Internet Explorer Favorites Center - Pin and Unpin to Left Side

How to Pin and Unpin"Favorites Center" to Left Side in IE9, IE10, and IE11​

   Information

The Favorites Center in IE9, IE10, and IE11 allows you to quickly view your Favorites website links, Feeds, and viewed websites History.

By default, you can open the Favorites Center on the right side of IE9 and IE10 by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.

This tutorial will show you how to pin and unpin the Favorites Center to the left side in IE9, IE10, and IE11.

When you pin the Favorites Center to the left, it will stay there even when you close and reopen IE9, IE10, or IE11. The Favorites Center will stay pinned to the left until you close it. Closing the Favorites Center on the left side will unpin it and reset it's position back to the right side the next time you open the Favorites Center using the star icon.

   Note

You can also open Favorites on the Menu bar in IE9, IE10, and IE11 to see your favorite websites.

   Tip

If you like, you can also do either one of the below to have the Favorites Center open directly pinned to the left side.

• Click on View (Menu bar) -> Explorer Bars -> (the option you want)
• Press CTRL+SHIFT+I to open to Favorites in Favorites Center
• Press CTRL+SHIFT+H to open to History in Favorites Center
• Press CTRL+SHIFT+G to open to Feeds in Favorites Center

EXAMPLE: Favorites Center in IE9, IE10, and IE11

OPTION ONE

To Pin and Unpin Favorites Center in Internet Explorer

1. Open IE9, IE10, or IE11.
NOTE: In Windows 8, this would only apply to the IE10 or IE11 desktop version, and not the modern (metro) IE.

2. To Pin Favorites Center to the Left Side of IE9, IE10, or IE11 A) Click/tap on the star icon at the top right corner to open the Favorites Center. (see screenshot below)
B) Click/tap on the green arrow pointing to the left button. (see screenshot below)
C) The Favorites Center will now be pinned to the left side of IE9, IE10, or IE11 until you unpin it. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: You can adjust the width of the pinned Favorites Center by moving the mouse pointer over the right border until it turns into a double arrow pointer, then left click and hold, and drag the right border to the left or right to adjust it's width. Release the left click when finished.
3. To Unpin Favorites Center from the Left Side of IE9, IE10, or IE11
NOTE: This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the X at the top right corner of the pinned Favorites Center. (see screenshot below)
OR

B) Click/tap on the star icon at the top right corner once to unpin the Favorites Center. (see screenshot below)
C) The Favorites Center will now be unpinned from the left side of IE9, IE10, or IE11.

OPTION TWO

To Pin and Unpin Favorites Center in IE using REG File

1. Do step 2 or 3 below for what you would like to do.

2. To Pin Favorites Center to the Left Side of IE9, IE10, or IE11
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Pin_Favorites_Center_in_IE.reg



Download

3. To Unpin Favorites Center from the Left Side of IE9, IE10, or IE11
NOTE: This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Unpin_Favorites_Center_in_IE.reg



Download

4. Save the REG file to your desktop.

5. Double click/tap on the downloaded REG file to merge it.

6. Click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK when prompted to approve the merge.

7. If open, close and reopen Internet Explorer to apply.

8. When finished, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Turn the Bookmarks Bar On or Off in Google Chrome
• How to View Internet Explorer History of Visited Websites

 

[Brink]

Hello Koasmax,

Yes, that would be correct.

I'm sorry, but there is currently no method known of to move the Star icon to the left side in IE9.

 

[kenC]

Shawn - love your tutorials and have learned a lot from them, but with all due respect - this one isn't a fix. Like everyone else who reads it - I clicked the green arrow and the box moved over to the left, but to my surprise, when I closed and re-opened - it was back on the right!
After reading this thread I discovered that this is normal behaviour! Since most people won't keep favourites open all the time this just isn't worth doing until a real solution comes along.

Do MS do this kind of thing just to p**s people off ??

 

[Brink]

Hello Ken,

I'm not sure why everyone is thinking this tutorial is a fix. The tutorial is just to help show how the new feature "Favorites Center" can be pinned to the left side in IE9 now vs how it was in IE8. The tutorial is mostly just for informative purposes instead.

 

[hatemf23]

hi Brink,

Thank you for the tutorial

I had the same issue as nikev216 but I guess the tips said will have to do until a solution is found, this is what stopped me from using IE for years, its not as flexible as other browsers, what you see is what you get (mostly), but since I am here Im starting to use it again obviously .

