Deleting MRU Entries

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 16, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

The MRU refers to "most recently used," which is the list of files you have used recently, as noted at the bottom of the File menu. This list is a wonderful aid most of the time, but is also very revealing. Everyone who uses your computer knows the name of the last file (or files) you've been working on. You may not always like this.

To remove a file name from the MRU list, press Alt+Ctrl+- (that last part is a dash, right next to the 0 key, not the minus key on the keypad). The mouse pointer changes into a thick bar. Use the bar pointer to click on the File menu, then click on the MRU entry you wish to remove from the list. The entry is removed, and the mouse pointer changes back to normal. This does not delete the actual file; it only removes the entry from the MRU list.

You should note that this tip is very powerful. Be careful that you don't select any other menu item except one of the MRU entries. If you do, the menu item is removed from the menu.

If you decide, after pressing Alt+Ctrl+-, that you don't want to delete anything, then press Esc once. The deletion mode is exited, and the mouse pointer returns to normal.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1044) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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