Visual Studio is a powerful Integrated Development Environment (IDE) used by developers around the world to create, debug, and deploy software applications. As developers work on various projects, they often find themselves opening and closing files, making changes, and testing different versions of their code. This can result in a long list of recently used files, also known as the Most Recently Used (MRU) list, in Visual Studio.
While the MRU list can be helpful in quickly accessing recently used files, it can also become cluttered and make it difficult to find the files you need. In this article, we will guide you through the process of clearing the MRU list in Visual Studio, so you can have a clean and organized workspace.
Step 1: Open Visual Studio
The first step is to open Visual Studio on your computer. Once it is open, you will see the start page with various options to create a new project or open an existing one.
Step 2: Open the Options Menu
Next, click on the "Tools" menu from the top toolbar and select "Options" from the drop-down menu. This will open the Options window where you can customize various settings in Visual Studio.
Step 3: Select Environment
In the Options window, click on the "Environment" tab on the left-hand side. This will display a list of options related to the environment of Visual Studio.
Step 4: Click on the General Option
Under the Environment tab, click on the "General" option. This will display the general settings for Visual Studio.
Step 5: Find the Recently Used Files section
Scroll down until you find the "Recently Used Files" section. This is where you can manage the MRU list in Visual Studio.
Step 6: Change the Number of Items in the MRU List
By default, Visual Studio saves the last 10 files you have opened in the MRU list. If you want to change this number, simply enter the desired number in the "Items shown in recently used lists" field. You can enter any number between 0 and 24.
Step 7: Clear the MRU List
To clear the MRU list, click on the "Clear MRU List" button located below the "Items shown in recently used lists" field. This will remove all the files from the MRU list.
Step 8: Save the Changes
Once you have cleared the MRU list, click on the "OK" button at the bottom of the Options window to save the changes.
Congratulations, you have successfully cleared the MRU list in Visual Studio!
Bonus Tip: You can also access the MRU list by clicking on the "File" menu and selecting "Recent Files". This will display the list of recently used files, and you can also clear the list from here by clicking on the "Clear Recent Files" option.
In conclusion, clearing the MRU list in Visual Studio is a simple and effective way to keep your workspace organized and clutter-free. By following these easy steps, you can customize the number of items in the MRU list and clear it whenever necessary. This will not only improve your productivity but also make it easier to find the files you need in Visual Studio. Happy coding!
