How to Add E: Drive to File Explorer Navigation Pane in Windows 11 Adding your E: drive directly to File Explorer’s navigation pane can improve access to frequently used storage without navigating through This PC. Let’s walk through how this configuration works and the steps required to set it up safely. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to NinjaOne’s IT video hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this. Why Adding the E: Drive Matters Windows 11 does not provide a built-in option to pin a drive as a standalone entry in the navigation pane. Many users prefer a persistent shortcut for internal, external, or network-attached storage. IT teams may also use this method to standardize workstation layouts. The Registry Editor provides the granular control needed to make the E: drive consistently visible in File Explorer. How To Add the E: Drive To start, open the Registry Editor and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID After that, create a new key using the required GUID and set its default value to E: Drive. Next, create the two required DWORD values that control whether the entry appears in the navigation pane and how it is positioned. Next, create the DefaultIcon and InProcServer32 subkeys. These registry settings define the drive icon and allow File Explorer to load the navigation item correctly. After that, build the Instance structure and add the TargetFolderPath value that points to E:\. Finally, configure the ShellFolder settings to complete the registration. Restart the PC or restart File Explorer, and the E: drive should appear as a standalone entry in the navigation pane. How To Remove the E: Drive If you no longer need the shortcut, return to the same CLSID path. Locate the GUID that represents the E: drive, delete the key, and restart the system. The drive will remain under “This PC,” but the standalone navigation pane shortcut will no longer appear. For more information, check out our official blog post on how to add the E: drive to File Explorer’s navigation pane linked in the description below.