Where in Windows 7 can I find the recent items menu?

Anonymous
2009-09-04T15:19:56+00:00

Where in Windows 7 can I find the recent items menu that was on the main menu in Vista.

*original title - How do I enable recent items?*

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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Anonymous
2009-09-04T17:10:45+00:00

Right click the 'Taskbar', click 'Properties' > select the 'Start Menu' tab > click 'Customize' > in the dialog displayed, check off the appropriate menu link, 'Recent Items'

Andre Da Costa http://adacosta.spaces.live.com http://www.activewin.com

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Anonymous
2010-11-06T02:41:12+00:00

I am having problems with Microsoft WORD not populating the Recent files used from it's icon on the Task Bar.  But... my excel works fine.  I have Windows 7 and Microsoft Office Professional 2007. 

I've right-clicked the Start Menu: Properties: Customize: and Selected that recent files should appear. 

Plus, I have even dragged certain documents to the task bar icon that I want pinned in Word and they will not show up. 

Hi Catjone

The behavior that you are describing can happen if the Virtual file that holds the data for a pinned programs Jump List becomes corrupted.

  1. Copy the following path.

%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations

Open Windows Explorer, click in the Address Bar and press the backspace key to clear the address bar.

Right click in the address bar and select Paste. Press the Enter Key. This will open the Automatic Destinations folder.

Note:  This folder is Super Hidden and this is the only way that you can access that folder.

  1. Locate the following file in that folder:  adecfb853d77462a.automaticDestinations-ms 

Right click that file and select Delete.

Exit all running programs and restart the computer.

  1. Use the Word 2007 taskbar icon to open a few random files. Exit Word.
  2. Right click the Word taskbar icon and test the Jump List.

Let us know the results.

Ronnie Vernon MVP – Windows Desktop Experience

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-02-02T23:17:53+00:00

    PLEASE STOP POSTING AND READ THIS!  SHEESH!!

    All these vague and conflicting responses here are because the original question was vague.  There are TWO PLACES to see recent/pinned files:

    1. Within the application.  This is what we are most used to seeing, since it's been part of programs for a long time.  In Excel 2007, when you click the Office button (top left) you'll see them on the right of the menu items.  You can change the number of files displayed.  At the bottom of the menu items, click the Excel Options button.  Select Advanced. Scroll down a little toDisplay group, the first item there is Show this number ofRecent Documents.  If you don't want to see any, set the number to zero.
    2. Off the Windows 7 Start Menu, to the right of an application you'll see a little arrow (►). Note: If you haven't opened any files in that program, the arrow won't be there regardless of your settings.  For these options, right click on the taskbar at the bottom of your screen and select Properties. Choose the middle tab,Start Menu.  Here in the Privacy group you'll see settings for whether or not to display the recently used applications and/or their files.  If you'd like to change the NUMBER of items displayed, click thecustomize button and set the numbers in the Start Menu size at the bottom.

    I came to this page because the recent items was not functioning off the Start Menu.  I had the arrow (►) but it didn't fly out.  Ronnie Vernon posted instructions on how to clean up the corrupted file that caused the error for Word.  I followed that lead and deleted the other file (assuming one was for Word and the other for Excel) and it worked perfectly.  Thank you, Ronnie.

    -motofabio

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-01-30T15:58:48+00:00

    This solution worked for me.  Thanks.

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-01-28T16:13:03+00:00

    Gremlins have been at work at Microsoft. Sometime in January behavior changed on my laptop and recent items for Excel .xlsx files have appeared in the jump lists as reccent items. Both on the taskbar and on the start menu. I can pin them.

    Can't tell if it was an office 2010 patch or a win7 patch or a McAfee patch. Autoupdates seem to have resolved my issues.

     In any event I am a happy camper (again).

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