“Recent Folders” and “Recent Items” are always empty

Troubleshooting Empty “Recent Folders” and “Recent Items” in Windows 11

Many Windows 11 users rely on the “Recent Folders” and “Recent Items” features to streamline their workflow by quickly accessing their most-used files and directories. However, encountering issues where these features display as empty can disrupt productivity and cause confusion. If you find that both “Recent Folders” and “Recent Items” are always showing as “Folder is empty,” even after attempts to re-enable them, you’re not alone.

Understanding the Issue

The problem often arises after system modifications or hardware changes—such as toggling Secure Boot in your BIOS settings—that may impact Windows’ configuration or stored cache for recent files and folders. In some cases, these changes can inadvertently corrupt or reset the system’s ability to accurately track recent activity.

Common Causes

System configuration changes: Alterations in BIOS settings like Secure Boot can influence Windows behavior.
Corrupted User Profile or System Files: These may prevent Windows from saving or displaying recent items.
Missing or Disabled Settings: Even if you’ve re-enabled the tracking folder, other related settings might be misconfigured.

Step-by-Step Solutions

Verify Group Policy Settings
Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
Navigate to: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar.
Ensure that “Do not keep history of recently used files” is set to Not Configured or Disabled.
Also, check “Do not keep history of recently opened documents”.
Clear and Reset Recent Items Cache
Open File Explorer.
Navigate to C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent.
Delete all files in this folder to clear the recent items cache.
Restart your computer.
Ensure Recent Items are Enabled in Settings
Go to Settings > Personalization > Start.
Toggle Show recently opened items in Start, jump lists, and File Explorer ON.