A global Recent Files list for Visual Studio Code.

Unlike VS Code's built-in recent file history, Recent Files (All) maintains a single Most Recently Used (MRU) list across all workspaces and windows.

Files are always displayed in reverse chronological order, even while filtering.

Recent Files (All) extension, showing a list of recently accessed files, complete with matching icons and last-accessed timestamps

Features

Global recent files list across all workspaces
True MRU ordering (most recent first)
Live filtering while preserving chronological order
File-type icons (Material Icon Theme style, optional)
Tracks normal file activity automatically
Supports programmatic addition of files via command API
Resolves symlinks to their real filesystem paths
Stores history locally using VS Code global extension storage
No telemetry
No external services
No file contents are read or transmitted

Commands

`Recent Files (All)`

Displays the global recent files list.

Start typing to filter the list while preserving MRU order.

`Recent Files (All): Clear History`

Clears the recent files list.

Settings

`recentFilesAll.maxItems`

Maximum number of recent files to retain.

Default: 500

`recentFilesAll.icon`

Icon style shown next to each file in the list.

Value	Description
`material`	Material Icon Theme file icons, one per file type (default)
`codicon`	Generic file icon, the same for all files
`none`	No icon

Default: "material"

`recentFilesAll.showTimestamp`

When enabled, shows the date and time each file was last accessed below the filename. Disabling this doubles the number of files visible in the list at one time.

Default: true

Programmatic Usage

Other extensions or scripts can add files to the recent files history:

vscode.commands.executeCommand(
	'recentFilesAll.addFile',
	filePath
);

Example use cases:

Backup scripts
Save-a-copy workflows
Generated files
Export tools

Privacy

Recent Files (All):

Stores file paths locally inside VS Code extension storage
Does not transmit any data
Does not collect telemetry
Does not access file contents beyond receiving file paths from VS Code events or commands

Requirements

Visual Studio Code 1.80.0 or later.

Known Limitations

Untitled editors and non-filesystem documents are ignored
Remote filesystem behaviour may vary depending on VS Code remote extensions

Release Notes

1.0.0

Initial public release.

Features include:

Global MRU tracking across workspaces
Live filtering with preserved chronological ordering
Programmatic file registration API
Configurable history size (default: 500 items)
File-type icons with choice of Material, generic, or none
Optionally hide timestamps to maximise list density

License

MIT

Recent Files (All)