How to Clear Recent Files History in Linux without Deleting Actual Files?

Clear Recent Files History in Linux without Deleting Actual Files

In Linux, file managers like Dolphin maintain a list of recently accessed or modified files. This list can be useful in certain scenarios but may also cause privacy concerns or unwanted clutter. This article discusses various methods to clear the recent files history in Linux without deleting the actual files.

Dolphin File Manager: An Overview

Dolphin is a popular file manager for KDE Plasma desktop environment. It provides a "Recent Files" feature on the left sidebar, allowing easy access to recently accessed or modified files.

Dolphin's Recent Files Folder

When you create or add a text file like ~/Downloads/test1.txt in Dolphin, the file is added to the "Recent Files" folder.

 /home/user/.local/share/baloo/meta/recent
 

The baloo folder contains the metadata of the recent files accessed or modified. Deleting this folder removes the recent files history but doesn't affect the real files.

Methods to Clear Recent Files History

There are several ways to clear the recent files history in Linux:

Method 1: Delete the Baloo metadata folder

Delete the ~/.local/share/baloo/meta/recent folder using the terminal command:

 rm -rf ~/.local/share/baloo/meta/recent
 

This method immediately deletes the recent files list.

Method 2: Utilize the Baloo settings

You can configure Baloo's settings to manage the metadata:

 balooctl clear && balooctl disable
 

You can also disable the automatic indexing of new files using:

 balooctl disable
 

Method 3: Clear the Recent Files folder using Dolphin

You can delete the files inside the "Recent Files" folder manually:

1. Open Dolphin and navigate to the ~/.local/share/baloo/meta/recent folder.
2. Delete all files located inside the folder.

There are multiple methods to clear the recent files history in Linux without deleting the actual files. Users can choose the method that best suits their needs. Keep in mind that it's essential to maintain privacy and manage the visible files and data in the file manager.

References

• Baloo Documentation
• Dolphin - UserBase