Page 115 - Windows 10 May 2019 Update The Missing Manual: The Book That Should Have Been in the Box

At the top of the navigation pane, there’s a collapsible list called “Quick

access.” (It has nothing to do with the Quick Access toolbar.)

Like the Favorites list in earlier Windows versions, this one’s intended to be
one-stop shopping for important folders and disks, in two categories:

Folders and disks that you “pin” here.

Folders and disks you use frequently. Windows chooses them

automatically.

“Quick access” displays links to these folders, wherever they happen to be

on your machine. You’re never actually moving them.

This list is a big deal. A “Quick access” window, in fact, greets you every
time you open a File Explorer window. That’s how important Microsoft

considers this list.

Tip

File Explorer doesn’t have to fill every window with “Quick access.” It can, if you prefer, show
you the primary folders of your PC, as it did in the old days. To make that happen, start in a File
Explorer window. On the Ribbon’s View tab, click Options. At the top of the resulting Folder
Options window, change the “Open File Explorer to” drop-down menu to “This PC,” and click
OK.

Taking the time to install your favorite folders here can save you a lot of
repetitive folder-burrowing. One click on an item’s name opens the

corresponding window. For example, click the Pictures icon to view the
contents of your Pictures folder in the main part of the window.

The beauty of this parking lot for containers is that it’s so easy to set up

with your favorite places. For example:

Install a new folder, disk, library, or saved search. Drag its icon

off your desktop (or out of a window) into any spot in the “Quick
access” list (Figure 2-9, top).