How to Hide Recent Files in Windows 11 Start Menu

Option 1Managing Recent Files with Windows Settings

The Settings app hides your recently opened documents so your personal files stay private when other people look at your screen. It works on every edition, Home and Pro included, and it needs no special permissions. Microsoft renamed the Recommended section to Recent, so older guides and some toggle names still use the old word.

1. Open Settings⚙️. Press Win+I, or click the Start button⊞ and then the gear icon. The Settings⚙️ window opens with a list of categories on the left.
2. Open the Personalization page. Click Personalization on the left side of the Settings⚙️ window. The page shows a list of personalization options on the right.
3. Open the Start page. Click Start on the right side. You should now see a list of toggle switches that control what the Start menu⊞ displays.
4. Turn off the main switch. Find “Show recommended files in Start, recent files in File Explorer📁, and items in Jump Lists” (jump lists are the short menus of recent files that appear when you right-click an app). When it is On, which is the default, Windows lists recent files in the Start menu⊞ and in jump lists. Set it to Off. The switch now reads Off.
5. Turn off the second switch. Find “Show recent items in jump lists and File Explorer📁”. It is also On by default. Turning it Off hides those items and clears your current list of recent items, so it erases your history.

   The exact wording of these toggles changes between Windows 11 builds. Some versions combine them into one switch with a name along the lines of “Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer📁”. If you see only one switch like that, it does the same job, so turn it off.

   To hide recent files completely, turn every option of this kind Off. To show them again, turn them On.

6. Check for the newer section toggles. Newer Windows 11 builds add separate toggles on the Start page to show or hide the Recent section itself. They also add options related to hiding your name and profile picture. Microsoft is rolling these out gradually, and Insider builds may get them first, so your PC may not show them yet. If you see a toggle for the Recent section, set it to Off to hide the whole section.
7. Close Settings and check the Start menu⊞. Your changes should appear right away. Open the Start menu⊞ and check that the “Recent” (formerly Recommended) section no longer lists your files. If an old entry is still there, restart File Explorer📁 or your computer and look again.

That’s it. Your Start menu no longer shows recent files, and you can bring them back at any time by switching the same toggles to On.

Option 2Using the Registry Editor to Control Recent Files

Registry Editor (a database for low-level system settings) lets you hide recent files by editing the value yourself. This advanced method has you create or edit a DWORD value (a 32-bit number setting) in the 🗝️HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advancedcopy key.

1. Open Registry Editor. Press Win+R to open the Run box. Type regedit and press Enter, or click OK.
2. Approve the prompt. If a User Account Control (UAC) message appears, click Yes. The Registry Editor window opens with a folder tree on the left.
3. Go to the correct location. In the folder tree, go to this path:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

   You can paste the path into the address bar at the top of Registry Editor and press Enter. The editor jumps straight to that key. If a key along the way is missing (the Explorer key under Policies is the most likely one), right-click the parent key, select New, then Key, and give it the missing name.

   📝NoteThe path HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ means these changes only affect the user who is currently signed in. For this setting, it is the path that controls recent files.
4. Look for the “Start_TrackDocs” value. In the right pane, look for a value named Start_TrackDocs. It should be a DWORD (32-bit) Value. If it exists, double-click Start_TrackDocs and an edit box opens.
5. Create the value if it is missing. Right-click an empty space in the right pane and select New, then DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new value exactly Start_TrackDocs. Then double-click it to open the edit box.
6. Set the value data. This tells Windows whether to show or hide recent files. In the Value data box, enter one of these:

   • To show recent files (default)Enter 1.
   • To hide recent filesEnter 0.
7. Save the value. Click OK. The new data appears next to the value name in the right pane. To undo the change later, come back here and set the data to the default value.
8. Close Registry Editor. The change usually takes effect immediately. If the Start menu⊞ still shows your files, sign out and back in, or restart File Explorer📁. To do that, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager📊, right-click Windows Explorer📁 in the Processes list, and select Restart. The taskbar🖥️ disappears for a second and comes back.

That’s it. The registry value now controls whether your recent files appear on the Start menu for your user account, and you can flip it back whenever you like.

Option 3Controlling Recent Files for All Users (Pro/Enterprise Editions)

The Local Group Policy Editor lets you manage recent files with a system policy instead of individual settings. It is available on Windows Pro, Enterprise and Education. The policy tells Windows not to keep a history of recently opened documents, so they stay hidden for the people who use the machine.

Important: The Local Group Policy Editor is not included in Windows 11 Home. On Home, the program does not open when you try the steps below. Use the Settings app method or the Registry Editor method instead.

1. Open Local Group Policy Editor. Press Win+R and type gpedit.msc. Press Enter or click OK. The Local Group Policy Editor window opens with a tree of policy folders on the left.
2. Go to the policy folder. In the left pane, go to:

   User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar

   Click each folder in turn to expand it. The policies in the selected folder are listed in the right pane.

   Microsoft lists this policy under both Computer Configuration and User Configuration (Administrative Templates › Start Menu⊞ and Taskbar). The path above is valid, and you can use either location.

3. Open the policy. In the right pane, find the policy named Do not keep history of recently opened documents. Double-click it. A settings window for that policy opens.
4. Choose a setting. The window offers three options:

   • Not ConfiguredThe policy is not active. Windows uses its default behavior or what individual users set in Settings.
   • EnabledWindows does not keep a history of recently opened documents. This hides recent files from the Start menu, File Explorer and jump lists for all users.
   • DisabledWindows keeps a history of recently opened documents. This turns the feature on for all users.

   To hide recent files for all users, select Enabled. To show them, select Disabled or Not Configured. Not Configured is the way to undo your change and go back to managing the setting in Windows Settings.

5. Save the policy. Click OK. The policy window closes and the new state appears in the right pane.
6. Close Local Group Policy Editor. Your changes should apply automatically. Restart your🔄 computer, or sign out and back in, if the Start menu⊞ still shows recent files.

You should now have a policy that stops Windows from keeping a history of recently opened documents, and you can reverse it at any time by setting the policy to Not Configured.

Summary

To undo any method, turn the Settings toggles back On, set the registry value back to its default, or set the policy to Not Configured. If an old entry still shows on the Start menu, restart File Explorer and check again. Builds that have not received the rename still label the section “Recommended”, so look for that name if you do not see “Recent”.