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By default, when you open your Windows 10 Start menu, you’ll see recently added apps at the top of the app list. This section shows some of the apps you have installed most recently. If you’d like to remove that, it’s easy to change. Here’s how.

Here’s what a typical “Recently Added” section looks like at the top of the Start menu app list. It’s a small area that shows the names and icons of recently installed apps.

An example of the "Recently added" apps section at the top of the Start menu app list.

If you’d like to hide the “Recently Added” section, we’ll need to visit Windows Settings. Open Settings by clicking the “Start” Menu and selecting the “Gear” icon (or by pressing Windows+I).

In Settings, click “Personalization.”

In Personalization, click the “Start” option in the sidebar.

In the Start menu settings, find the switch labeled “Show Recently Added Apps.” Click the switch to turn it “Off.”

The next time you open the Start menu, the recently added apps section at the top will be gone. You will no longer be reminded of all the apps you’ve installed recently, but you can, of course, find them in the All Apps list or by using the search box in the Start menu.

Profile Photo for Benj Edwards Benj Edwards
Benj Edwards is a former Associate Editor for How-To Geek. Now, he is an AI and Machine Learning Reporter for Ars Technica. For over 15 years, he has written about technology and tech history for sites such as The Atlantic, Fast Company, PCMag, PCWorld, Macworld, Ars Technica, and Wired. In 2005, he created Vintage Computing and Gaming, a blog devoted to tech history. He also created The Culture of Tech podcast and regularly contributes to the Retronauts retrogaming podcast.
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