removing stuff from "Recent "

[prapti]

when one opens word and excel you have an option when you click on Open to open your most recent documents.

one can easily remove this list by deleting the shortcuts but what does one do if you dont want this list created at all in the first place.

basically what i want is this-NOTHING in the recent documents folder.

 

[ASG0856]

Both these settings are in Office 97. Presume the same for later versions. (Yeah I know, but Noah is a regular visitor to our Office)

WORD
Goto Tools/Options
Set Recently Used File List to 0

EXCEL
Untick Recently Used File List

 

[paulha]

Alternatively install and configure TweakUI

 

[prapti]

of course this does not list 'Most Recently Used Files' but my question was

'When I click on OPEN there is an option for RECENT files', i need to have that folder empty.

In my computer it is in
Documents and Settings/Administrator/Application Data/Microsoft/Office/Recent

This automatically has a shortcut to the file which i have saved.

I need this folder to be empty

 

[bcastner]

Download and set appropriate options with CCleaner:

http://www.ccleaner.com/download/builds.aspx

Choose Basic without the Toolbar.

Set the options for MRU "Most Recently Used" lists as appropriate.

It has an automatic scheduler feature.


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Users Helping Users

 

[Rick998]

One of the easiest ways to do this is to download and install the TweakUI XP Powertoy (

http://download.microsoft.com/downl...-b352-839afb2a2679/TweakUiPowertoySetup.exe).

Once installed, run Tweakui XP. Click on 'Explorer' in the left-hand pane then, in the right-hand pane, remove any tick in the 'Maintain document history' checkbox. You can also check 'Clear document history on exit'.

Hope this helps...

 

[prapti]

this does remove the file information but not from the RECENT folder and when you click on Recent after clicking on OPEN the shortcut is very much there.

any way other than making a macro to delete the files?

 

[bcastner]

You tried CCleaner?


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Users Helping Users

 

[ASG0856]

You could
Right click on the Taskbar
Properties
Start Menu
Customize
Click "Clear List."
You could do this every time you finished with the Computer.
Is there a particular reason you want to empty the recent documents folder?

 

[prapti]

i think i am getting the same suggestions again, please understand my question.

my LIST is CLEAR, that is no problem at ALL.

now you try this

Go to Word
Click on Open
Click on Recent Documents

This is what i want to see CLEAN.

the Clear List DOES NOT clear this list

 

[paulha]

Tweak UI does it for me

 

[ASG0856]

So, when you click on the File Menu in Word or Excel, you don't want to see any files listed - Yes?

Then do as I suggested in my original reply

From the Tools/Options Menu

General Tab

In Word, set recent files to 0 (zero). This will clear the list and stop it generating.

In Excel uncheck recent files list, same effect.

This works in all version

 

[paulha]

I think prapti is referring to the step after that where
File, then
Open
Produces the dialog box, with "my recent documents", "desktop", "my documents" etc down the LHS. When clicking on the "recent" it presumably displays recent. (as opposed to your scenario, open word, file menu, at down the bottom there is a list of recent)

 

[eyec]

i have not tried it, but i looked in the Registry and there is an entry there for Recent (in Word & Excel) - change the Default value to 0 and see if that gives you the result you are looking for.

be sure to make a backup of your Registry or at least write down the original values so you can change them back if it does not give you the desired result.

 

[ASG0856]

paulha.
Right, I think I know what you are talking about except (in Office XP at home) I get the window on the RHS, and you're probably right. I just close the window when word opens so the work area speads out to full screen. But I'm looking at Office 97 at the moment, which of course, doesn't have that functionality.

Hm, one to ponder??

 

[bcastner]

MRU Blaster cleans over 30,000 Most Recently Used listings from the Registry.

It can be scheduled to run to automaticly clean these entries, run manually.

