How To Find Recently Opened Folders In Windows 11/10

The Windows File Explorer Home (Windows 11) or Quick Access (Windows 10) shows recently opened files, frequently accessed and pinned folders so that users can quickly access them.

Although Home/Quick Access allows users to view recent files and frequent folders, it does not show recent folders. In short, we can only find recent files, not recent folders.

If, for some reason, you would like to find recently accessed folders on your Windows 11/10 PC, a hidden folder in the operating system can help you find recently opened folders.

This guide shows you how to find recently opened folders in Windows 11 and 11 without using any additional software.

Important: Only folders from where you opened a file are considered as a recently opened folder. For instance, if you open a folder but do not open a file in it, Windows 10/11 will not consider it as a recently opened folder.

Find recently opened folders in Windows 11/10

Step 1: Open This PC or any other folder on your PC.

Step 2: In the File Explorer address bar, copy and paste the following path and then press the Enter key to open the Recent Folders folder.

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Step 3: The Recent Folders folder shows all recently opened folders on your Windows 10/11 PC. To make it more accurate, click the Date modified filter to arrange folders by their modified dates (refer to the picture below).

Add Recent Folders to File Explorer Quick Access in Windows 10/11

If you often need to find or view recently opened folders, you can pin the Recent Folders folder to the File Explorer Quick Access. Here is how.

Step 1: In the File Explorer address bar, copy and paste the following path and then press the Enter key to open Recent Folders.

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Step 2: Now, drag and drop the Recent Folders from the address bar to the Quick Access section to pin to the Quick Access.

Alternatively, if you are on Windows 11, click the three dots and then click the Pin to Quick Access option.

Clear Recent Folders in Windows 10/11

If you wish to delete one or more folders from the Recent Folders list, you can delete them just like any other folder/file. That is, right-click the folder you want to remove from the list and then click Delete.

If the deleted folder entry continues to appear in Recent Folders, please press the F5 key once to refresh the list.

Needless to say, deleting a folder from Recent Folders will not delete the actual folder.