List Recently Opened Documents on the Windows XP Start Menu

If you often need to reopen certain documents that you work on a lot, you can save time by displaying a list of recently opened documents on your Windows XP start menu. Simple time savers like this can significantly increase your computing efficiency.

Note:
If you are using the Classic Start menu on your XP based computer, a list of recently opened documents may already be displayed via the "Documents" sub-menu and the following procedure will not apply.

To display the recent documents list:

Right-click the "Start" button and click 'Properties"
When the "Taskbar and Start menu Properties" window appears, click "Customize".
In the "Customize Start menu" window, click the "Advanced" tab.
Place a tick in the check box labelled "List my most recently opened documents".
Click "OK" to save changes and exit the "Customize Start menu" window.
Click "OK" again to exit "Taskbar and Start menu Properties" window.

You should now able to access a list of your most recently opened documents via the "My Recent Documents" link on the right column of the Start menu.

A possible disadvantage of displaying a list of recent documents is that anyone who uses your computer can easily see what you have been working on. However, you can disable this option by simply unticking the checkbox in the "Customize Start menu" window (step 4 above). You can also clear the list of recently opened documents in the same window.

XP Tips - Computer Tips for Windows XP