How to Remove Home from File Explorer in Windows 11

You might want to hide and remove the Home folder in Windows 11 File Explorer if you find no application for this new item. It was introduced in Windows 11 22H2, and now serves as the default startup location for the file manager.

The Home folder is a new name for the good old 'Quick Access' location that is familiar to users of several previous Windows version. Microsoft is using the new name beginning with Windows 11 build 22593. The Quick Access label is now assigned to the group of pinned or frequently used folders visible at the top of the Home pane. Pinned files have been rebranded as Favorites to match Office and OneDrive.

The Home folder can host up to 13 pinned folders and up to 25 files that you have most recently accessed. In addition, you can add several files to the Favorites section.

However, if you are a regular consumer, you may prefer starting your file tasks in the This PC folder. It is classic behavior of the app, so many like it. These users want to remove or hide the Home folder in File Explorer. A Registry tweak allows you to delete it. Here's how.

Remove Home from File Explorer

To remove and hide the File Explorer Home in Windows 11 with the Registry tweak, do the following:

1. In the Start pane, type regedit, and select Open on the right to launch the Registry Editor.
2. Browse the left pane to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer key. You can copy and paste this path into the regedit address bar, and press Enter to go to it directly.
3. Right-click the Explorer key on the left, and select New > DWORD (32-bit) value from the menu. Name the new value HubMode.
4. In the right panel, double-click it and change its value data to 1. Click OK to save it.
5. Now, go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace_36354489 key.
6. In the left, right-click the {f874310e-b6b7-47dc-bc84-b9e6b38f5903} subkey under the NameSpace_36354489 key, and select Delete.
7. Now, close File Explorer and open it again. You will no longer have the Home folder in the navigation pane.

You are done! This is how you delete the Home item from the navigation pane of File Explorer. It will now start in This PC.

Restore the Home folder

If you change your mind, and wants to re-add the folder, you need to perform the opposite steps. For that, run regedit, and navigate to the

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

key.

Here, double-click the HubMode value and change its data from 1 to 0.

Finally, navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace_36354489 key, right-click the NameSpace_36354489 item on the left, and select New > Key from the menu. Name the new key {f874310e-b6b7-47dc-bc84-b9e6b38f5903}.

In the right pane of the {f874310e-b6b7-47dc-bc84-b9e6b38f5903} double-click the default (unnamed) value, and set it to CLSID_MSGraphHomeFolder.

You are done! Opening File Explorer right away will show the Home folder.

REG files

To save you a bit of time, I have created two REG files. So you can show or hide the Home without manual editing of Registry keys and values!

First of all, download this ZIP archive, and extract it to any folder of your choice. You will see two files with the .reg extension.

Next, double-click the Remove_Home_from_File_Explorer.reg file to hide the Home item in the navigation pane. You just need to click Yes in the User Account Control prompt, and then Yes one more time in the Registry editor's merge dialog.

The other file, Add_Home_to_File_Explorer.reg, is the undo tweak that restores the entry.

Another method that can greatly save your time is the Winaero Tweaker app that includes a neat graphical tool for managing items in the navigation pane.

Hide Home from File Explorer with Winaero Tweaker

To disable and hide the File Explorer Home in Windows 11 with Winaero Tweaker, do the following:

1. Download the Winaero Tweaker app from here.
2. Install and run the app.
3. Launch it, and browse the left pane to File Explorer > Navigation Pane - Default items.
4. Now, remove the check mark from the Home entry. This will immediately remove it from File Explorer!
5. Repeat the above step for any other item you want to hide from the navigation pane.

Done! The best thing about this method is that you can add or remove the items on demand by adding the check mark to the items you want or by unticking them. You don't need to edit the Registry manually.

To quickly restore the default set of items in the left area of File Explorer, click on "Reset this page to defaults". That's all you have to do!

Extended capabilities of the Home location

It is worth noting that Build 22621.2361 further extended capabilities of the Home location. There are several new features the updated folder offers. In Home, you can quickly find recent meetings, shared files over Teams. Also, for users signed into Windows with an Azure Active Directory (AAD) account, recommended files will be showcased as a carousel and will support file thumbnails. Additionally, you can now search both recent and pinned files from the search box in File Explorer, regardless of whether they are stored locally or they are shared Office files.

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