The Case of the Disappearing MRU File List

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated September 29, 2014)

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:

  1. Start Tweak UI.
  2. Make sure the Internet Explorer (IE) tab is selected.
  3. Make sure the Add New Documents to Documents on Start Menu check box is selected.
  4. Close Tweak UI.
  5. 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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Forcing Manual Calculation For a Workbook

If you have a large, complex workbook, you may want to make sure that it is always calculated manually instead of ...

Discover More

Easily Dividing Values by 1000

Sometimes the data in a worksheet isn't in the exact format desired. If you want to dividie your values by 1,000, there ...

Discover More

Printing Only Selected Pages

I often need to print only select pages of a document, rather than the whole thing. Word makes it easy to be judicious in ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!

More WordTips (menu)

Document Shows as 'In Use' by Another User

Word tries to constantly track who is using various documents, in order to prevent two users from clashing in their edits ...

Discover More

Opening Word 2007 Files in Older Versions

Word 2007 uses a different file format than was used in previous versions of Word. This can cause some problems in ...

Discover More

Saving and Closing All Open Documents

Want to close or save all your documents at the same time? This trick does it for you.

Discover More
Subscribe

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

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

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}] 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.

What is two more than 3?

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.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

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

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2019 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.