Have you lately made changes to a file, closed it by mistake, or lost those files and can no longer locate them? Do you want to access some recently shared files with a particular person? Well, with Windows, finding recently opened files is quite simple. Windows OS keeps a track of these files so that you can re-edit or find out who last accessed them. In this blog, we’ll find out how to view recently opened files on Windows.
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How To See Recently Opened Files On Windows PC
We’ve listed 3 easiest and most convenient ways to access recently opened files on Windows 11 PC:
Method 1: Quick Access – Locate Recently Opened Files?
Step 1: Press Win + E to open the File Explorer window.
Step 2: The Quick Access Section will automatically open in most cases where you can view the recently opened files.
Note: You can also choose Quick access from the left panel, where you can see all the recently accessed items. The right panel will then show a listing of files opened recently.
Most of the time, Quick Access shows the recently opened files in File Explorer, but occasionally it malfunctions and stops doing so. Therefore, you can check recently opened items in the Recent Items folder if you are unable to get Quick Access to display recently opened files or if you wish to see a list of all the potential items that have been opened or tinkered with. .
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Method 2: Recent Items Folder – Locate Recently Opened Files?
To display recently opened things in the Recent Items folder, adhere to these steps:
Step 1: Press Win + E to open the File Explorer.
Step 2: Place the below-mentioned path in the navigation bar of File Explorer.
C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent Items
Note: In the path indicated above, remember to replace your username. You will not be able to access the Recent Items folder if you don’t do this.
Step 3: Press the Enter Key.
Note: You can check the recently opened things in the Recent Items folder by following the instructions above.
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Bonus Method: App Specific Files Recent Items Folder – Locate Recently Opened Files?
Windows often retains track of recently opened files, even though most programs allow users to access recently opened files inside the app. You can access app-specific recent files by either of the two steps mentioned below:
Step 1: Navigate to Windows Search and enter the name of the app to view the recently opened files for that app. You can access all the recently opened items in that app by clicking on the same in the right pane of the search results.
Step 2: Open the app and go to the recent files section to see more ‘recently opened items’ than what is displayed in the search results.
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The Final Word On How To See Recently Opened Files On Windows?
We can quickly see which files you or someone else has lately worked on by simply using the aforementioned methods to access the recently opened files. The Recent Items folder stores a history of files and folders opened several days ago, whereas Quick Access simply displays a small number of recently opened items. You should now be able to easily retrieve recently opened files in Quick Access and the Recent Items folder.
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