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/mrublaster.htm

For Office, it cleans, among other MRU entries (Office 2000 shown as an example):

Winword - Open Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Open Find\Microsoft Word\Settings\Open\File Name MRU
Winword - Save As Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Open Find\Microsoft Word\Settings\Save As\File Name MRU
Winword - Recent Files Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Data
Excel - Open Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Open Find\Microsoft Excel\Settings\Open\File Name MRU
Excel - Save As Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Open Find\Microsoft Excel\Settings\Save As\File Name MRU
Excel - Recent Files Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Excel\Recent Files
Frontpage - Open Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Open Find\Microsoft FrontPage\Settings\Open File\File Name MRU
Frontpage - Save As Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Open Find\Microsoft FrontPage\Settings\Save As\File Name MRU
Frontpage - Recent lists Software\Microsoft\FrontPage\Explorer\FrontPage Explorer\Recent File List
Software\Microsoft\FrontPage\Explorer\FrontPage Explorer\Recent Page List
Software\Microsoft\FrontPage\Explorer\FrontPage Explorer\Recent Web List
Software\Microsoft\FrontPage\Explorer\FrontPage Explorer\Recently Created Servers
Software\Microsoft\FrontPage\Editor\Recently Used URLs
PowerPoint - Open Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Open Find\Microsoft PowerPoint\Settings\Open\File Name MRU
PowerPoint - Save As Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Open Find\Microsoft PowerPoint\Settings\Save As\File Name MRU
PowerPoint - Recent Files Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\PowerPoint\Recent File List
Access - Open Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Open Find\Microsoft Access\Settings\Open\File Name MRU
Access - Filename MRU Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Open Find\Microsoft Access\Settings\File New Database\File Name MRU
Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Access\Settings


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[ASG0856]

As BCastner's post shows, it can be automated to clear the entries. What prapti wants is for Word or Excel (or any program) to not ever create the recently used file list in the first place (for reasons known only to him/her self). This is probably built into Windows (BCastner, Y/N?), and probably can't be stopped.

 

[bcastner]

You have some control over the Office Programs from creating an MRU.

A bad example of how to do it:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/313454/en-us?spid=2522&sid=251

Using Group Policy or Registry Edits:

Do not keep history of recently opened documents
When this policy is enabled, the system does not save shortcuts to most recently used (MRU) documents in the Start menu.

When this policy is enabled, applications including Office appliations, must not keep any MRU lists.

Template: system.adm

Path: Administrative Templates | Start Menu & Taskbar

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Value name: NoRecentDocsHistory

Data type: REG_DWORD

Value data:

0 // Display shortcuts in MRU list

1 // Do not display shortcuts in MRU list

This policy affects Office applications in the following ways:

[li]Do not show MRU lists while the policy is enabled. [/li]
[li]Do not save new entries into MRU lists (freeze the list) while the policy is enabled, which means that after the policy is turned off, the MRU list will not contain any files used while the policy was on, but will contain files used before the policy was enabled. [/li]
[li]If there is an MRU option in the Options dialog, it is grayed out while the policy is enabled. [/li]
[li]After the policy is turned off, the user MRU settings and the application policy MRU settings are restored to the state before the policy was enabled. [/li]

For example, if the number of MRU files was five (5) before the policy was enabled, it becomes zero (0) when the policy is turned on, and becomes five again when the policy is turned off.

If both the application MRU policy and the system MRU policy are enabled, the system policy setting is used.

Hide Common Dialog Places Bar
The places bar allows users to navigate via the common file open/file close dialog directly to the following locations:

History folder
Desktop
My Documents
My Computer
My Network Places

When this policy is enabled, Windows removes the Places Bar from the Windows common dialog.

When this policy is set, applications that provide their own file open/file close dialogs must remove any equivalent functionality from the Places Bar. Applications using the Windows common dialog API automatically comply with this policy.

Template: system.adm

Path: Administrative | Windows Components | Windows Explorer | Common Open File Dialog

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Comdlg32

Value name: NoPlaceBar

Data type: REG_DWORD

Value data:

0 // Display Places bar

1 // Do not display Places bar

Hide the dropdown list of recent files
When this policy is enabled, Windows removes the MRU list from the common dialog.

When this policy is set, applications with their own file/open dialogs must not display an MRU list in these dialogs. Applications using the Windows common dialog API will automatically comply with this policy.

Template: system.adm

Path: Administrative | Windows Components | Windows Explorer | Common Open File Dialog

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Comdlg32

Value name: NoFileMru

Data type: REG_DWORD

Value data:

0 // Display MRU list

1 // Do not display MRU list

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[Rick998]

Prapti,

As a matter of interest, what version(s) of Word/Excel are you using?

 

[prapti]

rick998

i am using office xp, our office always upgrades to the latest whenever one is avalible, gives me hearttrouble to keep adjusting to the new look all the time

one question was why do i not want it in the first place, the answer is because it keeps a record of every file i have opened and so on, there are some things best left secret.
having the Most Recent File List is the most unsecret thing ever.