Fix: Office 2000/XP/2003 Recently Used File List is Ghosted Out

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From the computer of: shamanstears (649 recipes)
Created: Mar 17, 2008     Updated: Mar 19, 2008

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Here's the scenario: you want to utilize the Recently Used File List in your Microsoft Office applications, but when you go to enable it in Options, it is ghosted (or grayed) out. Here's the fix:

1. Close all Microsoft Office applications.

2. Access the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key+R.

3. Input regedit and click OK. The Registry Editor will open.

4. In the left pane, find and expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER.

5. You will need to navigate to SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\POLICIES\EXPLORER.

6. In the right pane, right-click NoRecentDocsHistory and select Delete.

7. Click Yes when asked to confirm the action.

8. Close the Registry Editor.

9. Open your Microsoft Office application.

10. Go to the menu, click Tools and select Options.

11. Select the General tab.

12. Check the Recently used file list checkbox and use the designated dropdown to select the desired number of entries.

13. Click the OK button.

You should now have a functional Recently Used File List when you select File from the menu.