How to Clear File Search MRU History in Windows

When you click the Search text box in Explorer, the previously typed search queries (MRU) are displayed in the drop-down box. Also, when you type a search query, the autocomplete lists possible matches as you type. Here is how to clear the search entries individually and collectively, in Windows 7, 8 and Windows 10.

You can remove an item from the Search MRU list by highlighting that item (using the mouse, or Up/Down keys) and then pressing the DELETE key.

In Windows 10, you can use “Clear search history” option listed under “Recent searches” ribbon button in the Search tab.

To clear the entire Search MRU History via the registry directly, use these steps:

1. Click Start, type Regedit.exe and press ENTER.

2. Navigate to the following branch:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\WordWheelQuery

3. Right-click the WordWheelQuery branch and choose Delete

This clears the entire search MRU list. To clear specific entries, double-click each binary value until you find the appropriate value to delete. Right-click on the value and choose Delete.

4. Exit the Registry Editor.