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Hatemf.

 

[Night Hawk]

What I will miss the most will be the search box. When "trimming the fat" so to speak to make IE 9 a faster browser the rearrangement took the Favorites button off of the tool bar and placed it on the main bar now the address/search combined.

Previously the address bar was a separate bar you could hide but also made it one more item. The new layout does more to consolidate things apparently intended to free up some resources at the same time. It can throw you off at first however and why guides like this can be an asset.

 

[IvanForever]

Hello

I'm one of the few that keeps the Favorites Center open all the time (on the left side). My beef is that when I start EI 9, the Favorites Center Three is always closed. Is there a way to start EI 9 with the Favorite Center Three open?

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Brink]

Hello Ivan, and welcome to Seven Forums.

When you pin the Favorites Center to the left, it will stay there as long as you don't close the Favorites Center. You can close and reopen IE9 and the Favorites Center will still be on the left. Closing the Favorites Center on the left side will reset it's position back to the right side the next time you open the Favorites Center.

 

[IvanForever]

Thanks Brink.

Perhaps I was not clear with my question. I meant the "Tree" open. See attached files: Tree_1 is what I get when I start EI 9 and Tree_2 is what I would like to have instead.

Sorry for the confusion...

 

[Brink]

Ivan,

The only way that I know to do that is to place all of the folder that you do not want to be displayed in the Favorites Center when your open IE9 into a another folder so they are all now subfolders. When IE9 opens, only the main folders display unexpanded in the Favorites Center.

 

[IvanForever]

OK. Thank you. I'll do that.

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Ivan.

 

[elbeasto]

Thanks very much for that, I was wondering if it had this very feature as I've just moved from using Google Chrome for a very long time.

EDIT: Oh bugger, I spoke too soon, you have to leave it open for it to stay there...

Still IE9 is a nice browser, I won't mind using it for a while.

 

[Layback Bear]

Just my opinion. Moving things around on the tool bar is not an improvement. I wish Microsoft would of left those kind of things alone, we like them as they were. Make it faster and safer. Then we would be done with all these tweaks to fix it.

 

[Thornie]

I have been scratching my head for weeks. Never thought of looking at the icons on the top right hand side.
Thanks for pointing out what I should have worked out myself.

 

[kathyjoe5]

I am left handed and left brained and I don't do change well I want to keep my Favorites Bar Tab on the Left of the Menu Bar as it was in IE8, so I can click on it and have it open or close. I dont' want to have to move it to the left everytime I want to use it, or keep it open when I don't need it. Is there a way to do this? I unloaded IE9 when it first came out for this very reason. I have already unloaded IE10 and gone back to IE8.

Do not know why developers make these types of changes and don't give you the option. It can't be that hard. Does anyone know if this is possible?

 

[Brink]

Hello Kathy, and welcome to Seven Forums.

If you like, you can do either one of the below to have the Favorites Center open directly to the left side.

• Click on View (Menu bar) -> Explorer Bars -> (the option you want)
• Press CTRL+SHIFT+I to open to Favorites in Favorites Center
• Press CTRL+SHIFT+H to open to History in Favorites Center
• Press CTRL+SHIFT+G to open to Feeds in Favorites Center

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[kathyjoe5]

IE 10 and Favorites Tab-Move Permanently to the Left

Thanks for replying to my question, Shawn. I have already removed IE10 from my computer. Before I download it again to test your suggestions, I have one question. Are your suggestions something I would have to do everytime I open IE10, or once I use one of them does the Favorites stay on the left side, where I can close the pane and open whenever I need it, as in IE8, or is this something that has to be done everytime I want to view The Favorites.

I am looking for a permanent solution before I download IE10 again.

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Kathy,

This will work in IE9 for the Favorites Center as well.

When you pin the Favorites Center to the left side, it will stay pinned even after closing IE until you unpin it.

 

[MarkWat]

Hi Shawn,

I may be wrong but I think what Kathy wants to do is each time she wants to access Favourites, for it always to open on the left hand side when she clicks the star (rather than go through the Explorer Bars option each time), even after she has closed the Favourites to see the webpage full size. If not, I do and I'd love to know if it is possible (and ideally, permanently move that star to the left too)!

This is what happened in Internet Explorer 8 but not 9. Now I have 10 I'm hopeful that ability has come back - has it?!

Thanks

Mark