As is the case with Windows 10, its successor, Windows 11, also shows recently opened files along with frequently opened folders in File Explorer Home (called Quick Access in Windows 10).
The Recent files section of Home (or Quick Access) shows up to twenty most recently accessed files, so you can access recently opened files without navigating to their original locations.
While the Recent files feature in File Explorer is a fantastic feature to have, many users do not like to see recently opened files in File Explorer due to privacy concerns.
If you, like many others, do not wish to see recently opened files in File Explorer Home, you can change the File Explorer settings to stop Windows 11 from showing recently opened files in File Explorer Home.
Remove Recent files from File Explorer Home
Step 1: Open This PC, Home, or any other folder.
Step 2: Click the three dots on the File Explorer toolbar (refer to the picture below) and then click Options to open the Folder Options dialog. As you likely know, the Folder Options dialog houses File Explorer settings and options.
Step 3: Now, under the General tab of Folder Options, uncheck the option labeled Show recently used files. Finally, click the Apply button to stop Windows 11 File Explorer from showing recent files.
NOTE: To enable the Recent files feature again, you need to select the Show recently used files option and click Apply.
Remove individual recent files from File Explorer Home in Windows 11
As said earlier, the File Explorer Home shows up to twenty recently used files. If you wish to remove an individual file’s entry from the recent files list (without turning off the feature), you can do so as well. Here is how.
Step 1: Perform a right-click on the file’s entry that you wish to remove from the Recent files list and then click the Remove from recent option. That’s it! The specific file will not reappear in the list unless you open it again.
Tip: You can open the actual location of a file appearing in the Recent files list by right-clicking on its entry and then clicking the Open file location option.
Delete Recent file history in Windows 11
Step 1: Open Folder Options using one of the methods mentioned in our how-to open folder options in the Windows 11 guide.
Step 2: Under the General tab, click the Clear button next to the Clear File Explorer history option to delete recently opened files and frequently opened folders history immediately.
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