Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Grabbing the MRU List.

Grabbing the MRU List

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 8, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

Word allows you to maintain a list of the most-recently used (MRU) files. This list can record the names of the most recently opened and edited within Word. You can see the MRU list by clicking the Office button (in Word 2007), clicking the File tab of the ribbon and then Recent (in Word 2010), or clicking the File tab of the ribbon and then Open (in later versions of Word).

If you want to grab the names of the MRU files and insert those names in a document, you can use the following VBA macro:

Sub MostRecent()
    Dim r as RecentFile

    For Each r in RecentFiles
        Selection.TypeText Text:=r.Name
        Selection.TypeParagraph
    Next r
End Sub

The macro accesses each member of the RecentFiles collection, adding the name of each member to the document.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13360) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Grabbing the MRU List.

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. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Establishing a FLOOR and CEILING

Excel includes a surprising number of functions you can use to round your data. Two such functions are FLOOR and CEILING, ...

Discover More

Hiding Excel in VBA

Want to have you macro completely hide the Excel interface? You can do so by using the Visible property for the Excel ...

Discover More

Using Search Text in the Replacement

When you use the Find and Replace tool in Word, you may want to include what you searched for in the replacement text. ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Leading Spaces in Document File Names

If you try to add spaces to the beginning of a document's file name, Word normally strips them away. This tip examines ...

Discover More

Document Shows as 'In Use' by Another User

Word tries to constantly track who is using various documents, in order to prevent two users from clashing in their edits ...

Discover More

Determining the Length of a Non-Document Text File

If you use a macro to create and work with text files, you can find out the length of those files using a simple command. ...

Discover More

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

View most recent newsletter.

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.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is nine more than 6?

2025-01-08 10:19:49

Beepee

Hi.
I'm still a bit of a novice when it comes to Word VBA.
I've used the above macro (Word 2019) - just fine, thank you (again) Allen.
I started with a long list (50 items) and discovered I can reduce this in the File>Options>Advanced>Display>Show this number of Recent Documents...
I also modified macro to list files each with a number:
Sub MostRecent() 'list recently used Files in current document
Dim r As RecentFile
Dim n As Integer
n = 1
For Each r In RecentFiles
Selection.TypeText Text:=n & " "
Selection.TypeText Text:=r.Name
Selection.TypeParagraph
n = n + 1
Next r
End Sub
What would be really handy is to add the associated date after the file name - but I've been unable to achieve this!
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks
B

This Site

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