3 Methods to See Recently Opened Files on Windows 10

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Windows 10 always track some important actions, including when you open a file, modified, or save it. There are several different ways to see them, with or without additional software.

Here are some options you could use. These may work on Windows 7 and Windows 8 as well.

#1 Check your newest files on the Recent Files section

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On Windows 10, you can see the recently used files through File Explorer > Quick access > Recent files. This section will store twenty “newest” items ranging from media to document.

Unfortunately, Recent Files is limited by the number and extension. If you want to see slightly deeper information, check out the next method.

#2 For deeper information, see Recent Items

Recent Items is unique. Not only it will show you media and document, it will also store other activities including folder, programs, and even operating system functions (such as Bluetooth, Control Panel, etc). To access Recent Items, see the guide below.

1. Launch File Explorer, and go to %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\

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2. Right-click on the blank area, then Sort by > Date Modified.

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3. Now the Recent Items is sorted based on the date.

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You may create a shortcut of Recent Items to access it faster.

#3 Third-party software OpenSaveFilesView is highly detailed!

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A freeware named OpenSaveFilesView can display detailed information, like the name of the file, extension, order, open time, modified file, created time, file size, and file attributes. This software works by processing data from Windows Registry into something meaningful and easy to read.

OpenSaveFilesView is available from Windows 2000 to Windows 7, both 32-bit and 64-bit. You can download it using this link.

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1 thought on “3 Methods to See Recently Opened Files on Windows 10”

  1. Hi,
    Thanx for this info!
    But this isn’t the same as Windows 7 ‘recent items’.
    Win7 included saved items, imported items, items created in apps, etc.
    Where is this function in Win10?
    Did the developers screw us end users AGAIN?
    Thanx…Chris

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