Does Removing A File From Quick Access Delete It in Windows 10/ 11?

What Does Remove From Quick Access Do?

"Quick Access" is a convenient feature in Windows 10 and Windows 11 File Explorer. It automatically shows frequently used folders and recently opened files, allowing you to reach your important content quickly without browsing through multiple folders. You can also manually "pin" folders to Quick Access for easy long-term access.

What Does "Remove From Quick Access" Do? When you right-click a folder or file in Quick Access and select "Unpin from Quick Access" (for files or folders you added manually to Quick Access) or "Remove from Quick Access" (for files or folders that appear automatically because you opened them recently or frequently but didn’t pin), Windows does not delete the actual file or folder from your computer. Instead, it simply removes the item from the Quick Access list.

Does Removing a File From Quick Access Delete It?

The answer is "No". Selecting "Unpin from Quick Access" or "Remove from Quick Access" only removes the folder or file from the Quick Access sidebar in File Explorer. The original file or folder remains fully intact in its original location on your hard drive. Essentially, this feature is a way to customize and organize your Quick Access view, showing only the folders and files you want immediate access to. If needed, you can always pin the item back later.

In short, "Unpin from Quick Access" affects only the Quick Access display—it does not move, delete, or modify your files in any way.

What If You Delete A File from Quick Access (Not Unpin)?

When you right-click a file and choose the "Delete" option from Quick Access, especially when you use Shift+ Delete key combination to delete files, Windows will ask you to confirm the permanent deletion.

Unlike unpinning or removing from Quick Access, deleting a file from Quick Access will remove it from your computer entirely. Always double-check before deleting to avoid accidental data loss.

If you accidentally confuse these three options (remove, unpin, and delete), for example, thinking you are just unpinning a file but actually deleting it, you might remove important data from your computer. The good news is that there are several ways to recover deleted files:

Restore from Recycle Bin

The first place to check is the Recycle Bin. If you deleted the file normally (without using Shift+Delete), it can often be restored easily by right-clicking and selecting "Restore".

Restore from Local File History Backup

If you have Windows File History enabled, added Quick Access files or folders as backup source, you can easily restore files from File History backup.

Step 1. Press "Win + S", type "Restore your files with file history", and press Enter.

Step 2. In the new window, navigate through the folders or use the search bar in the upper-right corner to find the target files or folders.

Step 3. Select what you want to restore and click on green "Restore" button. If you want to restore them to another different location than the original drive, right-click the buttton and select "Restore to".

Restore from Cloud Backup Services

If the file was synced with OneDrive, Google Drive, or another cloud service, check the cloud trash or version history to restore it.

Restore Using Data Recovery Software

If the file was permanently deleted (Shift+Delete or emptied from Recycle Bin), specialized data recovery tools like MyRecover can help recover lost files.

Step 1. Download MyRecover and install the program following the on-screen instructions.

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Step 2. Open the software. Choose the drive where the file was originally located. Click "Scan" to begin scanning for lost files.

Step 3. MyRecover will perform a "Quick Scan" or a "Deep Scan" automatically. You can monitor the scanning progress in real-time. If the "Quick Scan" is initiated first, but fails to find what you need, switch to "Deep Scan" manually.

Step 4. After scanning, browse the results by file type, or search for specific file names. Use the "preview" function to verify that the file is intact.

Step 5. Select the files or folders you want to recover. Click "Recover ".

Step 6. Select a destination drive (not the original location to avoid overwriting data) to save recovered files.

Once recovery is complete, navigate to the saved location and verify that all files are restored correctly.

Summary

Does removing a file from Quick Access delete it? By now, you should have a clear understanding: removing or unpinning a file from Quick Access only changes what appears in the sidebar—it does not delete or move the actual file from your computer.

However, if you choose "delete" option or use Shift+Delete keys after right-click a file or folder from Quick Acces, you will lose it. Fortunately,you have multiple recovery options. To handle the most reliable recovery, we recommend using MyRecover. It supports over 1000 file types, works across 500+ devices, and handles 500+ data loss scenarios, including recover files from corrupted drive, formatted partition, crashed system, etc.

FAQs

A: How To Clean Up Quick Access?

Q: Right-click unwanted folders or files in Quick Access and select "Unpin from Quick Access". You can also clear all recent files and frequent folders via "File Explorer-View→Options → Change foler and search options→Privacy → Clear".

A: How Do I Remove Items From The Quick Access Bar?

Q: Right-click the item in the Quick Access sidebar and choose “Unpin from Quick Access” (for files or folders you have manually pinned to Quick Access) or "Remove from Quick Access"(for files or folders you recently opends but not pinned to Quick Access).

A: Where Are Quick Access Files Stored?

Q: Quick Access does not store actual files; it’s just a list of shortcuts. The real files remain in their original locations on your hard drive.

A: How Do I Stop Items From Appearing In Quick Access?

Q: Go to "File Explorer→View→Options → Change foler and search options→Privacy", and uncheck "Show recently used files in Quick Access" and "Show frequently used folders in Quick Access".

A: Unable To Remove File From Quick Access

Q: Try restarting File Explorer or your computer. If that doesn’t work, reset Quick Access by clearing its cache. Press Win+R to open Run dialogue, input "%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations"  and press Enter. Then delete the files inside in the new window.

A: How Do I Remove A Deleted File From Quick Access?

Q: If you deleted the files from its original location, it will disappear from Quick Access automatically. No need to maunally choose "Unpin from Quick Access" or "Remove from Quick Access".