In Windows and in Microsoft Office applications, how do I clear the lists of recently used documents?

Windows shows recently saved documents in the Start menu. Office also shows those documents in the File menu of each program.

Follow the appropriate steps to remove these lists of recent documents:

Clear the document list from the Start menu

In Windows Vista

1. From the Start menu, right-click Recent Items.
   
   
2. Click Clear Recent Items List.

In Windows XP

Note: The Windows XP default desktop view and Start menu are different from the Windows Classic View (e.g., in Windows 2000). Therefore, navigating to certain items can be different. In the interest of broad applicability, most Knowledge Base instructions assume you are using Classic View. For details about switching views, see In Windows XP, how do I switch to the Windows Classic View, Classic theme, or Classic Control Panel?

1. Right-click the Taskbar and select Properties.
   
   
2. Select the Start Menu tab.
   
   
3. Click Customize... .
   
   
4. Click Clear, then OK, and then OK again.

In Windows 2000

1. From the Start menu, select Settings, and then Taskbar and Start menu... .
   
   
2. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Clear.
   
   
3. Click OK, and then OK again.

Clear the document list in Microsoft Office applications

Office 2007

1. Launch an Office application (e.g., Word or Excel).
   
   
2. Click the Office Button in the upper left corner.
   
   
3. Click Program Name Options, where Program Name is the name of the program you are using, for example, Word Options.
   
   
4. In the window that opens, on the left, click Advanced. Then, on the right, scroll down to Display.
   
   
5. Next to "Show this number of Recent Documents:", enter  0  (zero).
   
   
6. Click OK.

Note: The interface for Office 2007 programs is significantly different from that of older versions, with different terms and concepts; see For Office 2007, what are some new interface features?

Older versions of Microsoft Office

1. Launch an Office application (e.g., Word or Excel).
   
   
2. From the Tools menu, select Options... .
   
   
3. Click the General tab. Either uncheck Recently used file list: , or select 0 (zero) from the drop-down menu on the right.