Customize Windows 7/Vista Start Menu - Show More Recent Items

Adjusting the Number of Recent Documents Displayed

Have you ever been curious about modifying the quantity of documents displayed within the Recent Items menu? This article provides the necessary steps. By default, the system is configured to showcase 10 recent documents.

However, this number can be altered through a simple adjustment to the Windows Registry. The modification we will be implementing affects the number of documents visible in this particular menu.

Manual Registry Modification

Initiate the Registry Editor by typing "regedit.exe" into the search box found within the Start Menu. Subsequently, navigate to the following registry key. If the key does not currently exist, it must be created.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Within the right-hand pane, create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value and name it "MaxRecentDocs". Double-click this newly created value to access its properties.

Before entering your desired value, change the "Base" setting to "Decimal". You can then input any numerical value to determine the number of recent documents to display.

For example, to display 50 recent documents, enter "50" into the "Value data" field.

It is advisable to avoid setting an excessively large number, as the outcome in such cases is uncertain. A value of around 20 is generally recommended.

It’s important to note that this same registry tweak is applicable to Windows 7, despite the screenshots being captured from a Windows Vista environment.