Solved Clear Recent Items MS Outlook 365

Microsoft® Outlook® for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2307 Build 16.0.16626.20170) 64-bit
"Insert" /attach file / the recent items is full 12 items there. There is no "clear" button to make these disappear.

Every time I try to attach a file , the recent items list is full. I need to be able to clear this or is there some automatic clearing of this list I can set up?

That list just shows files you have recently opened. I believe it is intended to make it easier to find the file you want to attach, because it is likely you have just been reading/looking at it. The list itself scrolls as you look at new files on your pc, and older ones drop off the bottom. You don't need to do anything about it. I suppose if you were embarrassed about any of the items on the list, you could just (outside of outlook) click on a series of not embarrassing files and the ones you don't want to see will just drop off the bottom.
There may also be a registry location where you can delete the names of those files, but you will need someone with more knowledge of the registry to jump in here to give you the details.

Edit: There is an item in CCleaner under 'Custom Clean/ Applications' for Office 2016. If you select that tick box, and then do a clean, it will remove the references to all the files which are on your local drives. It does not, however, remove those on One Drive.

These files aren't recent ones so that's not the answer I am looking for thanks anyway

I suggest you try asking in the MSOffice section of TenForums.
I suggest you name your new thread something like Clear MS Outlook 365, Email attachment list of Recent Items so that people don't confuse the issue with other references to Recent items.

If you want to, you can include this screenshot to help people see, straightaway, what you are referring to.
[Right-click, Copy image and then right-click, Paste]



Best of luck,
Denis

Try3 said:

I suggest you try asking in the MSOffice section of TenForums.
I suggest you name your new thread something like Clear MS Outlook 365, Email attachment list of Recent Items so that people don't confuse the issue with other references to Recent items.

If you want to, you can include this screenshot to help people see, straightaway, what you are referring to.
[Right-click, Copy image and then right-click, Paste]
View attachment 68909


Best of luck,
Denis

Click to expand...

Yes but those file names contain personal information, just like you have blurred out in your post. It's this part of Outlook that those recent files I need to clear and start afresh.. All I would be posting is exactly what you have posted, blurred out/redacted.

In any case I have followed these instructions and used the registry key as well , it has removed all those recent items in my Outlook /insert / attach / list that I was seeing

PvtJohnTowle said:

those file names contain personal information

Click to expand...

That's why I prepared a blurred version for you and suggested that you could use it in your thread.

Try3 said:

If you want to, you can include this screenshot

Click to expand...

Denis

PvtJohnTowle said:

n any case I have followed these instructions and used the registry key as well

Click to expand...

Thanks for posting the solution you found. It will be helpful for others with the same problem.

If it's of any interest, I only used the Registry change and it achieved the aim [emptying & keeping empty my Outlook 20021 EMail attachments list].
I did not do any of the Recent file list actions or any other actions suggested by Slipstick.

I have attached the .reg file I used.
LimitMailAttachmentsListToZeroEntries.reg

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Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 ; I ran ["merged"] this reg file in order to empty and keep empty the Outlook 20021 EMail attachments list. ; This Key did not exist in this computer beforehand. ; This solution was published by Slipstick ; www.slipstick.com/outlook/edit-outlooks-attach-file-list [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Options\Mail] "MaxAttachmentMenuItems"=dword:00000000

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All the best,
Denis