How to get "My Recent Documents" in Windows 7

Anonymous
2010-07-07T00:54:16+00:00

Original title: My Recent Documents

I NEED  "my recent docs". I purchased Win7Pro because I asumed it was created with professionals in mind. People who rely on their computer for their livelyhood rely on "my recent docs" for a million things.

The "Recent Items" function does not seem able to locate any but the last version. When an earlier version is shown in he jump folder, Windows can't find it.  I need to know what I did yesterday, last week, and in 2002. XP does that, (pro and home b.t.w.).

Please tell me there is a setting some place that I just haven't found.  Everyone in my field  relies heavilly on "my recent Docs".  I can't believe it is gone.

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

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Anonymous
2010-07-13T08:42:34+00:00

Here is how I got it back:

  1. Right click the Start/Win button, select Properties
  2. Click the Start Menu tab (it should be select as default)
  3. Click the Customize button
  4. Scroll down and check the Recent Items check box
  5. Click Ok
  6. Click Apply
  7. Click Ok

You should now have a "Recent" option in the start menu.

This is one of the nice things about Microsoft—backward compatibility :P

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Anonymous
2010-07-07T20:42:33+00:00

Hi carzonthehill,

My Recent Documents is removed from the Start menu in Windows 7. Windows 7 categorizes recent items by the program used to open them, and each program on the Start menu or the taskbar has a Jump List of recently opened documents, websites, or files.

This feature is by design in Windows 7.

Additionally, restoring the “Recent items” into the File Save & Open dialogue box doesn’t seem to be feasible.

You can open recent items from a Jump List in one click, or pin favorite items to the top of each list. For more information, see Using Jump Lists to open programs and items. 

However, if you wish to have the feature reinstated in Windows 7, you may leave your feedback/suggestion at the Windows 7 Feedback and Microsoft Connect  site.

Hope this information helps.

Gokul - Microsoft Support

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-02-12T17:18:47+00:00

    David, in Win7 you can add "Recent Places" and "Recent Items" to your Navigation Bar that shows in the Open/Save dialogs. I use this all the time for attaching things to emails that I was recently working on, and it's very quick.

    For me, Recent Items is in %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows

    Just open that location, make sure the Navigation Bar is turned on (Organize/Layout/Navigation Bar), and drag the Recent Items thing over to the Favorites part of the Navigation Bar.

    I think Recent Places is there by default. If not, just do a Google search for adding Recent Places to favorites in the Navigation Bar.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-02-12T16:26:07+00:00

    This is remarkably unhelpful as far as a design feature goes. Documents are not always opened by the program that creates them so relying on that program for recent items makes Windows MUCH harder to use. 

    For example. I may work on 8 or 10 Word documents. Next I open Outlook and I'd like to find 1 or 2 of those documents quickly to attach to an email. Well, you can't. You have to go searching for them or you have to remember what they are named or you have to open them up in Word and then attach them to your email. All of these steps add tremendous amounts of time and frustration to what used to be a quick and simple process. 

    Hi carzonthehill,

     

    My Recent Documents is removed from the Start menu in Windows 7. Windows 7 categorizes recent items by the program used to open them, and each program on the Start menu or the taskbar has a Jump List of recently opened documents, websites, or files.

     

    This feature is by design in Windows 7.

     

    Additionally, restoring the “Recent items” into the File Save & Open dialogue box doesn’t seem to be feasible.

     

    You can open recent items from a Jump List in one click, or pin favorite items to the top of each list. For more information, see Using Jump Lists to open programs and items. 

     

    However, if you wish to have the feature reinstated in Windows 7, you may leave your feedback/suggestion at the Windows 7 Feedback and Microsoft Connect  site.

     

    Hope this information helps.

    Gokul - Microsoft Support

    [If this post was helpful, please click the "Vote as Helpful" (green triangle) button. If it helps in resolving your issue, click "Propose As Answer" or "Mark as Answer" button. By proposing/marking a post as Answered, or Helpful you help others find the answer faster.]

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-01-19T21:19:44+00:00

    Thank you Ignatius Nayan D'Rozario, however, I followed your Steps 1-7 and yes my Win7 Recent Items is visible as part of the Start Menu, however   it never disappeared, what it does not do is remember files i.e. .txt, pdf, doc, jpg etc. that I recently opened, viewed/used, saved and closed.

    Appreciate your assistance and time

    Doc

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