Remove Recent Files From Start Menu In Windows 111

 With Windows 11, Microsoft has introduced an all-new Start menu. The new Start menu in Windows 11 displays pinned app icons at the top and recent items at the bottom of the menu (in the Recommended section), as you might have noticed by now.

Some users might like the idea of displaying recent items on the Start menu, but some users do not like it.

To start with, one can always view recently opened files by opening File Explorer’s Quick Access. Besides that, the Start menu (at least on our PC) takes some time to update the recent files list. So, it does not always display the most recently accessed files.

Luckily, if you do not like seeing your recently opened files on the Start menu every time you open it, you can configure the Start menu not to show recent files. However, there is a catch. When you disable recent files from the Start menu, space will not be utilized to show pinned apps. That is, the space reserved for recent items will remain vacant, as shown in the picture below.

Additionally, when you disable recent files on the Start menu, recent files will not be shown in Quick Access and Jump Lists as well.

Disable Windows 11 Start menu recent files list

Anyways, here is how to configure the Start menu not to show recent files in Windows 11.

Step 1: Open the Settings app. You can easily open the Settings app by right-clicking on the Start button on the taskbar and then clicking the Settings option.

Step 2: In the left pane of Settings, click Personalization. On the right side, click Start.

Step 3: Finally, turn off the option labeled Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer. That is it!

The Start menu, Jump Lists and File Explorer’s Quick Access will not display recently opened files from now onwards.

Remove individual files from the Start menu in Windows 11

If you would instead like to remove an individual file from the recent items list, you can do so as well. Here is how.

Step 1: Open the Start menu.

Step 2: Perform a right-click on the file that you would like to remove from the Start menu and then click the Remove from list option. This will remove the file from the Start menu immediately.

Tip: The Start menu, by default, displays a total of six recent files. If you want to view more recent files, click on the More button in the Recommended section of the Start menu.