With default settings, the Windows 11 File Explorer opens to Home (called Quick Access in Windows 10). The File Explorer Home shows recent and favorite files and frequent and pinned folders. If you need to access a drive, you need to either click on This PC to open it or click the small arrow icon next to the This PC icon to see the drives and then click on a drive icon.
Most users access This PC by clicking its icon in the File Explorer navigation pane. However, This PC might sometimes go missing from the File Explorer.
This guide shows you how to add This PC to the File Explorer navigation pane in Windows 11.
Restore the missing This PC to the File Explorer navigation pane in Windows 11
Step 1: In the Start/taskbar search field, type File Explorer Options and then press the Enter key to open the File Explorer Options dialog, which houses File Explorer settings.
Step 2: Switch to the View tab. In the Advanced settings section, scroll down the list to see the Navigation pane. Here, select the Show This PC option and then click the Apply button.
This PC will be added to the File Explorer navigation pane immediately. If not, you may have to restart the File Explorer process once or reboot your PC once.
Tip: You can always type This PC in the File Explorer address bar and then press the Enter key to quickly switch to This PC from any location.
Configure File Explorer to always open to This PC instead of Home
If you wish to see This PC and drives every time you open the File Explorer instead of the default Home, you can do so as well. Here is how.
Step 1: Open the File Explorer Options dialog by typing the same in the search box and then pressing the Enter key.
Step 2: Once the File Explorer Options dialog is launched, under the General tab, select This PC from the drop-down next to the Open File Explorer to option. Don’t forget to click the Apply button. That’s it!
Keyboard shortcut to open File Explorer in Windows 11
On a Windows 11 PC, you can use the Windows logo + E hotkey to open File Explorer.
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