The Recent Items or Recent Documents menu displays a list of recently opened files. This feature makes it easy for users to reopen documents without having to manually search for them.

How to Show Recent Items in Windows 7

1. Right-click the Start button .
2. Select Properties .
   
3. On the Start Menu tab , click Customize .
4. Find and check the Recent Items option .
   
5. Click OK .
6. Click Apply , then OK .

Once activated, the Recent Items menu will appear on the Windows 7 Start Menu.

Also make sure the following options are checked:

Store and display recently opened items in the Start menu and the taskbar

How to Show Recent Items in Windows 10 and Windows 11

1. Open Settings .
2. Select Personalization .
   
3. Click Start .
4. Enable the option:

Show recommended files in Start, recent files in Explorer, and items in Jump Lists (or Show recently opened items on older versions)

Recently opened files will be displayed in the Recommended section in the Start Menu, Jump List, and File Explorer.

Open the Recent Items Folder Directly

The folder containing the list of recent files can be opened in the following way:

1. Press Windows + R.
2. Type:

shell:recent

3. Press Enter .

Windows will open a folder containing shortcuts to recently used files.

How to Create a Recent Items Shortcut

1. Right-click an empty area on the desktop.
2. Select New > Shortcut .
3. Enter the following location:

shell:recent

4. Click Next .
5. Give the shortcut a name, for example Recent Items .
6. Click Finish .

This shortcut can be used to open a list of recent documents directly from the desktop.

Conclusion

The Recent Items or Recent Documents menu can help users access recently opened files more quickly. In Windows 7, this feature can be accessed through the Start Menu settings. Meanwhile, in Windows 10 and 11, this feature is available through Personalization and File Explorer settings.