Whenever you open File Explorer in Windows 11, the default view is “Home” (formerly known as Quick Access). The bottom half of this window is dedicated to a massive list of your “Recent files,” displaying every document, photo, and spreadsheet you have recently opened, regardless of where they are saved.
If you share a computer with family members or frequently share your screen during video calls, this poses a significant privacy risk. Someone looking over your shoulder can instantly see the exact names of your confidential financial documents or personal photos just by clicking the folder icon. You can permanently remove the Recent Files section from File Explorer to protect your privacy.
How to Remove Recent Files from Quick Access
You can clear your history and disable the tracking feature directly from the File Explorer options menu.
- Open File Explorer (press Windows Key + E).
- Click the three horizontal dots (…) at the far right of the top menu bar.
- Select Options from the drop-down menu.
- A new “Folder Options” dialogue box will appear. Ensure you are on the General tab at the top.
- Look at the bottom section labelled “Privacy.”
- You will see a checkbox labelled Show recently used files in Quick access (or simply “Show recently used files” in newer updates).
- Uncheck this box.
- To completely wipe out the files currently sitting in the list, click the Clear button located right next to the checkboxes.
- Click Apply, then click OK.
The “Recent files” header and the entire list beneath it will instantly vanish from File Explorer. Your Home view will now only display your pinned quick-access folders and your frequent directories, keeping your individual file history completely private.