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Community guidance for Windows 11 points to the current user’s Paint history in the Windows Registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionAppletsPaintRecent File List. Deleting the listed values there removes Paint’s remembered recent entries; it is not a way to delete the image files. This is community-reported guidance, not a procedure confirmed by Microsoft for every Paint version.
Remove Paint’s recent entries in Registry Editor
Before editing the Registry, make sure you are comfortable changing Windows settings. Follow only the path below, and do not delete other keys or values.
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Open the Start menu, type Registry Editor, and open it.
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In Registry Editor’s address bar, enter
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionAppletsPaintRecent File Listand press Enter. If there is no address bar, expand the folders in the left pane to reach that location.#1 Best Overall
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Select Recent File List. In the right pane, delete the listed recent-file values. Leave the Recent File List key itself and any unrelated values or keys alone.
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Close Registry Editor and check Paint’s Recent list. If the location is missing, or the entries remain, stop rather than changing other Registry settings; the path or behavior may differ in your Paint build.
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The location and deletion steps come from a Microsoft Q&A community answer about Windows 11 Paint, not a current official Microsoft support procedure: Microsoft Q&A. Microsoft’s Paint product page describes the app but does not provide a confirmed procedure for clearing its recent list: Microsoft Paint.
Recent-list entries are not the picture files
These steps target Paint’s remembered history, not the original images. If you only want to remove a name from the recent list, do not delete the image from its folder. Microsoft makes this distinction in Office documentation—removing an item from a list differs from deleting its file—but that is an analogy, not Paint-specific instruction: Microsoft Office help.
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- Universal Compatibility: Your Logitech mouse works with your Windows PC, Mac, or laptop, so no matter what type of computer you own today or buy tomorrow your mouse will be compatible
- Plug and Play Simplicity: Just plug in the tiny nano USB receiver and start working in seconds with a strong, reliable connection to your wireless computer mouse up to 33 feet / 10 m (5)
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What to expect if the path does not work
Paint versions may store or handle recent items differently. Microsoft Q&A has discussed this request for years, but that does not establish the same Registry location for every current build. Microsoft’s reviewed Paint information does not confirm an in-app command to clear the list, either. If the key is absent or clearing those values has no effect, avoid deleting broader Registry data or resetting or uninstalling Paint solely for this purpose.
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