How to Fix Recent Files Missing in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Many Office users rely on the “Recent” list inside Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to quickly reopen files they’ve been working on. On Windows 11, however, you might find that your Recent Documents or Recent Workbooks lists are empty or displaying far fewer entries than expected, even though you’ve opened files in the past. Below is a systematic guide to diagnosing and restoring your missing Recent Files in Office apps.

Why Do Recent Files Disappear?

• “Show this number of Recent Documents” set to zero
• Corrupted Office MRU cache or registry keys
• Office profile corruption
• Mistakenly deleted the File MRU in Registry Editor

Quick Checks in Office Options

Firstly, check the Display in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. 

1. Open Word / Excel / PowerPoint. 

2. Click File> Options> Advanced> Display. 

3. Scroll to Show this number of Recent Documents (Word/PowerPoint) or Show this number of Recent Workbooks (Excel). Make sure the value is not 0 (e.g., 10 or 25).

4. Click OK to save. 

Enable Start Screen for Microsoft Office Apps

If the Start screen is not enabled, you cannot view the Recent and Favorites lists when opening those Microsoft 365 apps.  Follow the steps to verify and turn it on. 

1. Open Word/Excel/PowerPoint and click on the File.

2. Go to Options > General.

3. Find the Show the Start screen when this application starts option and tick this checkbox.

4. Click the OK button to save the change.

Verify Registry Settings

Be careful editing the registry. Back up your keys before making changes.

1. Press Win+R, type regedit, and press Enter.

2. Go to the corresponding path:

Word: ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice.0WordFile MRU

Excel: ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice.0ExcelFile MRU

PowerPoint: ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice.0PowerPointFile MRU

3. Here, you will see two String Values as below: 

• FOLDERID_Desktop: C:Usersyour-usernameDesktop
• FOLDERID_Documents: C:Usersyour-usernameDocuments

4. If any of the Value data settings above are not set as mentioned, you must make the necessary adjustments. 

5. In case you do not have the String Values, create them. For that, you can right-click on the File MRU > New > String Value and name them FOLDERID_Desktop and FOLDERID_Documents. Then, double-click on them and set the Value data as we mentioned. 

Access Recent Files Manually from File Explorer

If all the solutions above don’t work, you can manually access Recent items in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint by navigating to this path in File Explorer: C:Usersyour usernameAppDataRoamingMicrosoftOfficeRecent. 

Conclusion

By following the steps above to verify Office Options, the registry, or check manually in File Explorer, you should be able to restore your missing Recent Files lists in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.