Delete Recent Items Shortcut - Windows Vista & XP
Simplifying Recent Items Management in Windows
Navigating the menus to clear Recent Items in the Windows XP Start Menu can be a cumbersome process, particularly when discretion is desired. Fortunately, a more streamlined approach exists.
Update: It's worth noting that in Windows Vista, clearing the Recent Items List is as simple as right-clicking on the items and selecting "Clear Recent Items List." The multi-layered menu structure is primarily a characteristic of the XP operating system. However, the method detailed here remains functional across both versions.
Manual Clearing vs. Scripted Solution
Users have the option of manually clearing the shell folder or utilizing a provided script. The script generates a shortcut enabling deletion of recent items with a single double-click.
It’s important to understand that this process doesn’t actually delete the original files. It merely removes the shortcuts to those files stored within the Recent folder.
Locating the Recent Folder
The Recent folder is intentionally hidden within the user profile directory. On Windows Vista, the complete path is as follows, with <user> representing your username:
C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\
When working from the command line, the %APPDATA% environment variable can be used to determine the path without specifying the username. This also functions within Windows Explorer.
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\
Alternatively, the following shell shortcut can be directly entered into the address bar or Start Menu search box for immediate access:
shell:recent
Within this folder, individual items can be removed, or all items can be deleted at once. The changes will be reflected in the Recent menu immediately. The 'Type' column clarifies that these are shortcuts, not the original files.
Automating with a Shortcut
Leveraging Windows Script Host, a script can be created to automate the deletion of items within the Recent folder. This requires only four lines of code!
Create a new file named DeleteRecentItems.js using Notepad, and paste in the following code (or download the zipped file provided below):
var fso = WScript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject");
var WSH = new ActiveXObject("WScript.Shell");
var folder = WSH.SpecialFolders("Recent");
fso.DeleteFile(folder + "\\*.*");
Saving the file will generate an icon that, when double-clicked, clears the recent items.
To customize the icon or assign a shortcut key, create a shortcut to the .js file. It is recommended to store the script file in a dedicated folder and then create a shortcut to it in the Quick Launch or Desktop directory.
Right-click the shortcut, select Properties, and then click "Change Icon" or add a "Shortcut key" as desired.
Disclaimer: While tested on Windows Vista, this script deletes files. Use it at your own risk, and the author assumes no responsibility for any data loss or issues that may arise.
Download DeleteRecentItems Script (Zipped)
