The File Explorer (popularly known as Windows Explorer) opens to Quick Access by default in Windows 10. As you likely know by now, Quick Access displays all recently used files and frequently used folders so that users can quickly access recently used files and frequently opened folders without having to navigate to their original location.
While Quick Access is a handy feature, at times, you might want to delete Quick Access’s history to protect your privacy. While you can stop Quick Access from displaying frequently used folders and recently used files, you might just want to clear the history instead of disabling the feature.
Luckily, there is an option to clear Quick Access history without using third-party cleaning programs like CCleaner. You can clear Quick Access history with a few mouse clicks.
When you delete Quick Access and File Explorer history, the operation deletes all recently used file and folder entries from Quick Access.
Two ways to delete Quick Access history in Windows 10
Follow the instructions in one of the given below methods to clear Quick Access history in Windows 10.
Method 1 of 2
Step 1: Open up Quick Access or This PC by either clicking on the File Explorer icon in the taskbar or clicking the File Explorer icon on the left side of the Start menu.
Tip: You can configure File Explorer to open to This PC instead of Quick Access.
Step 2: In the File Explorer, click the File menu and then click Change folder and search options to open Folder Options.
Step 3: Under the General tab of Folder Options, under the Privacy section, click the button labeled Clear to delete Windows Explorer and Quick Access history in Windows 10.
Method 2 of 2
You can quickly clear Quick Access’s history by turning on or off the feature. Here is how to do that.
Step 1: Open the classic Control Panel by typing Control Panel in the taskbar or Start menu search box and then pressing Enter key.
Tip: There are over five ways to open Control Panel in Windows 10.
Step 2: Change the Control Panel View by to Small icons, as shown in the picture below.
Step 3: Look for the entry labeled File Explorer Options, and then click on the same to open Folder Options dialog.
Step 4: Under the General tab of Folder Options, uncheck the options labeled Show recently used files in Quick Access and Show recently used folders in Quick access.
Click the Apply button.
Step 5: Check the boxes labeled Show recently used files in Quick access and Show frequently used folders in Quick Access.
Click the Apply button. Quick Access’s history should be cleared now.
Tip: Use Ctrl + F1 hotkey to quickly show or hide the Windows Explorer ribbon.
