. However, as before, you can use special keyboard shortcuts.
There is a new Quick Access panel. It opens every time you start Explorer and shows a list of frequently used folders, as well as recent open files. The list of frequently used folders replaces the previous list of favorite directories.
Microsoft thus tries to intelligently predict the user's desires by offering a list of frequently used files and folders for quick access. But Explorer can work the same way if you change a few things in the settings.
Replacing the Quick Access Toolbar with This PC view
When you launch File Explorer, the Quick Access Toolbar opens with a list of frequently used files and recently opened files. But some people prefer the This PC window, which is similar to the classic My Computer window with a list of connected devices and drives in previous versions of Windows. This PC also shows the user's folders: Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and Videos. This is the window that opens by default when you launch Explorer in Windows 8.
To make Explorer show the “This PC” window in , open the “File” menu and select the “Change folder and search options” option. At the top, under “Open File Explorer to,” select “This PC” instead of “Quick Access Toolbar.”
Alas, in Windows there is still no way to configure Explorer so that when launched from the taskbar, it opens by default in any other folder.
Returning Favorites to the Sidebar
The Quick Access Toolbar replaces Favorites in the upper left part of the Explorer window. But if you take a closer look, this is essentially just a slightly redesigned favorites list: it contains favorite (pinned) folders that you can select yourself. They always appear in the Quick Access Toolbar. In addition, frequently used folders are automatically added there - apparently for those who never add to the favorites list on their own.
To make the Quick Access Toolbar work as favorites, you need to remove frequently used folders from it. To do this, open the “File” menu, select “Change folder and search options” and in the “Privacy” section at the bottom of the window, simply uncheck “Show frequently used folders in Quick access” .
Now you can add your own to the panel favorite folders, simply by dragging them there. And to remove a folder from the list, right-click on it and select the “Unpin from quick access” option. As a result, this panel works exactly the same as favorites, although it is called differently.
Customizing the Quick Access Toolbar
In the Folder and Search window, you can also clear the Show recently used files in Quick access check box. Then recently opened files will not appear in the list.
In this case, Explorer will open by default to a list of frequently used folders. Or you can disable the display of both frequently used folders and recently opened files, and then only pinned favorite folders will be shown in the quick access panel.
Windows Explorer in operating room Windows system 10, has not undergone any major changes. The navigation bar in Explorer allows you to quickly navigate between different folders on your computer. For those who don't know, the navigation area is on the left side of the window in File Explorer Windows files and displays Quick Access, OneDrive, This PC and Network.
The Quick Access panel in Windows 10 Explorer's navigation bar displays the Desktop, Downloads, Documents, and Pictures folders. In addition to these folders, frequently used folders are also displayed so that you can quickly access the folders you use. Additionally, you can manually pin the folders you want to the Quick Access Toolbar in the Navigation Bar.
Quick access– a great option. However, not all users find it useful, and many want to remove the shortcut icon from the navigation bar.
While File Explorer allows you to unpin all folders from the Quick Access Toolbar, it does not allow you to remove the Quick Access icon. If you don't use the shortcut feature, you can remove the shortcut icon from the navigation pane by making a small change to the registry.
Below we will look at how to completely remove the shortcut icon from the Explorer navigation area in Windows 10.
Step 1:. You can do this by typing Regedit in the search box on the taskbar, and then press Enter.
Step 2: In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following folder:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
Advice: Copy and paste the above path into the Registry Editor's address bar, and then press the Enter key to quickly navigate to the desired key.
Step 3: On the right side, right-click on an empty space, click “New” → “DWORD Value (32-bit)”. Name it like HubMode.
Step 4: Finally, double click on the newly created HubMode and set its value in the range from 0 to 1 and restart Explorer or PC to remove Quick Access from the Explorer navigation bar.
All! Shortcuts will no longer appear in the navigation bar. If you ever need to restore Quick Access, right-click the HubMode value and select the Remove option.
Note that Windows 10 will continue to open a window in Explorer listing the files and folders you access frequently, but you can change this behavior.
Let's look at an option that allows you to open the My Computer folder instead of Quick Access.
How to Open This PC or Downloads folder instead of frequently used files.
- Open Explorer, click on the menu " File", select from the menu "Change folder and search options".
- In the “Folder Options” window that opens, go to the “ General" in the “Open Explorer for” line, select “ This computer" and press the button "Apply".
- Now on your keyboard, press the Win + E keyboard shortcuts or simply click on the File Explorer icon on the taskbar.
Now when we open it we see the “My Computer” folder.
You can change Explorer settings to open the “Downloads” folder by editing the registry:
- Open Registry Editor.
- Go to the following path::
- Change the value of the option parameter named " LaunchTo" to the number 3, this will allow you to immediately go to the folder when you open Explorer "Downloads".
Possible values:
- 1 = This Computer
- 2 = Quick access
- 3 = Downloads
Hide the Navigation Pane in Windows 10 Explorer.
The Navigation Pane is very convenient for accessing frequently used folders (Quick Access), your OneDrive and other drives on your PC and Network. You can add other useful places to the navigation area, such as the shopping cart and control panel, etc.
"Panel quick launch"appeared back in Windows versions XP. Windows 10 also has a Quick Launch Bar, but you need to enable it first.
How to enable Quick Launch in Windows 10
Right-click on the "Taskbar". In the window that opens, hover your mouse over “Panels” and select “Create a toolbar...” from the drop-down list:
In the window that opens " New panel tools" select the desired folder and click the "Select folder" button. After this action, a pinned link to access the folder you selected will appear on the “Taskbar”:
Customizing the Quick Launch Toolbar
To configure the created "Quick Launch Toolbar", you need to disable the "Taskbar" docking (you may have already disabled it earlier). To do this, right-click on an empty space on the “Taskbar” and uncheck the “Lock the taskbar” checkbox.
Now you can configure appearance"Quick Launch Toolbar", for example, change the name or move it to another location on the "Taskbar". After the settings, pin the “Taskbar” again.
Removing the Quick Launch Toolbar
To remove the panel, you need to right-click on the “Taskbar”, select the “Panels” section and uncheck the “Quick Launch Panel” you created.
If you have any questions, ask them in the comments, we will be happy to help you.
