{"id":4913,"date":"2016-12-21T20:12:03","date_gmt":"2016-12-21T20:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=4913"},"modified":"2021-06-29T09:26:44","modified_gmt":"2021-06-29T03:56:44","slug":"rename-quick-access-shellfolder-windows-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/rename-quick-access-shellfolder-windows-10\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Rename Quick Access Shortcuts in Windows 10 File Explorer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quick access is a handy feature in Windows 10 that lets you pin your frequently used folders. But it has its drawbacks. One of the biggest hindrances is that Quick access doesn’t let you rename the pinned items. There are situations especially in a production environment where you want to rename links in the Quick access without changing the name of the target folder.<\/p>\n

This article tells you how to change the name of pinned Quick access shortcuts\/folders.<\/p>\n

Why would someone need to rename Pinned items in Quick access?<\/em><\/p>\n

Let’s say you have a folder structure like this:<\/p>\n

C:\\..\\Accounts
\n\u251c\u2500\u2500\u25002017
\n\u2502 \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500Daybook
\n\u2502 \u2514\u2500\u2500\u2500Statements
\n\u251c\u2500\u2500\u25002018
\n\u2502 \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500Daybook
\n\u2502 \u2514\u2500\u2500\u2500Statements
\n\u2514\u2500\u2500\u25002019
\n\u2502 \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500Daybook
\n\u2502 \u2514\u2500\u2500\u2500Statements<\/p>\n

When you pin the Statements<\/strong> sub-folder under each folder to Quick access, it appears like this:<\/p>\n

\"how<\/p>\n

There is no way you can distinguish between the pinned items as to which parent folder (i.e., year) each link belongs. And Quick access doesn’t allow you to rename the pinned folders.<\/p>\n

How to Rename Pinned Quick access folders in Windows 10<\/h2>\n

Guides are floating around the internet on renaming Quick access items using symbolic links using mklink.exe<\/em>. But this article presents an even better and secure method for you to have personalized names for pinned Quick access items without renaming the folder itself.<\/p>\n

Let’s put the Libraries feature to work!<\/p>\n

Use the Libraries feature<\/h3>\n

Windows permits you to create as many custom libraries as you need. For each Statements<\/strong> folder that you want to pin, you can create a custom library with the desired name (i.e., mention the year)<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Open the parent folder of the folder you want to pin to Quick access.<\/li>\n
  2. Right-click the folder you want to pin, click Include in library<\/strong>, click Create new library<\/strong>.
    \n\"how<\/li>\n
  3. Open Libraries, and rename the newly created library as required. In this case, I’d mention the year in the library name.
    \n\"how<\/li>\n
  4. Optionally, you can assign the regular folder icon for your libraries. To do so, right-click on the library, and click Properties.<\/li>\n
  5. Click Change library icon<\/strong>, and pick the “folder” icon, and click OK, OK.
    \n\"how<\/li>\n
  6. Open the library, right-click an empty area, click Arrange Icons, and choose Name<\/strong>. This makes the library view similar to the folder view.
    \n\"how<\/li>\n
  7. Right-click on the newly created library and click Pin to Quick access<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  8. Repeat the above steps for each folder you want to pin to Quick access.<\/li>\n
  9. Now, the pinned items appear like this:
    \n\"how<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    That certainly a neat way to change the name of pinned folders than using symbolic links. Isn’t it?<\/p>\n

    Note:<\/strong> You can also add network locations to a Library by using the UNC paths (\\\\computername\\sharename<\/code>) instead of the mapped drive letter.<\/p>\n

