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:

Clearing 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: If this doesn't match what you see, refer to About navigation settings in Windows.

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.

Clearing the document list in Microsoft Office applications

Office 2010

1. In an Office application (e.g., Word or Excel), from the File menu, click Options.
   
   
2. Click Advanced.
   
   
3. On the right, scroll down to Display.
   
   
4. Next to "Show this number of Recent Documents:", enter  0  (zero).
   
   
5. Click OK.

Office 2007

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

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.

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