Quick fix: Open File Explorer → click the three-dot menu → Options. On the General tab, set Open File Explorer to: This PC. Click Apply. Now every new File Explorer window opens to This PC (showing drives) instead of Home (showing recents).

File Explorer in Windows 11 opens to Home by default — the view with Quick Access, Favorites, and recent files. If you prefer the classic This PC view showing drive letters, you can change this in Folder Options.

Symptom: File Explorer opens to Home instead of This PC; want classic drive view by default.
Affects: Windows 11.
Fix time: ~1 minute.

What causes this

Microsoft renamed Quick Access to “Home” in Windows 11 22H2+, making it the default landing view. Home is meant for productivity flow — surfacing recent files, frequent folders, and OneDrive items. Users who prefer the traditional “drives + folders” mental model want This PC as default. Microsoft kept the option in Folder Options.

Method 1: Change default via Folder Options

The standard route.

Open File Explorer (Win+E).
Click the three-dot menu (…) on the toolbar.
Click Options. (Older builds: View tab → Options → Change folder and search options.)
Folder Options dialog opens. General tab is selected by default.
At top: dropdown Open File Explorer to: — default is Home. Change to This PC.
Click Apply.
Close all File Explorer windows. Open a new one (Win+E).
It opens to This PC, showing your drives.

This is the standard fix.

Method 2: Customize what shows in This PC view

For removing folders you don’t want.

This PC by default shows: 6 user folders (Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos), all drives.
To hide a user folder: Folder Options → View tab → scroll to find Hide options.
Or via registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace. Delete or hide individual folder GUIDs.
For removing all 6 user folders to show only drives: use a tweaker like Winaero Tweaker → File Explorer → Remove Folders from This PC. Easier than registry.
For changing the order of drives: not possible — This PC sorts by drive letter alphabetically.
To hide specific drives: Folder Options → View tab → Show hidden drives ticked or unticked. Or use Group Policy: User Configuration → Admin Templates → Windows Components → File Explorer → Hide these specified drives.
For adding network locations: This PC → right-click empty area → Add a network location. Or map a network drive — appears under Network Locations section.

This customizes the This PC view.

Method 3: Make Quick Access / Pinned folders still accessible

For not losing the Home features.

This PC as default doesn’t hide Quick Access. It’s in the left sidebar.
Quick Access in sidebar still shows pinned folders, recent files.
To pin a folder to Quick Access: right-click folder → Pin to Quick access. Now in left sidebar.
To unpin: right-click in Quick Access → Unpin from Quick access.
To clear recent files: Folder Options → General tab → Clear File Explorer history.
To disable recent files from showing: untick Show recently used files in Quick access in Folder Options.
For pinning to Start: right-click folder → Pin to Start. Appears in Start menu’s Pinned section.

This keeps Quick Access usable while defaulting to This PC.

How to verify the fix worked

Open File Explorer (Win+E). Lands on This PC by default.
Drives are visible.
Quick Access still in left sidebar for fast folder navigation.
Existing File Explorer behavior unchanged when navigating elsewhere.

If none of these work

If File Explorer still opens to Home: Restart Explorer: Task Manager → right-click Windows Explorer → Restart. Settings may need refresh. For shortcut launches: pinned File Explorer shortcuts may override. Right-click pinned File Explorer → Properties → check Target field. For corporate PCs: Group Policy may force Home. gpresult /h C:\report.html to check. For Windows 10 users: option called “Open File Explorer to: Quick access” instead; same procedure. For Insider builds: option may be moved. Look under Settings → Folders. Last resort: third-party file managers: Files (Microsoft Store), OneCommander, XYplorer offer their own default-view configs.

Bottom line: Folder Options → General tab → Open File Explorer to: This PC. Quick Access stays available in sidebar. Customize what shows via View tab options or Winaero Tweaker.