    \"rename<\/p>\n

    Fun Tip! Rename the “Quick access” section header (Caption)<\/h3>\n

    We saw how to change the Quick access icon<\/a> in a previous article. This post tells you how to rename “Quick access” to use a caption text of your choice. Again, this involves editing the registry.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Start the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) and go to the following branch:\n
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\SOFTWARE\\Classes\\CLSID<\/pre>\n<\/li>\n
    2. Create a subkey named {679f85cb-0220-4080-b29b-5540cc05aab6}<\/strong><\/code> if it doesn’t already exist<\/a>.<\/li>\n
    3. With the key {679f85cb-0220-4080-b29b-5540cc05aab6}<\/code> selected, in the right-pane, create a string value named LocalizedString<\/strong><\/code>.<\/li>\n
    4. Double-click LocalizedString<\/code> and set a custom name (for example, Favorites<\/em>) for the Quick access folder.\"rename<\/li>\n
    5. Under {679f85cb-0220-4080-b29b-5540cc05aab6}<\/code>, create a subkey named ShellFolder<\/strong><\/li>\n
    6. With the {679f85cb-0220-4080-b29b-5540cc05aab6}\\ShellFolder<\/code> key selected, create the following DWORD values, and set the corresponding data.\n
      Value :<\/strong> Attributes\r\nData  :<\/strong> b080010d (hex)\r\n\r\nValue :<\/strong> FolderValueFlags\r\nData  :<\/strong> 00042220 (hex)\r\n<\/pre>\n
      \"rename<\/li>\n
    7. Next, go to the following key:\n
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Explorer\\HideDesktopIcons\\NewStartPanel<\/pre>\n<\/li>\n
    8. Create a DWORD value named {679f85cb-0220-4080-b29b-5540cc05aab6}<\/code> and set its value data to 1. This step is required to prevent the now renamed Quick access icon from appearing on the desktop.<\/li>\n
    9. Exit the Registry Editor.<\/li>\n
    10. Log off and login back for the changes to take effect. Or close all folder windows and Exit and Restart the Explorer shell<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      Screenshots – Before and after renaming Quick access caption text<\/h4>\n
      \"rename
      Quick access – default icon and caption<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"rename
      Quick access (renamed to “Favorites”)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"rename
      Quick access renamed to “Favorites” and its icon changed.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
      Quick access is a handy feature in Windows 10 that lets you pin your frequently used folders. But it has its drawbacks. One of the biggest hindrances is that Quick access doesn’t let you rename the pinned items. There are situations especially in a production environment where you want to rename links in the Quick … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8],"tags":[425,441],"class_list":["post-4913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-windows-10","tag-quick-access","tag-registry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1561,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/quick-access-home-stuck-pinned-items-reset\/","url_meta":{"origin":4913,"position":0},"title":"[Fix] Quick Access Pinned Shortcuts Stuck or Not Working","author":"Ramesh","date":"February 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Quick access (Home) in Windows 10 and 11 provides a convenient way to access folders you frequently use by pinning them. However, in some situations, the pinned shortcuts in Quick access get stuck, and you cannot remove or unpin them. Quick access sometimes loses track of a target folder if\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/remove-stuck-pin-quick-access.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/remove-stuck-pin-quick-access.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/remove-stuck-pin-quick-access.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/remove-stuck-pin-quick-access.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9397,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/desktop-or-folders-not-refreshing-automatically-in-windows\/","url_meta":{"origin":4913,"position":1},"title":"Folders not refreshing automatically in Windows 10","author":"Ramesh","date":"May 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"In File Explorer or on the desktop, when you create, delete, rename, or move a file or folder, the folder view does not refresh automatically to reflect the action. To see the changes, the user must press the F5 button on the keyboard, or right-click on the desktop or folder\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"cleanly restart explorer via task manager","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/exit-restart-explorer-task-manager.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/exit-restart-explorer-task-manager.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/exit-restart-explorer-task-manager.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":71178,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/nothing-happens-pin-to-quick-access-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":4913,"position":2},"title":"Nothing Happens when you click “Pin to Quick access”","author":"Ramesh","date":"January 27, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"When you right-click on a shell folder like Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Music, or Videos and click \"Pin to Quick access\", nothing may happen. Also, the item is not pinned when you drag the shell folder and drop it in the Quick Access (Home) area. Sometimes, you may get the following\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"quick access pin - path already exists","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/quick-access-path-already-exists.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/quick-access-path-already-exists.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/quick-access-path-already-exists.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1568,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/unpin-ftp-links-stuck-quick-access-windows-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":4913,"position":3},"title":"Fix Cannot Unpin FTP Links from Quick access (Home)","author":"Ramesh","date":"February 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"When you access an FTP site using File Explorer and Pin it to the Quick access section, the FTP site shortcut remains stuck and can't be removed or unpinned. When right-clicking on the Pinned FTP link in the navigation pane the context menu doesn't contain any options, except for an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/w10\/w10-qa-ftp-unpin-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1473,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/pin-recent-folders-places-navigation-pane-windows-10-file-explorer\/","url_meta":{"origin":4913,"position":4},"title":"Pin Recent folders (Recent Places) to Explorer Navigation Pane in Windows 10\/11","author":"Ramesh","date":"January 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The Recent Places shell folder that appeared under the Favorites area in the navigation pane in the earlier Windows OS is not shown in Windows 10 and 11. Windows 10\/11's Quick access (which replaces Favorites) shows the \"Frequently\" used folders rather than the \"Recently\" opened folders. The Recent Places shell\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"add recent folder or recent places in windows 11","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/w11-rencent-places.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/w11-rencent-places.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/w11-rencent-places.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/w11-rencent-places.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1440,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/remove-quick-access-other-shell-folders-file-explorer\/","url_meta":{"origin":4913,"position":5},"title":"Remove Quick access and User Folders from File Explorer in Windows 10\/11","author":"Ramesh","date":"January 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Quick access, introduced in Windows 10, replaces the Favorites feature present in the earlier versions of Windows. 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