Excel: Increase the Number of Files in the Recent File List

In this quick tutorial we will go over how to increase the number of “remembered” files in the Microsoft Excel Recent Files list in the File Menu.

1. First, head to the Tools Menu and select Options.

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2. In the menu that opens, select the General tab at the top, and locate the Recently used file list and make sure the box is checked. Then simply enter the number of files you want the program to “remember”.

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3. Click OK to close the box and save your settings.

Note that you will not immediately see the recently used file list expand because Excel will only keep track of the files you’ve used since you made the above change — so files you used prior to the change will not show up in the list until you use them again, as Excel does not “remember” the previous files you were working on.

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