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Disappearing Recent Documents in Word

Anonymous
2016-11-08T16:49:44+00:00

Several times after a Windows 10 update, when starting Word 2010 I have found that my list of recent documents, including all those that were pinned, has been cleared. Replacing them entails a search for the various file locations on my system, assuming I can remember what they all were. I want to keep the list, especially the pinned items, permanently remembered by Word, so how can I stop this from happening?

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Jay Freedman 207.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2016-11-08T17:36:29+00:00

The recent files list and the recent folders list are kept in the Windows registry. I haven't seen any Windows updates that cleared those lists, but apparently you're not so lucky. The only thing I can suggest is that you make frequent backups of the lists so you can restore them if an update removes them. To do that:

  • Press Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type in the word regedit and press Enter.
  • In the registry editor, open the folder icons in this path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Word
  • Right-click the Word folder icon and click Export. A dialog box (similar to the Save dialog in other programs) opens.
  • Select a folder for saving a file (such as your Desktop) and type a file name (such as Word Registry). Click the Save button. The extension .reg will be added to the file name automatically.
  • Close the registry editor.

This backs up all of the information that Word keeps in the registry, including not only the recent file and folder lists but also your option settings and other bits. If you want to limit the backup to just the recent files, go one level further down and export the File MRU icon instead. The recent folders list is in the Place MRU icon.

If you find that another update has removed your recent file list, go to the folder where you saved the backup and double-click it. When prompted to allow changes in the registry, answer yes.

Any documents you opened in Word after the most recent backup of the registry won't be included in the restored list, which is why you need to make the backups frequently.

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  1. Jay Freedman 207.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2017-02-04T22:22:07+00:00

    It's good to hear that you have the macro working now. I hope it doesn't give you any more trouble!

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  2. Jay Freedman 207.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2017-02-03T03:28:46+00:00

    In case it isn't clear, a macro named Document_Open runs when you open a document, not when you open Word. Similarly, Document_New runs when you create a new document. Either of these macros should be in the ThisDocument module of the template (Normal.dotm or other .dotm file).

    The AutoExec macro runs when you start Word. It should be in a regular module (use Insert > Module in the macro editor). A barely adequate description of it is at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/286310/description-of-behaviors-of-autoexec-and-autoopen-macros-in-word.

    To verify that the macro runs at the proper time, insert a MsgBox statement before the Shell statement, save, and restart Word. If the message appears but no file is written, then the Shell statement is failing. That isn't likely unless the destination folder doesn't exist. The other possibility is that there's a timing problem, if something isn't quite ready at the time the macro runs. You can try the workaround shown at http://wordmvp.com/FAQs/Userforms/AutoExecUsertFm.htm.

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  3. Jay Freedman 207.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2016-11-08T21:32:36+00:00

    I'm not certain that a System Restore would put back the old list -- and even if it did, you have no idea how many other things you could affect, or how much of the more recent data and settings for every program you might lose. I'd consider it an absolutely last-choice option.

    It's definitely not safe to edit the .reg file to add entries without knowing how each one is assigned a semi-random number in the second set of brackets, as in

    [F00000000][T01D219C05EEF6C10][O00000000]*D:\Documents\doc1.docx.

    It's a bit more tedious, but the safest way is to use Word to open each of the documents you can remember having edited in the last couple of weeks. Pin the ones that need it. That will get you most of the way, and you can add more documents as you discover that you need them.

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-11-08T20:09:31+00:00

    Thanks Jay. There's no way I could have found that without help!

    From what you say, maybe it was just coincidence that what happened followed a Windows update, and I'm guessing now that it was more likely to have been caused by using the Ccleaner registry cleaner.

    At any rate, since the information is held in the registry, now that I've used Word again and started a new list of recent documents, is it possible that I could find the list as it was in a previous version of the registry, which I guess would be invoked if I did a System Restore? I don't actually want to do that, but I wonder if the registry as it existed before is still available, so that I could look at it in the way you suggest. (I have already discovered that I can inspect the saved registry file with Notepad.)

    I'd appreciate any further advice you may have to offer.

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