Wondering how I can clear the files that show in "Recents" in the Finder. I know that the "Clear files" option off the menu does nothing.
The oldest file that is supposedly recent was opened on March 18, 2018. Hardly recent. This is an annoyance. Any idea how I can clear this, or at least clear files that haven't been opened in over 8 years?
Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
You cannot. "Recents" is a Smart Folder that is created (and maintained) by macOS. All you can do is choose to ignore it. It will remain in the Go menu, but you can hide it in the Finder sidebar by going to Finder menu > Settings > Sidebar tab and unchecking the box.
With Smart Folders that you create, you can alter the search criteria but with Recents, any changes to those merely create a new Smart Folder that you are prompted to save somewhere, leaving the macOS-created Recents folder unaltered.
To have Apple consider your feedback, submit it here:
(But I would not expect much to happen in this case, Recents has been a long-time fixture.)
You cannot. "Recents" is a Smart Folder that is created (and maintained) by macOS. All you can do is choose to ignore it. It will remain in the Go menu, but you can hide it in the Finder sidebar by going to Finder menu > Settings > Sidebar tab and unchecking the box.
With Smart Folders that you create, you can alter the search criteria but with Recents, any changes to those merely create a new Smart Folder that you are prompted to save somewhere, leaving the macOS-created Recents folder unaltered.
To have Apple consider your feedback, submit it here:
(But I would not expect much to happen in this case, Recents has been a long-time fixture.)
Cannot clear old files from Finder Recents
