If you prefer to keep the Recent Documents list, you can still enhance your privacy by modifying the list so that its contents are emptied every time you exit Windows. Here’s how:
1. Click the Start button in the lower-left corner of Windows.
2. Click Run.
3. A window opens. Type regedit in the blank, and then click the OK button or press the Enter key.
4. The Windows Registry Editor opens. In the left window pane, double-click the HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry key.
5. A new column of registry keys appears. Double-click Software.
6. Another list of registry keys appears. Scroll down and double-click Microsoft.
7. A long column of registry keys appears. Scroll down and double-click Windows.
8. Double-click the CurrentVersion registry key.
9. A new column of registry keys appears. Scroll down and double-click Policies.
10. Click the Explorer registry key
11. Click the Edit drop-down menu located in the upper-left corner of the Windows Registry Editor.
12. Select New.
13. Select DWORD Value.
14. In the right window pane, a new registry value appears. Rename it ClearRecentDocsOnExit
15. Double-click the new ClearRecentDocsOnExit value to open it.
16. Type the number 1 under the ValueData heading.
17. Click the OK button.
18. Exit the Registry Editor by clicking the X button in the upper-right corner.
