Nerd alert- This is another one of the posts that are for the more technical folks. 😉
Maybe I should just go along with stupid, time-sucking changes to UI design for applications and Microsoft Windows. But I can’t stand having to do a million more key clicks and scrolling to find the actual information I want. Especially because it seems that the designs are not well thought out, and are made to just change things, not to make thing better/faster/cleaner. In the case I am talking about in this post, but it may apply to other changes as well, about the only reason they may be doing this sort of thing is to make things look more like Apple? Or for folks who barely do anything on their computer and wouldn’t know what to do with folders or recycle bins or a myriad of other things that used to be easily accessible for the user? Who knows? But I hate it 😒
In Windows 11 (could have been in Windows 10 as well) File Explorer defaults to “Home” when you open it. Home has a bunch of icons that take up a LOT of space, and you have to scroll or click on things in the left side to get to anything useful. If you hate this setting as much as I do, when you are in Explorer window, click on the 3 dots up at the top of the window and choose options. On the View tab, choose to start window at This PC, rather than home or the other options. It will look like the old and VERY serviceable Explorer used to look like.
Now in the latest version (I think it might have been earlier versions as well), Microsoft decided to hide the Recycle bin and make it on a per User basis. So now you have to use extra clicks to get to it. On my new install, I ran into an issue where the Recycle Bin Desktop icon didn’t work. And I didn’t care because I almost never use desktop icons. Nothing I tried that used to work would allow me to Pin the Recycle Bin to quick access. Except for …
In the Left Side Pane of File Explorer do the Following:
– Right Mouse Button Click -> Show All Folders. This hides your Quick Access items temporarily
– The Recycle Bin for you should show up on the bottom of the Left Side. Click on that to go to the Recycle Bin
– You can’t drag the Recycle Bin Icon in the Lefthand side to Quick Access because it is hidden.
– Now again in the Lefthand Pane, Right Mouse Button Click -> Show All Folders (which will Hide them). Your Quick Access items should show up again.
– Because your Middle pane is still in the Recycle Bin, the icon should still be showing at the bottom of the Left Hand Pane.
– Drag it to Quick Access. You should see a popup that says Pin to Quick Access.
Stupid right? Grrrrrrrrr
If you wish to Pin to Start, you can do that just by Right Clicking on the Recycle Folder in the Left Hand Pane.
Hope this Helps. I have a few extra tips on the nightmare that is installing/upgrading to Windows 11 in this post.
