How to remove recent projects from Visual Studio Start Page

(This is not a new trick but just in case you are looking for it.)

Sometimes we create projects just for experimentation and then soon after we are done with the experimentation, we delete the project from the file system in order not to clutter up our working environment. But what about Visual Studio? The Start page of Visual Studio has a list of recent projects and it is meant for a convenient feature. But for the experimental projects that no longer exist, that list does not really reflect the reality.

To remove the projects from the list, follow these steps:

1. Close Visual Studio if it is running.
2. Start the Registry Editor (run regedit).
   
3. Navigate to this registry key:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\8.0\ProjectMRUList
   
4. Then delete the key that has the project you do not want to keep in the list.

A little note to keep in mind is that the list only lists consecutive items starting File1. So if in the above list I deleted File6, then only projects corresponding to File1 to File5 will be displayed in the recent project list. File7 and above will not be displayed. If in case you like File7 and above to be displayed, you will need to rename one of the keys so that they form a consecutive numbered list.