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How To Remove Recent Files From Start Menu In Windows 11

Last Updated on August 12, 2021 by admin 1 Comment

With Windows 11, Microsoft has introduced an all-new Start menu. The new Start menu in Windows 11 displays pinned app icons at the top and recent items at the bottom of the menu (in the Recommended section), as you might have noticed by now.

remove or disable recent files from Start menu in Windows 11 pic1

Some users might like the idea of displaying recent items on the Start menu, but some users do not like it.

To start with, one can always view recently opened files by opening File Explorer’s Quick Access. Besides that, the Start menu (at least on our PC) takes some time to update the recent files list. So, it does not always display the most recently accessed files.

Luckily, if you do not like seeing your recently opened files on the Start menu every time you open it, you can configure the Start menu not to show recent files. However, there is a catch. When you disable recent files from the Start menu, space will not be utilized to show pinned apps. That is, the space reserved for recent items will remain vacant, as shown in the picture below.

remove or disable recent files from Start menu in Windows 11 pic4

Additionally, when you disable recent files on the Start menu, recent files will not be shown in Quick Access and Jump Lists as well.

Disable Windows 11 Start menu recent files list

Anyways, here is how to configure the Start menu not to show recent files in Windows 11.

Step 1: Open the Settings app. You can easily open the Settings app by right-clicking on the Start button on the taskbar and then clicking the Settings option.

remove or disable recent files from Start menu in Windows 11 pic5

Step 2: In the left pane of Settings, click Personalization. On the right side, click Start.

remove or disable recent files from Start menu in Windows 11 pic2

Step 3: Finally, turn off the option labeled Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer. That is it!

remove or disable recent files from Start menu in Windows 11 pic3

The Start menu, Jump Lists and File Explorer’s Quick Access will not display recently opened files from now onwards.

Remove individual files from the Start menu in Windows 11

If you would instead like to remove an individual file from the recent items list, you can do so as well. Here is how.

Step 1: Open the Start menu.

Step 2: Perform a right-click on the file that you would like to remove from the Start menu and then click the Remove from list option. This will remove the file from the Start menu immediately.

remove or disable recent files from Start menu in Windows 11 pic6

Tip: The Start menu, by default, displays a total of six recent files. If you want to view more recent files, click on the More button in the Recommended section of the Start menu.

Filed Under: Windows 11 Tagged: Customization, Start Menu

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Comments

  1. Patrick James Morley says

    July 6, 2021 at 7:20 pm

    The more I see of W11 the less I want to use it. MS is just too much the control freak.

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