Whenever you install a new app on Windows 10, either through the Windows Store or through the classic desktop installation wizard, you will notice that a new Recently added list is added to Start as shown in the figure below. The list lets you quickly and easily locate newly installed applications without having to search for them.
In this guide, you’ll see how you can manage this list, how to hide it, and what features it offers to make the most of it.
Recently installed applications in Windows 10 Start menu
As I mentioned earlier, the list of newly installed applications in Start is automatically enabled when a new application is installed on your computer. By default, the three most recent applications appear. However, if you have installed more than three, then Expand appears to view all newly installed applications.
How to Remove an Application from the List
If you do not want a specific application to appear in the list, you can hide it very easily. Open Start, find the application, right-click its icon, and then click Remove from this list in the More menu.
Now, the app has been removed from the list, but you can find it in the list of all apps or using the search.
How to Remove All Applications from the List
If you want to clear the list from all the recently installed applications, the process is again very simple. Right-click an application in the list, and click Clear list on the More menu.
The list will now disappear as you have removed all applications. Obviously, in the next new app installation, will make the list appear again.
How to hide the list of recently added applications
If this list is bothering you and you do not find any good use for it, you can hide it completely from Windows 10 Start menu and this is done through the settings.
Open the settings window and go to Personalization.
Then, in the Start section, turn off the Show recently added apps switch.
That’s it!
Personally, I choose to have the list of recently added apps turned on because it saves me some time from searching for these applications.
I’ve been using Windows 10 since the Anniversary update and I must say that I never noticed this option until now. Wow!
There doesn’t seem to be a distinction made in the name for the regular start list and start boxes on the right. I call the total icons on the left a ‘list’. Computer refer to the squares on the right at ‘start’ (pin to start). I want the ‘recently added’ apps to take their place alphabetically in the regular ‘list’. Is this possible? Nobody talks about being able to ‘sort’ the main list. It doesn’t make sense to have an alphabetical list then muck it up with heaps of recently added apps.