Microsoft is constantly looking for ways to spam junk features and AI slop to its users, not realising that the bulk of people just want to be left alone to do their own thing. Although not much has really changed on that front, they are allowing Windows 11 users to clean up the Start Menu a little bit. With the latest Start menu improvements, you can disable the Recent section and stop Windows from filling the Start menu with recently opened files, recently installed apps, and other recommendations. It's not much, but we'll take it!
Takeaways:
- Is there a way to disable the annoying App Recommendations in the Windows 11 Start Menu?
- Is there a way to disable the Recent File section in the Windows 11 Start Menu?
Table of Contents
How to Disable Recent File and App Recommendations in the Windows 11 Start Menu
To remove the Recent section from the Start menu, follow these steps:
- Open Settings on Windows 11.
- Click Personalization.
- Select Start on the right.
- Find the settings related to the Recent section.
- Turn off the Recent toggle.
Once you complete these steps, Windows 11 will remove the Recent section from the Start menu. Your recently opened files, recently installed apps, and other recommendations will no longer take up space in this area. It's a long overdue change that should have been available since day 1. It's one of the main reasons people have been using third-party Start Menu tools like Startallback.
Choose What Appears in the Recent Section
If you don't want to remove the section completely. Windows 11 also give you an option for controlling the type of content displayed there. Instead of disabling Recent entirely, you can choose the options you want to keep. This gives you a bit more control over the Start menu without removing the section altogether.
What Happened to the Recommended Section?
The Recommended section has been replaced by Recent as part of Microsoft's Start menu changes.
The original section was intended to make it easier to find files and applications you had recently used. But most people found the recommendations pointless, all they wanted was a simple, clean place to add pinned apps and software.
What If the New Setting Is Missing?
If you have updated Windows 11 but cannot find the new Recent setting, the feature hasn't made it to your system yet, but it is coming.
As always, Microsoft is rolling out these Start menu changes slowly, so availability will vary between systems and locations. The changes are being added alongside the September 2026 update, so are expected to become available on supported Windows 11 25H2, 26H2, and later installations.
If you don't really follow all the update names that Microsoft uses for Windows 11, you can just go to Settings > Windows Update and check for the latest update. Once they install, you will either have the feature or not. If it's not there, check back again sometime. Windows gets a lot of automatic updates, so it will more than likely just sneak in one day.
