How to Control Windows RunMRU History in Registry

This article explains the specific Windows Registry values responsible for enabling, disabling, and managing the Run dialog’s Most Recently Used (RunMRU) command history. By modifying these registry settings, you can toggle command logging, clear stored commands automatically, or completely prevent Windows from saving your Run command history.

The Primary Registry Value: Start_TrackProgs

The primary registry setting that controls whether Windows logs and saves the Run command history is Start_TrackProgs. This value corresponds to the “Let Windows track app launches to improve Start and search results” setting in Windows Settings.

• Registry Path:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
• Value Name: Start_TrackProgs
• Value Type: REG_DWORD
• Value Data:
  • 1 = Enabled (Windows saves and displays Run dialog history).
  • 0 = Disabled (Windows stops logging Run history and disables auto-suggestions).

Policy-Based Restriction: NoRecentDocsHistory

If you want to enforce the disabling of Run command and document history across the system via administrative policy, the NoRecentDocsHistory value is used.

• Registry Path:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
  (or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer for machine-wide enforcement)
• Value Name: NoRecentDocsHistory
• Value Type: REG_DWORD
• Value Data:
  • 1 = Disabled (Prevents Windows from saving history in the Run dialog and Recent Documents).
  • 0 = Enabled (Default behavior; history is tracked normally).

Automatic Deletion on Exit: ClearRecentDocsOnExit

To allow history tracking during an active session but automatically purge the stored RunMRU list upon signing out or restarting, use ClearRecentDocsOnExit.

• Registry Path:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
• Value Name: ClearRecentDocsOnExit
• Value Type: REG_DWORD
• Value Data:
  • 1 = Clears the RunMRU list and recent history automatically when logging off.
  • 0 = Retains history across reboots.

Where the RunMRU History Is Stored

The actual commands you type into the Run dialog box are stored individually as string values (a, b, c, etc.) alongside a MRUList string value at the following path:

• Registry Path:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU

Deleting the entries inside the RunMRU key (except the (Default) value) immediately clears the existing command history without changing future logging behavior.