How to Delete Recent Files on Windows 10/11?

Windows 10 has various convenient features for regular use that are designed to increase productivity. If you're a deep user, you may have noticed a list of recently viewed or accessed folders and files at the bottom of the File Explorer window. This makes it easier to retrieve frequently used files, especially if you are the sole user of your computer.

The rapid access folder is rather handy. You do not need to navigate to specific directories to view the files you last accessed. But, if you share your PC with others, this feature might make some users feel uncomfortable showing privacy to other people.

Thus, in this guide, we'll show you how to clear the recently opened file list on your PC and offer you some advice to help you clear junk files to keep your PC healthy.

Where may you see the recent file list on Windows 10/11?

▶ Task Bar

For Windows 10 users, you can see all files and folders that you have opened which shows up when you click on them. The system will record which files you’ve used and display them in the list called the jump list.

The jump list can be found on program icons in the Taskbar or the Start menu. The jump list displays all recent files associated with a certain program. For Windows 11 users, if you update to the 22H2 version, you'll see more recent files and programs in the jump list.

▶ File Explorer

The File Explorer Rapid Access Toolbar gives you quick access to some of the most regularly used tools, such as save and undo.

Windows 10 included the Quick Access view in File Explorer. When you open a File Explorer window, you'll notice a list of often-used folders and recently accessed records, as well as frequently used folders under the Quick Access item in the navigation pane. It assists clients by showing links to the most frequently accessed folders and files. This material is compiled by "Recent files" and "frequent folders," and settings can display up to ten folders and twenty documents.

What’s in the recent list in Windows 10/11?

Not all recently opened files and programs will show in the recent list or jump list, Windows has a specific algorithm for recent list files.

1. In the recent file list, the files will show in chronological order, with the most recently used file at the top. And the number of files and programs shown by default is ten if the user can raise this amount by altering the markup.

2. The newly opened files and programs will always be on the top of the list and if you open an item that is already on the list, it will return to the top of the list. Pinned things will travel up and down the list but they will never disappear.

3. In addition, when the number of items pinned to the list equals the maximum amount defined in markup, no new items will be added to the list until some are unpinned.

How to delete recent files on Windows 10/11

To clear recent files in Windows 10/11, in this part, we’ll show you details.

Way 1. Disable the jump list on the Start or taskbar

Step 1. Open Settings and then click on Personalization

Step 2. Click on start on the left pane and switch the option from on to off i.e. “Show recently opened items in Jump Lists on Start or the taskbar”.

Way 2. Clear recent files in Windows in File Explorer

If you want to remove recent files in Quick access in File Explorer, you can directly right-click a file and choose “Remove from Quick Access”.

Or you can open “File” > Change folder and search options” to change folder options settings.

Or you can untick the box of recent files setting.

Way 3. Permanently disable Recent Files in File Explorer

If you want to get rid of the recent file list in File Explorer, you need to open the Edit group policy.

Step 1. Type “Edit group policy” and open it.

Step 2. On the left of the window, please locate User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar.

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

Step 4. In the new window, click “Enable”. And save the changes. Then the recent files won’t show in the File Explorer Quick Access.

Way 4. Clear recent files in the folder

Step 1. Click “Windows” + “R” to open the Run window, and type or copy and paste the following content and click “OK”: %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent

Step 2. In the new window, you can select all files and delete them.

After you clear the recent files in the folder, your PC will release some resources for other tasks, and the performance will be improved a little. However, if you want to deeply clear recently emerged junk files in Windows, you need to do more.

Further reading: How to clear recent junk files on Windows?

The system will generate a large number of temporary data files and tiny files. They are necessary when the system conducts the tasks; nevertheless, most will become obsolete and remain on the disk. Worse, the C drive is the storage location of these files. If you leave them alone, they will consume a lot of disc space. Furthermore, the PC performance would suffer if you use an HDD as the system drive.

So, to maintain the system and disk in good status, we recommend that you frequently clean garbage files. Of course, you may use Windows built-in tools like Disk Cleanup and Storage Sense to accomplish some basic cleaning, but AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard is recommended if you want to delete all unneeded data properly.

This free disk and partition manager supports Windows 11/10/8/8.1/7/XP users to thoroughly scan the system and disk to find out all junk files and only need to click the “Clean All” button, all unneeded files will be completely cleaned.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard, and then click "Free up" > "PC Cleaner".

Step 2. In the pop-up window, click "Start Scan" to scan for junk files.

Step 3. Wait until the scanning process completes.

Step 4. After the scan is completed, all kinds of available junk files will be listed. Then, tick the options you want to clean, then click "Clean All" to begin the cleaning process.

Step 5. When you see a correct symbol displayed in the interface, you can click "Back" to exit the Window.

Final words

If you don’t how to delete recent files on Windows 10 and 11, hope this post will help you solve your problem. AOMEI Partition Assistant has many practical features to help users manage their devices.

If you wish to adjust your system resources, you can choose the Professional Edition to employ more features like disk cloning, data-safe MBR/GPT conversion, converting file systems without formatting drive, OS migration, etc.

And there is the Server Edition for Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012(R2)/2008(R2)/2003 systems to conveniently manage computers.

FAQs about how to delete recent files on Windows 10

Why would I want to delete my recent file list in Windows 10?
You might want to delete your recent file list to maintain your privacy, especially if you share your computer with others. Deleting the list can help prevent others from easily seeing what files you've been working on.

Is there a way to delete specific files from the recent file list, or is it an all-or-nothing option?
The built-in Windows feature allows you to clear the entire recent file list. If you want to remove specific files from the list, you can do so manually by right-clicking on the file and selecting "Remove from Quick access."

Does clearing the recent file list impact other features or settings on my computer?
Clearing the recent file list only affects the list itself and doesn't impact other features or settings on your computer. It won't affect your installed applications or personal files.

Is there a way to recover a file that I accidentally removed from the recent file list?
If you accidentally remove a file from the recent file list, you can still find it by navigating to its original location on your computer. Removing it from the recent file list doesn't delete the file itself.