Each new version of Windows adds more features for getting back to the things you opened recently, such as jump lists that let you reopen whatever you were working on in certain apps. But those same features can be a serious headache for anyone who values privacy. If you really want to wipe your entire recent file history in Windows, this guide gives you a few options.
Clear recent files from Windows File Explorer
File Explorer is the hub for everything you've accessed. If you want to clear all your recent files from Windows, this is probably the best place to start.
Your history appears in the left pane and on the Home screen, under the Quick access section.
If you only want to remove a single item, right-click it, then click Remove from Recent. But you're probably here to wipe your history permanently.
If so, click the three dots near the top of the file list, then click Options.
In the Windows Explorer options dialog, on the General tab, uncheck all the options near the bottom under Privacy, then click the Clear button next to Clear File Explorer history.
Click OK and watch your history disappear in real time!
Clear history from the Registry
Besides File Explorer's Recent list, your registry also stores keys that hold the history of what you've typed into its address bar, as well as every command you've run from the Run window (Win + R).
To open the Registry, go to the Start menu, type regedit, then press Enter.
Navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorer
In the Explorer registry section, find the folder-icon key named RunMRU. Right-click it and delete it.
This instantly clears your entire command history.
To clear your path history in File Explorer, scroll down to TypedPaths and delete it the same way you deleted RunMRU.
If you'd like to automate this process, create a new text file, open it in Notepad, and add the following:
To clear your command history:
reg delete HKCUSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerRunMRU /F 2>nul
To clear your path history in File Explorer:
reg delete HKCUSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerTypedPaths /F 2>nul
Once you've added the lines you want to your batch file, save it as deletehistory.bat or whatever name you like, and make sure to select All files under Save as type.
After saving, just double-click the file and let it run. It will open a command window that quickly disappears once it has cleared your history entries.
If you want this batch file to run every time you start your system, open the Run window and run shell:startup. This takes you to the folder containing all the scripts and utilities that run at startup. Drag your new batch file into it, and enjoy automatic history clearing every time you sign in to Windows!
If you'd rather clear your history on demand, you'll need to find the batch file and run it manually. For convenience, you may want to keep a copy somewhere easier to reach than the startup folder.
Disable jump lists in Settings
In addition to the history stored in the Registry and the file management tool, Microsoft keeps some history specifically to provide suggestions in the Start menu, jump lists, and other quick navigation features that File Explorer offers.
To remove these, open the Settings app from the Start menu and click Personalization in the left pane.
Among the options on the right, scroll down and select Start.
In this menu, turn off the Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer option.
That's it! You can close the Settings window and get back to your day. Windows will delete any history you had in the areas you just disabled and stop collecting it to make suggestions.
If you're using Windows 10, the process is similar, though the interface looks a little different from Windows 11.
