How to Show or Hide Recently Opened Items in Windows 11

Windows 11 tracks the files, folders, and apps you use most often. It displays these in your Start menu Recommended section, Jump Lists, and File Explorer File Explorer. This helps you get back to your work faster. However, some users prefer to hide this information for privacy reasons.

Why do this? You might want to keep your activity private or simply reduce clutter in your Start menu.

What happens when done? Once you change this setting, Windows will stop tracking and displaying your recent files and apps in those locations.

Recent items are typically stored in the following folder: %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent Items

Managing Recent Items via Settings

Windows makes it easy to control this feature through the main Settings app. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app by pressing Windows key + I or by searching for it in the Start menu Recommended section.

2. In the Settings app, click Personalization on the left side.

3. On the right side, click on the Start tile.

4. Locate the switch labeled Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer. Toggle this switch to On to enable it or Off to hide your recent items.

Managing Recent Items via Group Policy

Note: This method requires admin privileges and is typically used on professional or enterprise versions of Windows.

1. Open the Start menu, search for Edit group policy, and select it from the results Local Group Policy Editor.

2. In the Local Group Policy Editor, use the menu on the left to go to: Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar.

3. Find the setting named Do not keep a history of recently opened documents on the right side and double-click it.

4. Choose Enabled to hide your history, Disabled to show it, or Not Configured to use the default settings.

5. Click OK to save your changes and close the editor.

Please note that these steps only affect your local Windows history. This will not clear your web browsing history. You must clear your browser history separately within your web browser’s settings.

Summary

Windows 11 allows you to show or hide your recent activity in the Start menu, Jump Lists, and File Explorer. You can easily manage these settings through the standard Windows Settings app or, for advanced users, the Local Group Policy Editor. Disabling this feature keeps your recent activity list empty but does not affect your internet browsing history.