Missing ‘recent files’ app lists in Windows 10’s Start menu are back again

Update on May 5, 2025: According to a Windows 10 support page (spotted by Windows Latest), the removal of “recent files” app jump lists in Windows 10’s Start menu was confirmed to be a bug caused by the integration of account control experiences in the Start menu.

The bug was fixed with a service change that rolled out on April 25th. If you’re still running into this issue, make sure your device is connected to the internet so it can receive the automatic resolution. Once received, it should be resolved after rebooting your system.

Original story from April 23, 2025: Microsoft developers apparently love making changes to the Start menu. Sometimes it’s to add new features like an account manager, while other times it’s to inject advertisements. And now it’s time to make changes again.

The big April update for Windows 10—known as update KB5055518—has apparently removed the convenient jump lists that appear when right-clicking on app tiles in the Start menu. This feature, which let you quickly access recent files relevant to the app in question, has been part of Windows 10 for years… but it’s gone now.

Spotted by Windows Latest, it’s unclear why the recent file jump lists were removed from the Windows 10 Start menu, and Microsoft hasn’t mentioned making this move, so it’s possible that it’s just a bug.

If you want the feature back, you can uninstall update KB5055518, but you’ll also lose the important security fixes in the update.