Remove Recent Items menu from Start Menu

Removes the Recent Items menu from the Start menu. Removes the Documents menu from the classic Start menu.

The Recent Items menu contains links to the non-program files that users have most recently opened. It appears so that users can easily reopen their documents.

If you enable this setting, the system saves document shortcuts but does not display the Recent Items menu in the Start Menu, and users cannot turn the menu on.

If you later disable the setting, so that the Recent Items menu appears in the Start Menu, the document shortcuts saved before the setting was enabled and while it was in effect appear in the Recent Items menu.

When the setting is disabled, the Recent Items menu appears in the Start Menu, and users cannot remove it.

If the setting is not configured, users can turn the Recent Items menu on and off.

Note: This setting does not prevent Windows programs from displaying shortcuts to recently opened documents. See the "Do not keep history of recently opened documents" setting.

This setting also does not hide document shortcuts displayed in the Open dialog box. See the "Hide the dropdown list of recent files" setting.

Supported on: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 2000

Registry HiveHKEY_CURRENT_USER
Registry PathSoftware\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Value NameNoRecentDocsMenu
Value TypeREG_DWORD
Enabled Value1
Disabled Value0

startmenu.admx

Administrative Templates (Computers)

Administrative Templates (Users)