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

ID: Q82107

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition
Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.1a

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:

On the Tools menu, click Options (Preferences in Word for Macintosh,) and select the General tab.

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:

On the Tools menu, click Options (Preferences in Word for Macintosh,) and select the General tab.

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:

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

This will change the insertion point will change to a hyphen (minus sign).

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:

Q161630 How to Reset Word 7.0 MRU Lists

Q161631 WD97: How to Reset Word 97 MRU Lists

Q172961 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:

Q144035 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 : MACINTOSH:6.0,6.0.1,6.0.1a,98; WINDOWS:7.0,7.0a,97
Platform : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo