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...

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