Introduction

This guide shows you how to change the number of recently opened programs listed in the recent programs list, the icon size of the recent programs list, or how to disable recent programs all together in Windows Vista’s Start Menu.

Change the Number of Recent Programs to Display

You can set the number of recent programs to show in the recent programs section of Windows Vista’s Start Menu (just above All Programs) by doing the following:

1. Right-click the Start button and select Properties.
2. Click the Customize button next to Start Menu.
3. Set the number of recently opened programs next to Start menu size in the Customize Start Menu window.

   ^[1]

Hint: If you want to show a large number of recently opened programs you might want to use small icons in the recent programs section of Windows Vista’s Start Menu.

You can set the recent programs section of Windows Vista’s Start Menu to show small icons by scrolling all the way to the bottom of the list in the Customize Start Menu window (shown in the screen shot above) and uncheck Use large icons.

Disable the Recent Programs List

If you don’t want recently opened programs to be listed on Windows Vista’s Start Menu you can disable recent programs by doing the following:

1. Right-click the Start button and select Properties.
2. Uncheck Store and display a list of recently opened programs next to Privacy.

   ^[2]