Windows Timeline and Task View ... does it work for Excel files?

[Gamely Lounges]

Hi,

Is Timeline / Task View able to display my recently opened files (excel, powerpoint, etc)?

The list of activities that it shows for me is incredibly limited ... hardly anything in the list. How can I add/remove types of activities/files that are listed?

(I have searched but found very little info on it)

Thanks!
Gamely Lounges

 

[spicypadthai]

Yes, it works for Office files. Have you tried searching your timeline for "Excel" or "Powerpoint" or something in the file name?

 

[Gamely Lounges]

Nopes.
I searched for *.pptx
And I searched for a word in the file name.
And, anyway, I can clearly see just by scrolling that i really only have a bunch of edge browser history in the timeline and nothing else!

 

[heyanil673]

No, Taskbar doesn't show the files which you've recently created or on you are working because it's just to show your opened application on which you are working or which is opened on that time. But you can add Excel, Powerpoint or some other applications which you want on your Taskbar easily by just dragging the application to taskbar which you want there.

 

[spicypadthai]

No, Taskbar doesn't show the files which you've recently created or on you are working because it's just to show your opened application on which you are working or which is opened on that time. But you can add Excel, Powerpoint or some other applications which you want on your Taskbar easily by just dragging the application to taskbar which you want there.

The question is about Timeline, accessed via Task View on the task bar. It's not whether recent files can be pinned to the task bar. So the answer is yes, Office files can be accessed in Timeline, as you can see in the image below. Not sure why the OP isn't seeing them. Only thing I can think of is there's no MS account signed in.

 

[Gamely Lounges]

@spicypadthai (so spicy, ow!) you are on the right track. in your timeline i see your excel file. *that* is what i want to get working on my computer. i want to be able to see my recent files.

somehow i think my privacy settings are interfering. i also am not able to add "recent files" into the quick access (or whatever its called) in the File Explorer. i think sometime in the past, i set my computer to not show recently accessed files.

thanks
Gamely Lounges

 

[spicypadthai]

@spicypadthai (so spicy, ow!) you are on the right track. in your timeline i see your excel file. *that* is what i want to get working on my computer. i want to be able to see my recent files.

somehow i think my privacy settings are interfering. i also am not able to add "recent files" into the quick access (or whatever its called) in the File Explorer. i think sometime in the past, i set my computer to not show recently accessed files.

thanks
Gamely Lounges

To check/update your "recent files" settings, open File Explorer > View > Options

 

[Gamely Lounges]

i can check both boxes and hit apply.
but when i close and return to the folder options, i see that the "show recently used" always gets UNCHECKED.

 

[spicypadthai]

Are these 2 options enabled? And is there at least 1 MS account listed below the settings, turned on to show activities in your timeline? Go to All Setttings > Privacy > Activity history

 

[Gamely Lounges]

yes i have those checked
i appreciate your ongoing attempts to help!

 

[Gamely Lounges]

think i found the solution. this is a similar but different way and place to adjust the display of your recent files. now that i've turned that ON, i see that from File Explorer > Options ... the option is now CHECKED.

so one mystery is solved. i'm now going to test to see if it starts populating recent files into my timeline.

 

[Gamely Lounges]

Success!