Turning Off the MRU List

Summary: If you do not use the MRU list in Excel, use this tip to turn them off. (This tip works with Microsoft Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, and Excel 2003.)

If you pull down the File menu, you may notice a list of files at the bottom of the menu. These files represent the most recently used (MRU) Excel spreadsheets. This file list provides a quick way for you to access your files. Some people don't like the file list, however. Either they never use it, or they feel it complicates the File menu too much. If you are one of those people, you can disable the file list feature of Excel. This is done by following these steps:

Choose Options from the Tools menu. You will see the Options dialog box.
Make sure the General tab is selected. (Click here to see a related figure.)
Make sure the Recently Used File List check box is cleared.
Click on OK.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2633) applies to Microsoft Excel versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003

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