In the last Windows version, File Explorer (Explorer) did not usher in a drastic overhaul. To this day, the majority of Windows users are still waiting for File Explorer’s “tabs” support.
Even so, Microsoft has eyed small improvements to bring a more modern experience — like Quick Access support in Windows 11 Build 22557 preview builds.
Like older Windows operating systems, Windows 11’s Quick Access also supports files, not just folders, starting with the Build 22557 preview build.
In other words, if you need to pin a specific file to Quick Access, you can easily do it with a right-click, just like when trying to pin a folder.
Microsoft wrote that the company is working on a refresh of File Explorer’s Quick Access view.
The first is that the ‘Pin to Quick Access’ feature, which previously only supported folders, now also supports specific files. Pinned files will appear in a new section above ‘Recent Files’ in Quick Access.
In addition, Microsoft plans to introduce fixed support for Office .com files for quick access, so that users logged in with a Microsoft account can have a more direct and convenient experience.
Next, work and education customers who log in to Windows with their Microsoft Account primary/secondary account will be able to pin files from Office.com, and recent files will also appear in Quick Access.
Changes to files that are pinned/unpinned in OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams will also be synced across Office.com and Office applications. File activity updates (such as edits and comments) from collaborators are also displayed in the Tiles and Details views.
It should be noted that the above “Quick Access” improvements are currently only available to Insider testers on the Dev Channel.
Microsoft hasn’t provided any estimated arrival time for when this feature will be enabled on production devices, but if all goes well, it’s expected to officially meet Windows users as part of an upcoming OS update.