How to get rid of Recommended apps and recently opened files in Windows 11
To remove the “Recommended” section from the Start menu in Windows 11, you can open the Settings app, navigate to Personalization > Start, and toggle off the option labeled “Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer”.
This will remove the “Recommended” section from the Start menu, giving you more space to pin your preferred apps. To remove the list of recently opened files from File Explorer in Windows 11, press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog, type %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent, and press Enter. This will open the “Recent” folder, where you can delete the contents to remove the list of recently opened files.
If you want to completely remove any mention of “Recommended” content in Windows 11, you can use the Local Group Policy Editor. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar, and double-click the policy “Remove Recommended section from Start Menu” and set it to Enabled. This will completely remove the “Recommended” section from the Start menu, ensuring no recently opened files or recommended apps are displayed. By following these steps, you can customize the Start menu and File Explorer to remove the recommended and recently opened content, providing a more personalized experience in Windows 11.