Microsoft recently added a new “Gallery” feature to the left-hand navigation pane of the Windows 11 File Explorer. This folder automatically aggregates all the photos on your computer, pulling images directly from your Pictures folder and OneDrive account.
While useful for some, many users find this forced integration annoying, especially if they already use a dedicated photo management application or simply want to keep their File Explorer navigation pane clean and minimalist. Unfortunately, you cannot simply right-click the Gallery folder to delete it; you must use a Registry tweak to hide it permanently.
How to Remove the Gallery Folder
To remove the folder from the navigation pane, you need to navigate to a specific system identifier (CLSID) within the Windows Registry and delete the key that tells File Explorer to display it.
- Click the Start button, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor. Click “Yes” if the User Account Control prompt appears.
- Copy and paste the following path directly into the address bar at the top of the window and press Enter:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace_36354489 - Look in the left-hand sidebar under the
NameSpace_36354489folder. You are looking for a specific key with the following exact name: {e88865ea-0e1c-4e20-9aa6-edcd0212c87c} - Right-click on the {e88865ea-0e1c-4e20-9aa6-edcd0212c87c} folder and select Delete.
- A warning prompt will appear asking if you are sure you want to permanently delete the key. Click Yes.
You can now close the Registry Editor.
Apply the Changes
The Registry change has been made, but File Explorer needs to restart to recognise the change.
- Open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
- Find Windows Explorer in the list of running processes.
- Right-click it and select Restart.
Your taskbar will flash briefly, and when you open a new File Explorer window, the Gallery folder will be completely gone from the navigation pane.