Pin Word document onto Recent

Question

how do you pin word doc files to the Recent section below the Quick Access section?

Answer 1

The current version of Microsoft 365 does not have the push-pin icon. Instead, when hovering over a filename, click on the star to make the file a Favorite. This applies to the Recent list in both File | Home and File | Open.

The file will then appear on the Favorites tab at Home and in the Favorites list in Open.

Answer 2

Hi,

To keep your favorite Word files easily accessible, simply open Word and navigate to File → Open → Recent. You’ll find a list of all the documents you’ve recently opened. Just hover over the file you want to keep handy, and you’ll see a little push-pin icon pop up next to it. Click that pin, and the file will be locked at the top of the Recent section. You can pin multiple documents this way, and they’ll stay there until you decide to unpin them.

Also please note that if you’re using Word from Microsoft 365, the same trick works, and pinned files will sync across all your devices where you’re signed in. This is the simplest way to ensure your frequently used Word files don’t get buried under newer on

Answer 3

In Word on Windows, files are pinned inside Word’s own Recent list, not directly in File Explorer’s “Recent” section. To keep a Word document always at the top of Word’s Recent list:

1. Open Word.
2. Select File > Open.
3. In the Recent list, hover over the document to pin.
4. Click Pin this item to the list (the pin icon on the right of the file entry).

Pinned files stay at the top of the Recent list under File > Open. Click the pin again to unpin.

If the goal is quick access from Windows rather than inside Word, pin Word itself or specific documents to the taskbar or Start menu using Windows options (for example, right‑click the app or file and choose a pin option), but that is separate from Word’s own Recent list.

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References:

• Customize the list of recently used files in Office apps