How to get Recent Items back to Windows 10 Start menu

With the changes implemented by Microsoft since Windows 8, some useful features have had their functionality changed or even lost. One of them, for example, is the “Recent Files” item, which, as the name suggests, created a list of the last opened files and was located in the Start menu.

Although it has disappeared from the Start Menu, fortunately, with a few tricks it is still possible to replicate its functionality within it so that you can save time in working on a specific file or that has recently been opened. Here’s how to return the recent items feature to the Windows 10 Start menu.

How it works

There are currently two ways to get this functionality back. In Windows 10, even the feature is no longer present in the Start menu, the operating system still stores which were the last files opened in it. Therefore, by using a system folder you can get it without installing anything. Check out:

1. On the Desktop, in an empty space, right-click and go to “New> Shortcut”;
2. Now, where you are prompted for the “Item Location”, copy and paste this path:% UserProfile% \ AppData \ Roaming \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Recent. Click “Next”;
3. On the next screen, choose a name for the shortcut. By default, Windows will give you the “Recent Items” hint. Click “Finish”;
4. Now, in the created shortcut, right click on it and use the “Fix Start” option.

At this point, you can now delete the shortcut that was created on the Desktop and use the function from the Start Menu. Unlike other versions of Windows, clicking “Recent Items” here will open a folder showing the latest files loaded on your computer.

Second method

Different from what was shown above, with the use of a program that changes the functionality of the Start menu, you can have the feature exactly the same as the previous versions of Windows, that is, a list being opened directly in the Start menu with the last files. Look:

1. Access this link and download the Open Shell Menu program;
2. During installation, you do not need to beware of extra programs. The Open Shell Menu only brings the essential to the operation of the application;
3. On your “setup” start screen, select the “Classic with two columns” option and click “Ok”;
4. Now just open the Start menu and check your list of “Recent Items”.

Ready! This way, you already know how to take back the feature of recent items to save time on small tasks of your day-to-day.

If you need help, have doubts or concerns, do not hesitate to leave a comment in the comment box below and we will try to help you as soon as possible!