MS Access 2019 Has Stopped Showing Recent Databases

Hello James, Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community. My name is Seun and I'm happy to help. There could be several reasons why Microsoft Access 2019 is not showing recent databases even when the setting is configured to show a certain number of recent databases. Here are some potential solutions you can try: 1. Clear the Recent Files List Sometimes, the recent files list can become corrupted, causing Access not to display recent databases correctly. You can try clearing the recent files list and see if that resolves the issue. To clear the recent files list, follow these steps: - Open Microsoft Access 2019. - Go to File > Options > Advanced. - Scroll down to the "Display" section. - Click the "Clear Recent File List" button. - Click OK to apply the changes. 2. Check User Folders Access stores the recent files list in a specific user folder. Occasionally, these folders can become corrupted or inaccessible, preventing Access from displaying recent databases. Try locating and deleting the following folder: - `%AppData%\Microsoft\Access\User Data\` (Windows) - `~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Access/` (macOS) After deleting this folder, restart Access, and it should recreate the folder with a fresh recent files list. 3. Repair Microsoft Office Installation If the above steps don't work, there might be an issue with your Microsoft Office installation. Try repairing the Office installation by following these steps: - Open the Control Panel and navigate to "Programs and Features" (or "Apps & features" on Windows 10/11). - Find the Microsoft Office installation in the list and right-click on it. - Select "Change" or "Repair" (the option may vary depending on your version of Windows). - Follow the on-screen instructions to repair the Office installation. 4. Corrupted Registry Entry: (PLEASE BACK UP YOUR DATA BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES) There's a possibility that the registry entry storing the number of recent databases might be corrupted. Here's what you can try (caution advised, back up your registry before making any changes): Open Registry Editor: Press Windows Key + R, type regedit, and press Enter (requires administrator privileges). Navigate to the key: Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Access\Recent (The path might differ slightly depending on your Office version). Modify the value: Find the value named "MaxRecentFiles" (or similar) and double-click it. Change the data to "4" (in decimal format) and click OK. Restart Access: Close and reopen MS Access to see if the recent list appears. 5. Damaged Navigation Pane: Sometimes, the navigation pane itself might be corrupted. Here's a quick fix: Reset Navigation Pane: Right-click on the top bar of the navigation pane and select Close Navigation Pane. Right-click again and choose Open Navigation Pane. This can sometimes refresh the list. 6. Conflicting Add-ins: Occasionally, add-ins can interfere with Access functionality. You can try temporarily disabling them: Open File Options: Go to File > Options (or Tools > Options in older versions). Disable Add-ins: Click on Add-Ins in the left pane. Select COM Add-ins and click Go. Uncheck any add-ins you suspect might be causing issues and click OK. Restart Access: Restart MS Access to see if the recent list appears. If it does, re-enable the add-ins one by one to identify the culprit. 7. Create a New Access Database (optional) As a workaround, you can try creating a new Access database and see if it shows up in the recent files list. If it does, you can then open your existing databases from within the new database. If none of these solutions work, Please let me know. Best Regards, Seun