Clear the run menu list

Helpline Q&A Directory

I've noticed that the Run box in the Start menu has a drop-down list containing the commands you've used most recently. I don't want anyone accidentally running these commands again; is there a way to clear programs from this list?

Yes, but doing this involves editing the Registry, so we advise you to back up the Registry before you begin, so you'll be safe in the unlikely event that anything goes wrong during the procedure. See tip, Back up the Registry.

First start the Registry Editor, then expand the Registry folders: Hkey_Current_User, Software, Microsoft, Windows, CurrentVersion, Explorer, RunMRU (most recently used). Select the RunMRU folder, then delete all the values in the righthand window pane except Default. Close the Registry Editor, then restart Windows (or log out and log in again) for it to take effect.

You'll see that the MRU list of commands is stored in a set of values named 'a' to 'z'. Another value named MRUList contains a set of letters corresponding to these values, ranked in the order they appear in the drop-down list.

Once you understand this, you can see how it's possible to remove individual items from the list. Delete the value containing the item you want to remove, then double-click the MRUList value (to edit it) and delete the letter that was the name of the value you just deleted. As before, you must restart Windows or log out and log back in again to let the change take effect. If you use the Run menu before you log out or restart, the old values get written back to the Registry and your changes will be undone.