The Case of the Disappearing MRU File List

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated May 2, 2020)

The Most Recently Used (MRU) file list in Word is very handy for quickly selecting and opening files you previously worked on. If you start Word and notice that the MRU list is gone, you can check to see if the option is still turned on. You do this by choosing Tools | Options | General, and then making sure that the Recently Used Files List option is selected.

Some people may notice that the Recently Used Files List option is not even available on their systems, however. If it is greyed out on your system, it is probably because you have the Tweak UI tool installed. Certain settings in this tool can override the MRU setting in Word, as described here:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q284896

To correct the situation, follow these steps:

Start Tweak UI.
Make sure the Internet Explorer (IE) tab is selected.
Make sure the Add New Documents to Documents on Start Menu check box is selected.
Close Tweak UI.
Restart Word.

You should now be able to access the Recently Used Files List option in the Word.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1724) 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...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Template Changing On Its Own

When you attach a template to a document, you expect that template to stay attached. When you share the document with ...

Discover More

Calculating an Age On a Given Date

Start putting dates in a worksheet (especially birthdates), and sooner or later you will need to calculate an age based ...

Discover More

Determining the Day of the Year

Need to find out the day of the year for a particular date? It's easy to do if you are using a macro. All you need to do ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!

More WordTips (menu)

Creating Two Versions of the Same Document

You may often need to create two versions of the same document, one with everything and the other with a subset of what ...

Discover More

Can't Open a Word Document in Windows

Double-click on a Word document while using Windows Explorer, and the Word program should start with the document ...

Discover More

Saving in PostScript Format

Word can save your document in PostScript format so that it can be easily processed by other programs that work with ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 5 - 4?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.