How to Add or Remove Home in the Navigation Pane of File Explorer in Windows 11

The “Home” in the Navigation Pane in Explorer acts as its main hub, listing recommended, pinned, and recent files for convenient access. However, others may prefer fewer distractions. Like your search history, this feature can potentially expose secured documents.

Our complete guide below teaches you how to manage the “Home” feature on Windows 11’s File Explorer, key points for deployment, and commonly asked questions.

Show or hide the Home page in File Explorer

Knowing which tool works best for your enterprise helps ensure complete stability. These advanced methods provide IT professionals and other power users with plenty of options.

These are the prerequisites you’ll need to manage the “Home” in the Navigation Pane for Explorer:

• Windows 11 22H2 and newer.
• Any edition of Windows 11
• Administrator privileges (for Registry methods)

📌 Recommended deployment strategies:

Method 1: Remove or add “Home” via Registry Editor

⚠️ Important: These methods modify important system settings. Before you proceed, prepare a backup.

The Registry is a database for fundamental system settings. As such, you can edit certain values to hide the Home page in File Explorer.

📌 Use Case: Use this method to modify This PC using File Explorer’s registry settings.

For all users

1. Press Win + R, type Regedit, and press Enter.
2. Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace

3. In the right-hand pane, locate a key named {f874310e-b6b7-47dc-bc84-b9e6b38f5903}
   1. To remove “Home” in your Navigation Pane for Explorer, right-click on the key and select Delete.
   2. To add “Home” in your Navigation Pane for Explorer, create the key.
      1. Right-click on an empty space on the right-hand pane.
      2. Select New > Key.
      3. Name the new key {f874310e-b6b7-47dc-bc84-b9e6b38f5903}
4. Restart File Explorer or reboot the PC to apply changes.

For the current user

1. Press Win + R, type Regedit, and press Enter.
2. Navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{f874310e-b6b7-47dc-bc84-b9e6b38f5903}

3. In the right-hand pane, double-click on System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree.
   1. If you don’t see System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree, do the following:
      1. Right-click on an empty space on the right-hand pane.
      2. Select New > DWORD (32-bit).
      3. Name the new key System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree.
4. Modify its value.
   1. To remove “Home” from your Navigation Pane for Explorer, change its value to 0.
   2. To add the Home feature, change its value to 1.
5. Restart File Explorer or reboot the PC to apply changes.

Method 2: PowerShell script for automation

⚠️ Important: These scripts can also be applied via Intune, Group Policy Preferences, or local automation programs.

PowerShell scripts automate Registry changes with just a few commands, helping power users reduce clutter and streamline their UI.

📌 Use Case: Use this method to automate registry changes with scripts and reduce human error.

1. Press Win + R, type Powershell, and press Enter.
2. Run your preferred script.
   1. To hide the Home page in File Explorer (Windows 11):
      1. Run this command:

Remove-Item -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{f874310e-b6b7-47dc-bc84-b9e6b38f5903}" -Force

1. 1. 2. Restart File Explorer to apply your changes:

Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force

1. 2. To restore the Home page:
      1. Run this command:

New-Item -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{f874310e-b6b7-47dc-bc84-b9e6b38f5903}" -Force

1. 1. 2. Reboot File Explorer to apply your changes:

Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force

⚠️ Things to look out for

This section highlights potential challenges and considerations to keep in mind while following this guide.

Considerations for managing “Home” in the File Explorer Navigation Pane

Know what to expect before pushing system-wide or enterprise changes with these key points.

Effect scope

Managing “Home” in your Navigation Pane for Explorer for all users occurs system-wide. This means that your changes will remain consistent, regardless of who’s logged in. This can disrupt workflows that rely on managed files, so keep your scope in mind.

Explorer restart

The File Explorer app (explorer.exe) requires a full restart for your changes to apply. This can be done through the Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) or through a PowerShell command.

Note that your File Explorer changes might not appear until after you’ve restarted the app or rebooted the workstation.

No GUI toggle for “Home” in the Navigation Pane for Explorer

Windows doesn’t provide a user-friendly “switch” to show or hide features like “Home” in your Navigation Pane for Explorer. Removing it – as well as other storage platforms – from the sidebar requires registry edits.

Policy management

There is no built-in Group Policy setting for adding or removing “Home” from the navigation pane, so this requires advanced scripts or Registry changes. Both should be done with care by your IT support team, as the slightest mistake can disrupt operations.

Configure your Navigation pane for enhanced security

Adding or removing “Home” in your Navigation Pane for Explorer requires Registry changes. These advanced methods can impose either per-user or system-wide restrictions.

Hiding the feature can greatly benefit locked-down environments, and keeping it visible can support employee productivity. Either way, you can achieve centralized control with more automated solutions that seamlessly roll out improvements for elevated IT management.

Related topics:

• How to Add or Remove a User Folder in the Navigation Pane of File Explorer in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove Dropbox in the Navigation Pane in Windows 10
• How to Customize Details Pane of File Explorer in Windows