Office Settings & Configuration

How to Remove Recently Used Fonts from Microsoft Word

Emma Brown Oct 9, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user wants to clear or disable the "Recently Used Fonts" list that appears at the top of the font dropdown menu in Microsoft Word.

How to Remove Recently Used Fonts from Word

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: Windows
Scenario: Cleaning up the Word user interface and managing font dropdown menus.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Word displays recently used fonts at the top of the font list, but lacks a built-in interface option or direct command to delete or disable these entries.

Before you start

Ensure Microsoft Word is completely closed before proceeding. Because this solution involves modifying the Windows Registry, it is highly recommended to create a backup of your Registry first to prevent any unintended system issues.

Solution 1Recommended

Disable the Recent Font List via Registry Editor

Since Word does not offer a direct button to clear recent fonts, you must disable the feature entirely using the Windows Registry Editor.

This method involves creating a new registry string that explicitly tells Microsoft Word not to maintain a Most Recently Used (MRU) list for fonts. You will need administrator privileges to make these changes.

Open the Registry Editor

Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog. Type 'regedit' into the box and press Enter. Click 'Yes' if prompted by User Account Control.

Navigate to the Word Options Key

In the left pane, browse to the following path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\[Your Office Version]\Word\Options. Replace [Your Office Version] with your specific version number (e.g., '16.0' for Office 2016/2019/365, or '12.0' for Office 2007).

Create a New String Value

Right-click on an empty space in the right pane, select 'New', and then click 'String Value'. Name this new value exactly 'NoFontMRUList' and press Enter.

Set the Value Data

Double-click the newly created 'NoFontMRUList' item. In the 'Value data' box, type '1' and click OK.

Restart Microsoft Word

Close the Registry Editor and open Microsoft Word. The recently used fonts section should no longer appear at the top of your font dropdown list.

Disable the Recent Font List via Registry Editor

Finding Your Office Version Number: In the registry path, Office 365, 2019, and 2016 use '16.0'. Office 2013 uses '15.0', Office 2010 uses '14.0', and Office 2007 uses '12.0'.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I clear the recent fonts list without using the Registry?

No, Microsoft Word does not have a built-in button or setting in its Options menu to clear or disable the recently used fonts list. The Registry modification method is the only known workaround to remove it.

How do I re-enable the recently used fonts list later?

To restore the recent fonts list, open the Registry Editor, navigate back to the same Word 'Options' key, and either delete the 'NoFontMRUList' string you created or change its value data from '1' to '0'.

Will this registry edit affect other Office applications like Excel or PowerPoint?

No, modifying the key under the '\Word\Options' path will only affect Microsoft Word. You would need to edit the respective registry paths for other Office applications if you wish to apply the same change across the entire suite.

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