Disable Recent Files Folder in Nautilus Sidebar on Ubuntu

Nautilus is the default file manager for Ubuntu. The "Recent" files folder, in Nautilus sidebar, can be a convenient feature for quickly accessing recently used files. However, there may be situations where you prefer to maintain privacy or simply want a cleaner navigation experience without clutter. This tutorial explains how to disable Recent files folder in Nautilus sidebar on Ubuntu.

The gsettings is a command which is used to interact with the GSettings configuration system on a GNOME-based system. To disable the Recent files folder in Nautilus, run the following command:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.privacy remember-recent-files false

The org.gnome.desktop.privacy specifies the schema and key path. In GNOME, settings are organized into schemas, and each schema contains keys that represent individual settings.

The remember-recent-files is a key that controls whether the desktop environment remembers and displays recently used files. By setting it to false, you are essentially telling the system not to remember and display recent files.

If you ever decide to re-enable the Recent files folder, you can use the following command:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.privacy remember-recent-files true