How to clear the list of recently used files in 2007 Office programs

This article describes how to clear the list of recently used files in 2007 Microsoft Office programs.

To clear the list of recently used files, use one of the following methods depending on the program that you are using.

Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, Microsoft Office Word 2007, Microsoft Office Excel 2007, and Microsoft Office Access 2007

To clear the list of recently used files in PowerPoint 2007, in Word 2007, in Excel 2007, and in Access 2007, you have to restrict the list to no entries. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Start the 2007 Office program.
2. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Program_name Options.
3. In the left pane, click Advanced.
4. Under Display, type 0 in the Show this number of Recent Documents box.
5. Click OK.

After you follow these steps, a list of recently used files will not be displayed. If you want a list of recently used files to be displayed again, repeat steps 2 through 5. Then, type a number other than 0 in the Show this number of Recent Documents box.

Microsoft Office Publisher 2007

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.
To clear the list of recently used files in Publisher 2007, delete the registry subkey that contains the list. This registry subkey is re-created the next time that you start Publisher 2007. To delete this registry entry, follow these steps:

1. Exit Publisher 2007.
2. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. Delete the following registry subkey:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Publisher\Recent File List
4. Exit Registry Editor.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007

To clear the list of recently used files in SharePoint Designer 2007, delete all the registry subkeys that contain the list. These registry subkeys are re-created the next time that you start SharePoint Designer 2007. To delete these registry subkeys, follow these steps:

1. Exit SharePoint Designer 2007.
2. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. Delete the following registry subkeys:
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\SharePoint Designer\Recent File List
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\SharePoint Designer\Recent Page List
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\SharePoint Designer\Recent Web List
4. Exit Registry Editor.