How to Clear Recent File History in Windows 10|5 Easy Methods

About Recent File History

In the Windows 10 operating system, Recent File History is a built-in feature that tracks and displays files recently opened or accessed by users. These files typically appear in the Start menu, File Explorer, or Taskbar, allowing users to quickly access previously used files or folders. Its primary purposes include:

• Quick Access: Recent File History provides a convenient way for users to quickly locate and reopen previously used files.
• Efficiency Improvement: For daily computer users, this feature can enhance work efficiency, especially when handling multiple documents, as there is no need to search for files in folders every time.
• File Preview: Through the list of recent files, users can preview file contents or even view summaries without fully opening the files.

While Recent File History is highly convenient for many users, there may be instances where you want to clear it, especially in the following scenarios:

• Privacy Protection: If you do not want others to see the files you have recently opened, you can delete these history records.
• Desktop Cleanup: Long-accumulated recent file history can clutter the Start menu or File Explorer.
• Space Release: Although file history itself occupies minimal space, cleaning it can sometimes help improve system tidiness and operational speed.

How to Clear Recent File History in Windows 10

In the Windows 10 system, recent file history can generally be viewed from two places: the Taskbar and File Explorer. The five methods introduced in this section also mainly revolve around these two aspects.

✅Disable the Jump List on the Taskbar

The Jump List feature in Windows 10 shows recent files, apps, and tasks, and it can be accessed directly from the Start menu or Taskbar. If you don't want Windows to keep track of your recently opened files or applications on the taskbar, you can disable this feature entirely.

Step 1. Click the Start menu to select "Settings" and click on "Personalization". (Similarly, you can find "Personalization" by right-clicking on the desktop and then choosing " Personalization".)

Step 2. Select "Start" on the left hand and disable the " show recently opened items in jump lists on start or the taskbar and in File Explorer Quick Access" option.

✅Permanently Disable Recent Files with Group Policy

If you prefer not to store recent file history at all, you can permanently disable the feature that tracks your recent files in local group policy editor. This means Windows will stop showing recent documents, images, and other files in Quick Access.

Step 1. Type "Edit group policy" in the start menu and open it.

Step2. On the left of the window, locate "User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar".

Step 3. Select “Do not keep history of recently opened documents” in the right of the window and double-click it to open its settings window.

Step 4. Select “Enable” and save the changes by clicking "OK" or "Apply".

✅Clear Recent Files in File Explorer

You can also clear recent file history directly within File Explorer, which is often where you'll see the list of recent files when browsing your directories. This is a good way to tidy up your workspace and remove the clutter that comes with a long list of recently accessed files.

Step 1. Double click " This PC" icon to open File Explorer.

Step 2. Click "View > Options", then click "Change folder and search options".

Step 3. Under the "General" tab, click "Clear" to clear the file explorer history (or you can untick the box of recent files setting) and click "Apply" to save the setting.

✅Remove Individual Items from File Explorer

If you don't want to clear all recent history files but only a part of them, such as personal files, you can directly delete them from Windows' recent open files.

Step 1. Double click "This PC" icon to open File Explorer.

Step 2. Click "Quick access", choose the files or folders including your individual files. Then, right click and choose "Remove from Quick access".

✅Clear Files in the Recent Folder

With this method, you can manually clear all files from the Recent folder. Your computer will free up more space for other tasks, and its performance will also improve slightly.

Step 1. Click Win+R to open the Run window, type " %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent" and click "OK" to open the recent folder.

Step 2. In the opened folder, select the files you want to delete and right click to choose "Delete".

Unexpected Data Loss After Clear: How to Recover the Cleared File

If you prefer privacy or just want to clear up space, it’s a good idea to manage recent file history. However, unexpected situations may occur when clearing recent history files: the original files may be accidentally deleted. Don’t panic! MyRecover will bring you hope.

MyRecover is a professional file recovery software, which excels at recovering files from various complex scenarios, such as permanent deletion, hard disk formatting, unreadable drives, deleted partitions, etc. In addition, it adopts a user-friendly graphical design for beginners – you can recover important files (whether images, videos, documents, compressed files, etc.) just by clicking icons.

Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer, avoid installing it on the drive with lost files.

Step 2. Launch it and select the drive to scan for lost files, then click "Scan".

Step 3. Choose the files you wish to recover from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".

Step 4. Select a secure location to save the recovered files.

Summary

Clearing recent file history in Windows 10 allows you to maintain privacy and control over your system's data. By these ways mentioned above, you can prevent sensitive information from being stored. In case you need to recover any deleted files, tools like MyRecover can help recover deleted files from desktop, hard drive, SD Card and more.

MyRecover also offers the Professional and Technician Editions to meet the needs of users with more advanced requirements. These editions can recover data from crashed computer systems and allow users to preview file contents before restoring them.