Clearing Recent Documents in Windows 10's File Explorer

In this article, we will walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to clear your recent documents list within File Explorer in Windows 10.

Step 1: Open the Start menu by clicking the Windows logo at the bottom left corner of your screen. From there, select 'File' from the top ribbon bar and then click on 'Quick Access'.

Alternatively, you can also press the 'Windows + E' keys directly to open File Explorer if it's not already open.

Step 2: Once in Quick Access, locate the 'Recent' section at the left-hand side of your screen. This is where all recently accessed documents will be listed.

Step 3: To clear these recent files from view:

- Right-click on any file or folder within this list.

- From the context menu that appears, select 'Clear history'.

Alternatively,

- You can also right-click anywhere inside Quick Access itself and then choose 'Options' from the pop-up menu.

In both cases, you'll be taken to a new window where you can customize how your recent documents are displayed. Here, simply untick the box next to 'Show recently used folders first', click 'Apply changes,' followed with another press of OK once prompted again for confirmation before seeing those pesky old files disappear!

If these steps don't work or if you want a more permanent solution:

1.Open Regedit (Registry Editor) by typing 'regedit' in the Start search bar and pressing Enter.

2.Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

3.Double-click on 'Recent' folder.

4.Delete all values inside this folder except for '.default'.

5.Restart your computer after making these changes so they take effect immediately without needing a restart first!

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