How to Remove the ‘Recommended’ Section from File Explorer in Windows 11

Microsoft is increasingly adding bloatware to File Explorer on Windows 11, which is affecting the overall performance. Starting with Windows 11 Insider Beta (22635.4800), File Explorer shows a “Recommended” section and files pulled from OneDrive. The cloud integration in File Explorer is significantly slowing down operations for local files and folders, especially search. Hence, if you want to remove the “Recommended” section from File Explorer in Windows 11, follow our short tutorial below.

Remove ‘Recommended’ from Windows 11 File Explorer

• Press “Windows + E” to open the File Explorer in Windows 11.
• Now, click on the 3-dot menu on the toolbar and select Options.

• Under Folder Options, uncheck “Show recommended section.”
• Then, simply click on Apply -> OK.

This will disable the “Recommended” section from File Explorer in Windows 11, and you can have the speed back while browsing or searching for files.

While we are at it, you can also remove OneDrive-recommended files from File Explorer. Just uncheck “Include account-based insights, recent, favorite, and recommended files” under “Privacy” in the Folder Options menu. Then, click on Apply -> OK.

Your File Explorer will now restore Quick access and show local files only. And that’s how you can remove all the recommendations from the File Explorer.

It will improve File Explorer’s performance, which is already quite sluggish due to various cloud integrations. If you want to further speed up Windows 11, we have an in-depth tutorial ready for you. Finally, if you have any questions, let us know in the comments below.