Using – and clearing – jump lists in Windows 10

“Jump lists,” first introduced in Windows 7, are the right-click menus of options for the applications that appear in the Windows Taskbar (the horizontal bar that typically runs across the bottom of the screen).  Most people probably are unaware that they even exist.  In fact, they’re quite handy.  They provide quick access to commonly used programs – and specific features within those programs – and other useful options.  For example, right-clicking the Taskbar icon for Outlook produces a jump list with buttons you can click to create a new e-mail, a new appointment,  a new meeting, a new contact, and/or a new task, even if Outlook is running in the background – or isn’t open!

The options available on a jump list depend partly on your version of Windows and partly on what the application’s developers chose to include.  All jump lists provide options for opening the program, for closing the program windows(s), and for unpinning the program from the Taskbar (or for pinning it to the Taskbar, if it isn’t pinned already). The jump list for File Explorer in Windows 10 (formerly known as Windows Explorer) reflects folders that are pinned to the Quick Access area within File Explorer.  Jump lists for browsers such as Chrome and Internet Explorer (“IE”) usually retain links to recently or frequently visited web sites, and also offer quick links for incognito / private browsing and for opening a new window or new tab.  Jump lists for word processing programs keep track of recently opened documents.

Recently opened documents can be removed individually from a jump list simply by right-clicking the document name.  In Windows 10, the menu that appears when you right-click a Word document contains numerous options:  Open, Edit, New, Print, Copy, Pin to this list, Remove from this list, and Properties.  The menu that appears when you right-click a WordPerfect document contains slightly different options:  Open, Print, View in WordPerfect Lightning, Pin to this list, Remove from this list, Properties.[1]

Depending on which browser you use, you might not have an option to remove any of the most visited web sites from the jump list.  For example, Chrome has no such option.  (If you’ve pinned a site, you can un-pin it with a right click.)  With Internet Explorer, by contrast, there is a right-click option labeled “Remove from this list.”  (As of this writing, Microsoft’s new browser, Edge, does not have a traditional jump list that keeps track of visited sites.  The only available option, besides the option to launch the browser, is to unpin the program from the Taskbar.)

There is a way to clear all of your jump lists at once – so that they no longer display recently visited sites or recently opened documents.  In Windows 10, do the following:

1. Open Windows Settings by clicking the Start button in the lower left corner of the screen, then clicking “Settings.”  (Alternatively, press and hold the Windows key – it looks like a flag – and press the letter “I.”)
2. Type “Start.”  (The word “start” doesn’t have to be capitalized; the search function is not case-sensitive.)
3. Click “Start Settings” (or click “Show recently opened items in Jump Lists on Start or the Taskbar,” and skip to Step 5).
4. Scroll to “Show recently opened items in Jump Lists on Start or the Taskbar.”
5. Click the “On” button to switch to the “Off” position.
6. Close the “Settings” dialog by clicking the “X” in the upper right corner.

Pinned items will remain in your jump lists, but recently visited sites and recently opened docs will not.  Note that you can turn tracking back on by repeating the above steps but, in Step 5, clicking the “Off” button to switch to the “On” position.

To clear jump lists in Windows 7, follow these steps:

1. Right-click in a blank space in the Taskbar, then click “Properties.”
2. When the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog opens, click the “Start Menu” tab.
3. Uncheck the checkbox labeled “Store and display recently opened items in the Start menu and the taskbar.”
4. Click “OK.”  CAUTION:  Be sure to click “OK” rather than closing the dialog by clicking the red “X” in the upper right corner.  Otherwise, Windows will not save your changes.

As with Windows 10, simply repeat the steps, but in Step 3 be sure to check the option to re-enable tracking of recently visited sites and recently opened documents.

To clear jump lists in Windows 8.X, follow these steps:

1. Right-click in a blank space in the Taskbar, then click “Properties.”
2. When the Taskbar and NavigationpProperties dialog opens, click the “Jump Lists” tab.
3. Uncheck the checkbox labeled “Store and display recently opened items in Jump Lists.”
4. Note the option to change the number of recent items to display in Jump Lists (the default is 10).  You can use the “spinner” arrows or type a number in the box.
5. Click “OK.”  CAUTION:  Be sure to click “OK” rather than closing the dialog by clicking the red “X” in the upper right corner.  Otherwise, Windows will not save your changes.

As with Windows 10, simply repeat the steps, but in Step 3 be sure to check the option to re-enable tracking of recently visited sites and recently opened documents.

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[1] At least, these options appear on my computer.  Depending on which versions of Windows and WordPerfect you are using and how your computer is configured, you might see somewhat different options.