Specifying the Number of MRU Files

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 24, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365

5

Excel can easily keep track of the last several workbooks you've edited. This list of files is often referred to as the MRU (most recently used) file list. Excel allows you to specify, exactly, how many files you want tracked in this list. You can change the number of MRU files by following these steps:

  1. Display the Excel Options dialog box. (In Excel 2007 click the Office button and then click Excel Options. In Excel 2010 or a later version display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.).
  2. Click Advanced at the left side of the dialog box.
  3. Scroll through the available options until you see the Display section. (See Figure 1.)

    4. Figure 1. The Advanced options of the Excel Options dialog box.

  4. Use the control labeled Show this Number of Recent Workbooks to indicate how many files you want to appear in the MRU list. (You can set a value up to 50.)
  5. Click OK.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6238) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Freezing Cell Size when Inserting Pictures

Insert a picture into a table cell, and you may quickly find that the table is no longer the size you expected. Here's ...

Discover More

Creating and Naming a Worksheet Using a Macro

You can use macros to make your common Excel tasks easier and faster. For instance, if you routinely need to create new ...

Discover More

Inserting a Cross-Reference to an Item in a List

When you create a list using the SEQ field, you may want to create a cross-reference to an item in that field. You can do ...

Discover More

Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Importing Many Files Into Excel

Importing a single file is easy. Importing a whole slew of files can be much more of a challenge.

Discover More

Loading Unwanted Files at Startup

Imagine how painful it would be if every time you started Excel it tried to load all the files in your root directory? ...

Discover More

Getting Rid of Extra Quote Marks in Exported Text Files

If you don't like the way that Excel exports information you intend to use with other programs, then your best bet is to ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 6 + 6?

2024-07-28 11:22:53

J. Woolley

My earliest comment below describes the ListRecentFiles function to list the MRU files. My Excel Toolbox now includes the TrimRecentFiles macro to identify files that can be removed from the MRU list. Such files must be picked from an updated result of the ListRecentFiles function. The TrimRecentFiles macro also enables adjusting the size of the MRU list ("number of Recent Workbooks" in Figure 1 above).
My Excel Toolbox also includes the following dynamic array function to list folders derived from the MRU list of files:
    =ListRecentFolders([AddPath])
AddPath is the same as previously described for the ListRecentFiles function. The ListRecentFolders result is similar to clicking "More..." at bottom-right of Excel's Backstage view, then picking "Folders" at the top.

2024-02-25 15:57:20

Gene

J. Woolley
Thank you! I hadn’t noticed the little “More workbooks” down in the corner.

2024-02-25 09:43:19

J. Woolley

@Gene
Click "More..." at bottom-right or use the scroll bar.

2024-02-24 14:18:52

Gene

I have specified a quantity of 50 in Show this number of Recent Workbooks, Quickly access this number of Recent Workbooks, and Show this number of unpinned Recent Folders. The list does contain 50, but only 10 can be viewed. Items must be removed from the list to see others below the tenth one.

2024-02-24 11:02:09

J. Woolley

My Excel Toolbox includes the following dynamic array function to list the MRU filenames:
    =ListRecentFiles([AddPath])
If optional AddPath is FALSE (default) or null (""), the list will not be altered.
If AddPath is TRUE, Excel's default local filepath will be prepended to any filename that does not begin with \ and does not specify a drive (like D:\...) or network path (like \\MYNET\...); if the filename begins with one \ character, Excel's default local drive (like C:) will be prepended. Excel's default local filepath is defined in Options > Save.
If AddPath is text (like "Path" or "E:\Path"), that text will be prepended to any filename that does not begin with \ and does not specify a drive or network path; if the filename begins with one \ character, Excel's default local drive will be prepended.
If a non-default AddPath is specified, results should be carefully reviewed.
When using pre-2021 versions of Excel without support for dynamic arrays, review the PDF file UseSpillArray.pdf.
See https://sites.google.com/view/MyExcelToolbox

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.