How to Show or Hide the Recommended Section in File Explorer

Learn how to customize the File Explorer in Windows 11 to show or hide the recommended section under the Home tab.

By default, when you open the File Explorer in Windows 11, it opens to Home and displays quick access folders, a recommended section, and your recent files, favorites, and shared files. The recommended section, in particular, shows files that Windows thinks are useful to you. These recommendations are based on local patterns and cloud-based analytics. Compared to showing a simple list of recent or most-used files, a recommended section’s selective showcase of files is generally much more helpful.

That being said, if you feel that the new recommended section is cluttering your File Explorer UI, slowing it down, or raising privacy concerns, you can quickly and easily disable it using the File Explorer Options. In this quick and easy guide, I will show you how to enable and disable the recommended section in File Explorer on Windows 11. Let’s get started.

Steps to Hide the Recommended Section in File Explorer

1. Press “Windows key + E” to open File Explorer.
2. Click the “See more” icon on the command bar.
3. Select “Options“.
4. Go to the “General” tab.
5. Uncheck the “Show recommended section” checkbox.
6. Click “OK“.
7. With that, the recommended section in File Explorer will NOT appear.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, we must open the File Explorer by pressing the “Windows key + E” shortcut. You can also search for the same in the Start menu. Once the File Explorer window opens, click the “See more” (three horizontal dots) icon on the command bar. Select “Options” from the shown menu.

Now, ensure you are in the “General” tab. If not, click the “General” tab at the top to navigate it. Next, uncheck the “Show recommended section” checkbox under the “Privacy” section.

Finally, click the “OK” button. With that, you’ve saved the changes. From now on, the File Explorer will not show the recommended section in Home.

Note: If you want, you can configure File Explorer to open the This PC page instead. It displays all your drives.

Steps to Show the Recommended Section in File Explorer

If you want the File Explorer to show recommended files and folders under the Recommended section, you need to enable it in the options. Here’s how:

1. Open File Explorer using “Windows key + E”.
2. Click the “See more” icon on the command bar.
3. Select “Options“.
4. Go to the “General” tab.
5. Select the “Show recommended section” checkbox.
6. Click “OK“.
7. With that, the recommended section in File Explorer WILL appear.

That is all. It is that simple to show or hide the recommended section in File Explorer on Windows 11. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.