Windows 10: Add or Remove Recent Files from Quick Access in Windows 10

How to: Add or Remove Recent Files from Quick Access in Windows 10


Information Windows 10 replaced Favorites from previous Windows with Quick access. The Quick access page is the shortest route to files you've been working on and folders you often use. These are your frequent folders and recent files.

In Windows 10, File Explorer opens to Quick access by default which shows your Frequent folders and Recent files.

• Frequent folders = Displays up to ten folders that you frequently opened on the system.
• Recent files = Displays up to twenty files that you most recently opened.

This tutorial will show you how to add or remove Recent files in Quick access in File Explorer for all users or only your account in Windows 10.


Note When you hide or remove Recent files in Quick access, it will also clear its history.

CONTENTS:

• Option One: Hide or Show "Recent Files" in Quick Access for Your Account using File Explorer Options[/option]
• Option Two: Hide or Show "Recent Files" in Quick Access for Your Account using a REG file
• Option Three: Add or Remove "Recent Files" in Quick Access for All Users using a REG file

EXAMPLE: Quick access in Windows 10









OPTION ONE [/i] Hide or Show "Recent Files" in Quick Access for Your Account using File Explorer Options
1. Open File Explorer Options.

2. Do step 3 or step 4 below for what you would like to do.


3. To Show "Recent files" in Quick access
NOTE: This is the default setting.
A) Turn on Show recently opened items in Jump Lists on Start or the taskbar in Settings.

B) In the General tab under Privacy, check the Show recently used files in Quick access box, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
4. To Hide "Recent files" in Quick access
A) In the General tab under Privacy, uncheck the Show recently used files in Quick access box, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)








OPTION TWO [/i] Hide or Show "Recent Files" in Quick Access for Your Account using a REG file
1. Do step 2 or step 3 below for what you would like to do.


2. To Show "Recent files" in Quick access
NOTE: This is the default setting.
A) Turn on Show recently opened items in Jump Lists on Start or the taskbar in Settings.

B) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Show_Recent_files_in_Quick_access.reg

Download
3. To Hide "Recent files" in Quick access
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Hide_Recent_files_in_Quick_access.reg

Download
4. Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6. If prompted, click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7. If the Quick access is currently open, then refresh (F5) it or close and open it to apply.

8. You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.





OPTION THREE [/i] Add or Remove "Recent Files" in Quick Access for All Users using a REG file


Note You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do this option.

Removing recent files using this option will override what users have set in Option One and Option One above.

1. Do step 2, step 3, or step 4 below for what you would like to do.


2. To Add "Recent files" to Quick access in 32-bit Windows 10
NOTE: This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.

32-bit_Add_Recent_Files_to_Quick_access.reg

Download
3. To Add "Recent files" to Quick access in 64-bit Windows 10
NOTE: This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.

64-bit_Add_Recent_Files_to_Quick_access.reg

Download
4. To Remove "Recent files" from Quick access
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.

Remove_Recent_Files_from_Quick_access.reg

Download
5. Save the .reg file to your desktop.

6. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

7. If prompted, click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

8. If the Quick access is currently open, then refresh (F5) it or close and open it to apply.

9. You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.

That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Add or Remove Quick access in Navigation Pane of File Explorer in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove Favorites from Quick Access in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove Frequent folders from Quick access in Windows 10
• How to Pin or Unpin Locations from Quick access in Windows 10
• How to Turn On or Off 'Recent Items' and 'Frequent Places' in Windows 10
• How to Hide a Specific File or Folder from Quick access in Windows 10
• How to Reset and Clear Recent Items and Frequent Places in Windows 10
• How to Change Quick Access Icon in File Explorer in Windows 10

:)

 

Increase number of recent folders in quick access

Hi,

If you want a folder to show up in Quick access, right-click it and select
Pin to Quick access as a workaround.

1. Open an Explorer window.

2. Click File in the top left corner.

3. Uncheck ‘Show frequently used folders in Quick access’.

4. Drag and drop the file or folder you want to add into the Quick Access window.

Remove recent files from Quick Access in Windows 10

Removing recent files from Quick Access is a little simpler. To remove resources, you do not have to turn it off.

1. Open an Explorer window if you closed it.

2. Right click on a file or folder and select ‘Remove from Quick Access’.

3. The resource should now disappear from the window.

If you need further insights into this issue, you might as well post this in the Feedback page via the inbuilt Feedback App in Windows 10.

Let us know if you have any questions. We are happy to help!

 

Remove Quick Access Toolbar

Hello rsny,

If you like, you could remove all items from the Quick Access toolbar to effectively remove it other than its menu arrow.

How to Add or Remove Quick Access Toolbar Items in Windows 10 File Explorer

 

Thank you Gregg for sharing this. I have added it to the tutorial so that it will help others. *Smile

 

interesting topic here,

any ideas how to just "clean" the recent files from quick access but let the setting enabled ?
i love the idea to just run a .reg file
for example - when i open some documents from my usb drive on my parents computer i dont want to confuse them with my stuff

thx

 

Hello @raidZ, and welcome to Ten Forums. *Smile

You could use the tutorial below clear recent files and frequent places from Quick Access, but it will clear all of them.

Recent Items and Frequent Places - Reset and Clear

To remove a single recent item, you could right click on it, and click/tap on "Remove from Quick access".

Quick Access - Hide Specific File or Folder in Windows 10

 

Is it possible to recover items in the quick access list. I removed some but I want to get them back.

 

Hello ncinsguy, *Smile

When you "Remove from Quick access" recent files, the files do not get deleted.

The removed item will eventually automatically be added back to recent file if opened enough times.

 

That's the thing I don't know where the file location is so I can reopen it. I had it open but I don't remember the name either and I need it again now.

 

How long ago did you access it?

 

You could try navigating to C:\Users\{yourname}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\RecentItems and rummage through there to see if you can find it.

 

In addition, if you opened the file with a program, some programs have a last opened type history feature. If it does, that may help find it.

Do you know what file type (ex: ".pdf) the file is? If so, you could do a search for it (ex: "*.pdf") to see if a file name may stand out in the search results.