File Explorer’s Gallery view in Windows 11 is the Gallery entry in the left sidebar that most people scroll right past. It arrived with Windows 11 version 23H2 (the Windows 11 2023 Update), and it shows photos from several folders in one timeline without moving a single file.
| Goal or symptom | What to do |
|---|---|
| Open Gallery | Press Windows + E, then click Gallery in the left pane |
| Add a photo folder | Collection > Manage locations > Add |
| Remove a folder | Collection > Manage locations > select it > Remove |
| Gallery looks empty | Choose Collection > Show all together, then check Manage locations |
| Icons instead of thumbnails | Uncheck Always show icons, never thumbnails |
| OneDrive photos load slowly | Right-click the folder and choose Always keep on this device |
What Is the File Explorer Gallery View in Windows 11?
Gallery is a view, not a folder. When you click it, File Explorer reads the folders you’ve picked and shows the images (and, on most builds, videos) it finds in them in one thumbnail grid, with the newest items appearing first. Exactly which file types appear can vary by Windows build and installed codecs.
Gallery typically starts out showing images from your Pictures library, until you add more folders of your own.
Adding a folder to Gallery doesn’t copy, move, rename, or reorganize anything. Removing a folder only hides it from the view. Your files stay exactly where they are on disk.
Gallery is free and built into File Explorer. There’s nothing to download or install.
Before You Begin
- A PC running Windows 11 version 23H2 or later. Check your version in Settings > System > About; if you’re on an older release, install the latest feature update through Settings > Windows Update.
- At least one folder with photos or videos in it.
- Optional: an SD card reader or external SSD if you want to add photos stored outside your main drive.
Note: The menu labels below (Collection, Manage locations, Show all together, Include folder) come from this Gallery walkthrough. Microsoft hasn’t published a support page listing them. Some builds may use slightly different wording, such as “Manage collection.” If yours does, pick the closest match.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Open Gallery in File Explorer
- Press
Windows + Eto open File Explorer. - In the left-hand navigation pane, click Gallery. You’ll find it near Home.
You’ll see a grid of photo thumbnails, newest first, grouped by date.
Step 2: Add Your Own Folder to Gallery
- While Gallery is open, click Collection on the toolbar.
- Select Manage locations.
- Click Add.
- Browse to the folder that holds your photos. This could be Downloads, a “Vacation Photos” folder, or a folder on a USB flash drive.
- Click Include folder.
- Click OK.
Photos from that folder now appear in the Gallery timeline, mixed in by date. If you have thousands of images, they may take a minute or two to show up.
Step 3: Remove a Folder from Gallery
- Click Collection > Manage locations.
- Select the folder you want to drop.
- Click Remove.
- Click OK.
The folder’s photos disappear from Gallery, but the files themselves aren’t touched.
Configuration: Combined vs. Single-Folder View
The Collection menu controls what Gallery shows:
- Show all together combines your added folders into one timeline, which is generally how Gallery displays by default.
- A single folder name narrows Gallery to just that one source. This helps when you only want screenshots, or only camera photos.
If Gallery suddenly looks “empty,” one possible explanation is that it’s still filtered down to a single folder from your last selection. Checking the Collection menu is a quick first troubleshooting step.
Can you hide Gallery from the sidebar? Windows 11 doesn’t include a Settings toggle for hiding only the Gallery entry. Unchecking View > Show > Navigation pane hides the entire sidebar, not just Gallery, so it removes Home, Quick access, and OneDrive along with it rather than acting as a targeted fix.
Some third-party guides describe a registry value, often listed as ShowGallery, under the Explorer-related keys in the registry, which can supposedly hide just the Gallery node. The exact path and behavior can differ across Windows 11 builds and haven’t been independently confirmed here, so back up the registry before making any change, note the original value so you can restore it, and verify the tweak actually works on your specific build first.
Tips and Troubleshooting
Fix #1: Switch back to Show all together
- Open Gallery.
- Click Collection.
- Select Show all together.
Fix #2: Confirm your folders are actually added
- Click Collection > Manage locations.
- Check that every folder you expect is listed.
- Add any missing folders using the steps in Step 2.
Fix #3: Restore the navigation pane if Gallery is missing
First work out which problem you have. If the whole left sidebar is gone, the navigation pane is hidden. If the sidebar is there but only the Gallery entry is missing, check that you’re on Windows 11 23H2 or later; a work or school PC may also have Gallery turned off by policy or a registry change.
- In File Explorer, click View > Show.
- Make sure Navigation pane is checked.
- If Gallery still doesn’t appear, press
Ctrl + Shift + Escto open Task Manager. - Right-click Windows Explorer and choose Restart.
- As a last resort, save your work and sign out of Windows, then sign back in. This closes your open apps, so try the steps above first.
Fix #4: Turn thumbnails back on
If Gallery shows plain file icons instead of pictures, follow these steps:
- In File Explorer, click the See more (…) menu and choose Options.
- Open the View tab.
- Uncheck Always show icons, never thumbnails.
- Click Apply, then OK.
Fix #5: Download OneDrive photos to your PC
Gallery works with OneDrive-backed folders. However, online-only files sometimes need to download before a thumbnail can appear in Gallery.
- In File Explorer, right-click the OneDrive photo folder.
- Choose Always keep on this device.
- Wait for OneDrive to finish syncing.
Choosing this option is intended to keep local copies of those photos on your PC. If your drive is nearly full, consider an SSD upgrade or an external SSD first.
Fix #6: Rebuild the Windows Search index
Windows’ search indexing keeps track of file locations and metadata, and problems with the index can sometimes affect how reliably Windows finds or processes files, including photos shown in Gallery. Rebuilding the index is a general troubleshooting step rather than a documented Gallery requirement.
Microsoft hasn’t published guidance describing index rebuilding as a guaranteed fix for Gallery specifically, so treat it as one option to try if Gallery looks empty or incomplete, not a confirmed solution.
- Click Start, type
Indexing Options, and open it. - Click Modify and confirm your photo folders are checked. Click OK.
- Click Advanced.
- Under Troubleshooting, click Rebuild, then OK.
Dialog names and button placement can vary slightly depending on your Windows build.
Rebuilding can take a while on PCs with lots of files. Search results will be incomplete until it finishes.
Fix #7: Restore the Pictures library defaults
Treat this as a last resort. Restore Defaults resets which folders the Pictures library includes, so any extra folders you added to the library itself will be removed from it (the files stay on disk). Note those folders first so you can add them back. Folders you added through Gallery’s Manage locations are managed separately; recheck that list afterward.
- In File Explorer’s navigation pane, find Libraries. If it isn’t visible, click View > Show > Show libraries.
- Right-click Pictures and choose Properties.
- Click Restore Defaults.
- Click OK.
Wrapping Up
Gallery is one of Windows 11’s most useful hidden features. It’s especially handy if your photos are scattered across Downloads, Desktop, and a Camera Roll folder. If Gallery looks empty, start with Fix #1, because a leftover single-folder filter is easy to forget.
If photos still won’t load after rebuilding the index, look deeper. Thumbnails that consistently fail on one external drive only could possibly indicate a failing disk, though other causes are also possible. If File Explorer crashes every time you open Gallery, install pending Windows updates first, then check for corrupted system files; crashes like this can have several causes.