Clear Recent Documents

How to Clear Recent Documents in Windows: One essential step in removing traces of your personal activity on a Windows PC is clearing the Recent Documents history. Windows keeps a running list of recently opened files to make them easier to access later, but this can also expose sensitive information on shared or public computers.

Older versions of Windows such as XP and Vista displayed this list directly in the Start menu. Newer versions still track recent files, but store and display them differently.

Clear Recent Documents in Windows XP and Vista? The following method applies to Windows XP and Windows Vista only.

How to Clear My Recent Documents (XP and Vista)

  1. From your taskbar, right-click Start and select Properties.
    Right Click the Start Button, then select Properties
  2. Click Customize from the Start Menu Properties window.
    Now Click the Customize Button
  3. Click the Advanced tab, then click the Clear List button.
    Click Advanced and then Clear List

Your recently accessed documents should now be removed from the My Recent Documents list.

If you want to prevent Windows from tracking them entirely, uncheck List my most recently opened documents.

Clear Recent Documents in Windows 7? Windows 7 no longer shows "My Recent Documents" by default, but the history is still stored.

Steps for Windows 7

  1. Click Start, then right-click an empty area and select Properties.
  2. Click Customize.
  3. Scroll to Recent Items.
  4. Click Clear.

To disable tracking entirely, uncheck Store and display recently opened items in the Start menu and the taskbar.

Clear Recent Files in Windows 10 and Windows 11? Modern versions of Windows track recent files through File Explorer and Jump Lists.

Method 1: Clear via File Explorer

  1. Open File Explorer.
  2. Right-click Quick Access.
  3. Select Options.
  4. Under Privacy, click Clear.

To stop Windows from tracking recent files, uncheck:

Show recently used files in Quick access
Show frequently used folders in Quick access

Method 2: Clear Recent Documents Folder Directly

This works on all modern Windows versions.

  1. Press Windows + R.
  2. Type: 
    shell:recent
  3. Press Enter.
  4. Select all files and delete them.

This clears the Recent Documents history without affecting the original files.

Bonus: Disable Recent Documents Tracking Completely

Windows 10 and 11

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Go to Personalization → Start.
  3. Turn off Show recently opened items.
By Lance, Provider of Simple Solutions | 2 min read
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