How to Clean Recently Used Documents (RecentDocs)?
RecentDocs is probably the best-known "recent files" artifact on Windows, it's the registry key behind Explorer's own Quick Access recent files list and the "Open Recent" menu you see in many apps. Unlike the ComDlg32 family, which only logs files accessed through a program's own Open/Save dialog, RecentDocs logs any document you open through File Explorer or a shell association, documents, images, presentations, shortcuts, and more. It lives at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RecentDocs.
| Field | What it reveals | Processing by PrivaZer |
|---|---|---|
| Main file list | Every document you've recently opened | Removed |
| Extension subkeys | A quick browse of every file you've opened, by type | Removed |
| Folder subkey | Where files were opened from | Removed |
| MRUListEx | The order files were accessed in | Removed |
| Shortcut files | The same list, visible directly as files | Removed |
The extension subkeys mean the same file shows up more than once, once in the main list, once under its own extension, so browsing RecentDocs.pdf alone gives an examiner a ready-made list of every PDF you've opened, without needing to sift through anything else. PrivaZer removes both the registry values and the subkeys, and clears the matching shortcut files, so nothing about that history is left behind in either place.
Yes, and it's one of the more involved cleanups on this site because it spans both the filesystem and the registry:
- It removes the shortcut files from %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent, skipping desktop.ini.
- It does the same for %USERPROFILE%\Recent, the linked path to the same folder, as a second pass.
- It removes both the values and the subkeys under HKCU\...\Explorer\RecentDocs, covering the extension and Folder subkeys along with the main list.
No administrator rights are required, this is all per-user data, and no reboot is needed.
Yes. Deleting the original document doesn't remove its RecentDocs entry or its shortcut file in the Recent folder. Both can keep naming a file, and the folder it came from, long after the file itself, and even the drive it was on, are gone. Cleaning RecentDocs is what removes that leftover.
Yes. Clearing it doesn't touch your actual documents, your installed programs or system stability. The visible effect is that Quick Access recent files and "Open Recent" menus in your apps go back to empty until you open files again. As covered above, your Jump Lists are specifically left untouched by this cleanup.
Yes, the next document you open through File Explorer or an app gets recorded again, in the registry and as a new shortcut file. That's expected, RecentDocs is a live convenience feature. Run PrivaZer periodically to keep the trail short.
The ComDlg32 family, LastVisitedPidlMRU, CIDSizeMRU, FirstFolder and OpenSaveMRU, only logs activity inside a program's own Open/Save common dialog. RecentDocs casts a wider net: it logs any document opened through File Explorer or a shell file association, whether or not a dialog box was ever involved. It's also the only one of the two families backed by real shortcut files you can see directly in a folder, not just registry entries.
See also: OpenSaveMRU, LastVisitedPidlMRU, CIDSizeMRU dan FirstFolder.
Quick setup via the Options menu
Scan options - Used files & Folders - Used
