How to Show or Hide Recent Files on Start Menu in Windows 11

Recent files on the Windows 11 Start menu ⊞ appear in the Recommended section at the bottom of the screen to help you quickly reopen documents and photos you used recently. Turning off this setting hides those items and clears your history so nobody else can see what you worked on last.

Open the Settings ⚙️ app, go to Personalization, click Start ⊞, and turn off the switch for “Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer 📁” to hide your recent files.

Option 1Using Settings to Show or Hide Recent Files

Managing windows 11 recent files takes just a few clicks through the main Windows settings menu. You can turn off or turn on the list of recently opened documents and apps directly from the Personalization panel so your Start menu stays clean and private.

1. Open the Settings app. You can do this by pressing the Win+I on your keyboard.
2. In the Settings ⚙️ window, click on Personalization in the left-hand menu. Then, on the right side, click on Start.
3. Look for the section labeled Layout options. You will see an option called “Show recent and suggested files.”

   • To show recent files: Make sure the box next to this option is checked. This is the default setting.
   • To hide recent files: Uncheck the box next to this option.
4. You can now close the Settings ⚙️ app.

Option 2Using the Registry Editor to Show or Hide Recent Files

Editing the system database offers an advanced way to control windows 11 recent files if the main settings app ⚙️ does not work for you. You can adjust specific registry keys to force the Start menu ⊞ to hide or display your recently used items.

Open the Run Box

1. Press Windows key + R on your keyboard at the same time. The “Run” box will appear.

Start the Registry Editor

1. In the “Open:” field of the Run box, type regedit.
2. Press Enter or click “OK.”

1. The Registry Editor looks a bit like File Explorer 📁. You need to go to a specific section called a “key.”
2. Carefully type or copy and paste this path into the address bar at the top of the Registry Editor: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Start
3. Press Enter after you paste the path. This will take you to the correct spot.

Find or Create “ShowSuggestedFiles”

1. Look at the right side of the Registry Editor window. You are looking for something called ShowSuggestedFiles.
2. It might already be there. If not, don’t worry.

How to create it if it’s missing:

1. Right-click on 🖱️ an empty space on the right side.
2. A menu will appear. Move your mouse over “New.”
3. Click on “DWORD (32-bit) Value.”
4. A new item will appear. Type ShowSuggestedFiles and press .

Set the Value

To show recent files:

Change the value of a setting called ShowSuggestedFiles to 1.

To hide recent files:

Change the value of a setting called ShowSuggestedFiles to 0.

Summary:

Users can control whether recent files appear in the Windows 11 Start menu using the Settings app. For more advanced users, the Registry Editor offers an alternative approach, though caution remains vital.