WD: Removing File Names from the Recently Used List (File Menu)

ID: Q82107

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

When you click the File menu in Word, the last entries on the menu are the file names for the last several files that have been saved or loaded in Word. These file names are listed in chronological order--that is, the last file saved or opened appears first. These files are commonly referred to as the "Most Recently Used" (MRU) list or the "Recently Used" list.

The list of most recently used files can be set to show between 0 and 9 files.

When a file is deleted from the disk or cannot be found, its name may still be present in this list of names. If an unavailable file is selected, a message will appear stating that Word cannot find this file. Clicking Cancel will not remove the file name from the File menu. This is because the file may be only temporarily unavailable (for example, if the file is a network file).

MORE INFORMATION

To modify the "Recently Used File List," use any of the following methods.

Method 1: Remove the "Recently Used File List"

To remove the "Recently Used File List" from the File menu, use the following steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options (Preferences in Word for Macintosh,) 

   and select the General tab.
2. To remove the list from the File menu, click to clear the Recently Used 
   File List check box.

Method 2: Customize the "Recently Used File List"

To customize the "Recently Used File List," use the following steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options (Preferences in Word for Macintosh,) 

   and select the General tab.
2. Select the check box and specify the exact number of files you want 
   displayed in the Entries box.

   NOTE: Setting the number to 0 will remove the list entirely.

Method 3: Use a Keystroke to Remove an Item from the List

In Word you can use a keystroke to remove any command or item from a menu. You can use this technique to remove a specific file name without changing the default number listed in the menu:

1. Press CTRL+ALT+HYPHEN (COMMAND+ALT+HYPHEN in Word for Macintosh.) 

   This will change the insertion point will change to a hyphen (minus
   sign).
2. Click the File menu, and select the file name you want to remove from 
   the menu.

   This will remove a file from the list leaving one less than the selected
   number in the list of Entries. Opening a file not already on the list
   will update the list to include this file name.

   Example:

   In the following example

   |              |
   | 1 delete.doc |
   | 2 testme.doc |
   | 3 moveme.doc |
   | 4 copyme.doc |
   ----------------

   if you press the CTRL+ALT+HYPHEN (command+ALT+HYPHEN in Word for
   Macintosh) and click Testme.doc, the menu will be altered to resemble
   the following:

   |              |
   | 1 delete.doc |
   | 2 moveme.doc |
   | 3 copyme.doc |
   ----------------

REFERNCES

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   ARTICLE-ID: Q161630
   TITLE     : How to Reset Word 7.0 MRU Lists

   ARTICLE-ID: Q161631
   TITLE     : WD97: How to Reset Word 97 MRU Lists

   ARTICLE-ID: Q172961
   TITLE     : WD97: Items Missing from Recently Used File List
For information about how to do this in Word 1.x or 2.x, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   ARTICLE-ID: Q144035
   TITLE     : WD: Removing Recently Used Names from File Menu
               (Word 1.x, 2.x)
Additional query words: suppress settings entries undocumented mru automatic eliminate clear most recently used delete 
Keywords          : kbmacro wordnt kbmacroexample winword ntword macword word6 winword2 word7 word95 kbhowto 
Version           : WINDOWS:1.0,1.1,1.1a,2.0,2.0a,2.0a- CD,2.0b,2.0c,6.0,6.0a,6.0c,7.0,7.0a,97; MACINTOSH:6.0,6.0.1,98
Platform          : MACINTOSH Win95 WINDOWS winnt
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: February 4, 1998