This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
I understand there is a bug that engineers are working on and that this 'bug' is a big worry for many of us, ie. I'm seeing a 'Recent' list (shows in my File Explorer and on OneDrive) which includes documents that I did not open recently, and gives wrong dates of when opened. My Microsoft 365 Word files are synced to OneDrive. I use Windows 11.
I came across an additional worry concerning this today. I opened my Microsoft 365 Word and found the faulty 'Recent' list there, too. I clicked on the latest item on the list (which I had, in fact, opened yesterday via Explorer), and I got a message warning me that the file was a potential security risk. This is the main file of a novel I am working on and am doing editing each day. I find I can still open the document via File Explorer with no such warning and the document did seem ok when I opened it this way, but is it safe to do so? I have a deadline to finish my editing and need assurance there is no security problem and that this 'Recent' list problem will soon be rectified.
I have only noticed the wrong 'Recent' list in the past week or two, but there are other threads about this, one I have seen goes back to October with people telling of this same issue. In a later thread (in November) we were told it's a known bug that is currently being investigated. Please can I have an update on when it is likely to be fixed. Meanwhile, are our files safe to continue accessing and working on?
A Microsoft file hosting and synchronization service.
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
It's very disappointing and concerning that this problem has been going on for ages for many of us and Microsoft doesn't seem the slightest bit interested in trying to resolve it. My list of 'Recent' files shows a long list of just about all my Word files instead of only showing the ones I really have opened recently.
Respectfully, it is a major productivity issue. Rather than easy fast access to recently used files, MS Explorer shows a list of folders. Now a user has to browse through various paths and folders to try to locate files which are used daily rather than having visibility with one simple click. If you do not have a photographic memory of the path or folder in which the file resides, it becomes a time consuming exercise to determine the path and folder where the file resides.
Greetings! I am Ajibola, eager to assist you with confidence and assertiveness. I guarantee to provide you with exceptional support.
This issue is caused by a bug in the OneDrive sync app that affects the Recent list in File Explorer, OneDrive, and Office apps. The bug causes the Recent list to show incorrect or outdated information about the files that you have opened or synced with OneDrive. The bug does not affect the actual files or their contents, only the information displayed in the Recent list.
Microsoft is aware of this issue and is working on a fix. However, there is no official timeline for when the fix will be available.
If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to ask. I'm here to help!
Give back to the Community. Help the next person with this issue by indicating if this reply solved your problem. Click Yes or No below.
Kind regards.
Ajibola.
I am having the same issue this morning. When i am on Excel, the the only recent documents refer to spreadsheets on onedrive. If i open a file that is not on the ondrive, save it locally, and exit. Excel does not recognize it as a recent document.
Very inconvenient and seriously affects productivity.
I have the same problem. It began yesterday, 03/20/2024.
Previously, for over a year, when I opened Word it would show a list of recently opened files.
Starting yesterday, only two files showed up, and they were older files.
I can still open my docx files when I select them from File Manager, but no matter what I do they are not saved in the recently opened file list, so I can't ever open them from inside Word. I tried the suggestions about changing the number in Advanced Options, but that does nothing.
If this is a known problem, the engineers should at least tell people that, and stop presenting a "fix" that does not fix anything. It is only an inconvenience for me, because all the files I normally work on are in a few directories that I have memorized, but I can see that it is a serious problem for others.
Clearly this bug is in a very specific area of code dealing with the updating of the recently opened files. It shouldn't be so hard to fix, unless the developers are using the same code all over MS Office and are afraid to change anything. That is the design problem with making everything interdependence. You paint yourself into a corner when it comes to maintenance.