How to delete a file from recents

Question

I have an error triangle on my recents icon in word. I have two files listed in recents that are from a previous job which had Sharepoint. I can not access this account anymore. The error message is because my changes to the doc (years ago) didn't upload to Sharepoint. I have tried to delete these docs from recents but the system won't let me without signing in, which I can't. Any tips?

Answer 1

The bot is giving you a Windows answer to a Mac question. On a Mac, there are 2 lists of recent files, one for files stored locally and another for online documents. These are stored in .plist files in your hidden user Library folder. I used to track the names and locations of these files, but Microsoft is constantly changing them and I finally gave up the effort.

While the approach is similar to using a cannon to kill a mosquito, the best workaround I can think of is to uninstall Office following these steps: Uninstall Office for Mac. Then reinstall from the Subscriptions page of your Microsoft account.

Answer 2

To delete files from the "Recent" list in Microsoft Word, you typically need to modify settings within the application. However, since you are encountering an issue with files that are linked to a SharePoint account you can no longer access, you may not be able to remove them directly through the application interface without signing in.

Here are a few steps you can try:

1. Clear Recent Files List via Options: If you can access Word, go to File > Options > Advanced. Under the Display section, you can set the number of recent documents to display to zero. This will effectively clear the recent files list.
2. Registry Edit: If you're comfortable with editing the Windows registry, you can clear the most recently used files list by modifying the registry. However, this is a more advanced method and should be done with caution. You can find the relevant registry keys for your version of Office and delete the entries under the File Name MRU subkeys. Make sure to back up the registry before making changes.
3. Reinstall Office: As a last resort, if you cannot access the files and they are causing issues, you might consider reinstalling Microsoft Office, which should reset the recent files list.

If these methods do not resolve your issue, you may need to seek further assistance from Microsoft Support or the SharePoint Community.

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References:

• Edit the Windows registry to clear the list of most recently used files in Office