Clearing recent lists on iPhone and iPad

Yes, you can remove files from the Recents list without deleting the original files from your iCloud Drive or device storage. The "Recents" tab just shows shortcuts to your documents.

Here are the exact ways to clear them depending on what app list you are trying to clean:

• In the Files App (Most Common): Open the Files app and go to the Recents tab. Press and hold (long-press) on the file you want to hide. From the pop-up context menu, select Remove from Recents (do not choose "Delete", as Delete will wipe the file entirely).
• In Pages, Numbers, or Keynote: Open the app and go to the Recents screen. Long-press the document thumbnail and tap Remove from Recents. The original file will stay completely safe in your storage folders.
• Clear the Siri Suggestions Widget: If you are seeing recent files on your home screen widget, press and hold the widget layout, tap Edit Widget, and toggle off Suggest Apps or Show Recent Files to hide the automatic history shortcuts entirely.

Thanks for sharing these ways. I just tried the first one (long pressing a recent file in the Files app) and Remove from Recents does not appear in the context menu. Do you know if this is a change in iPadOS 27? Do you know if there is a new way to access Remove from Recents? It seems such an obvious thing, and is available in all other recents lists I now, like recent phone calls, recent map searches, …