Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 25, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Excel allows you to maintain a list of the most-recently used (MRU) files. This list can record the names of up to the last nine workbooks opened and edited within Excel. Understand that nine workbooks is the default; the user can actually change the number of workbooks that can be maintained in the list. See the tip MRU Files Won't Display for more information.
If you want to grab the names of the MRU files and insert those names in a worksheet, you can use the following macro:
Sub MostRecent() Dim J As Integer For J = 1 To Application.RecentFiles.Count Cells(J, 1) = Application.RecentFiles(J).Name Next J End Sub
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9783) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Grabbing the MRU List.
Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2019 For Dummies today!
What would you do if every time you opened a workbook Excel told you it was locked? Here's how you can try to recover ...
Discover MoreWant to make your importing of text data faster than ever? Here are some ideas you can apply right away.
Discover MoreWhen you open a workbook in Excel, the Open dialog box always starts within the folder in which you were last working. ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2021-09-25 10:33:31
J. Woolley
My Excel Toolbox includes the ListRecentFiles([AddPath]) dynamic array function. In older versions of Excel you can use it with the SpillArray function like this:
=SpillArray(ListRecentFiles([AddPath]))
See https://sites.google.com/view/MyExcelToolbox/
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments