Clear recently opened programs from the Start menu in Windows 7

The list of recently opened programs appears on the left pane in the Start menu. By default 10 programs are displayed in the list. If you choose to clear the recently opened programs then perform the following steps:

1. Right-click on an empty space on the taskbar and click on Properties.
2. From the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, click on the Start Menu tab. Under Privacy section, click to remove the check mark beside Store and display recently opened programs in the Start menu.
3. Click Apply and then click OK.