I just noticed that when I rightclick on the Firefox icon in the Windows
taskbar it shows every file I've ever downloaded over the years.

I can remove a file by right clicking first on the Firefox icon in the
taskbar and then rightclicking on the item and then clicking on "Remove
from this list" but there are thousands of them.

There doesn't seem to be any setting inside of Windows or Firefox that I
can find to delete them all. I can't find where this list is stored.

And I don't want every single file I've ever downloaded to show up in that
list in the first place since I don't need to know this information.

Is it a Windows problem?
Or a Firefox problem?

How do I get rid of this problem?

Peter wrote:

> I just noticed that when I rightclick on the Firefox icon in the Windows
> taskbar it shows every file I've ever downloaded over the years.

I don't see downloads on the "jumplist" just frequent websites, and
under a dozen rather than several thousand!

> How do I get rid of this problem?

Settings > Personalisation > Start

you could try turning off the option for recent options in start, jump
lists and explorer? Then turn it back on and it might start as empty,
no idea why it should "go mad" and store thousands though ...

On 28/09/2023 09:25, Andy Burns wrote:
> Peter wrote:
>
>> I just noticed that when I rightclick on the Firefox icon in the Windows
>> taskbar it shows every file I've ever downloaded over the years.
>
> I don't see downloads on the "jumplist" just frequent websites, and
> under a dozen rather than several thousand!
>
>> How do I get rid of this problem?
>
> Settings > Personalisation > Start
>
> you could try turning off the option for recent options in start, jump
> lists and explorer?  Then turn it back on and it might start as empty,
> no idea why it should "go mad" and store thousands though ...
>
>
Open Firefox, Ctrl J, History/Downloads at the top.
Delete away.

On 9/28/23 09:31, this is what MikeS wrote:
> On 28/09/2023 09:25, Andy Burns wrote:
>> Peter wrote:
>>
>>> I just noticed that when I rightclick on the Firefox icon in the Windows
>>> taskbar it shows every file I've ever downloaded over the years.
>>
>> I don't see downloads on the "jumplist" just frequent websites, and under a dozen rather than several thousand!
>>
>>> How do I get rid of this problem?
>>
>> Settings > Personalisation > Start
>>
>> you could try turning off the option for recent options in start, jump lists and explorer?  Then turn it back on and
>> it might start as empty, no idea why it should "go mad" and store thousands though ...
>>
>>
> Open Firefox, Ctrl J, History/Downloads at the top.
> Delete away.
>
Odd. Ctrl-J and Ctrl-K both put me in the URL search bar at the top.
I can get history->downloads from the library icon I put on the toolbar but not with ctrl-J
In Linux that is.
--
Linux Mint 21.2 Cinnamon
Al

On 9/28/2023 3:45 AM, Peter wrote:
> I just noticed that when I rightclick on the Firefox icon in the Windows
> taskbar it shows every file I've ever downloaded over the years.
>
> I can remove a file by right clicking first on the Firefox icon in the
> taskbar and then rightclicking on the item and then clicking on "Remove
> from this list" but there are thousands of them.
>
> There doesn't seem to be any setting inside of Windows or Firefox that I
> can find to delete them all. I can't find where this list is stored.
>
> And I don't want every single file I've ever downloaded to show up in that
> list in the first place since I don't need to know this information.
>
> Is it a Windows problem?
> Or a Firefox problem?
>
> How do I get rid of this problem?
>

Does it look like this ?

[Picture]

https://i.postimg.cc/W32CCX8G/firefox-right-click-taskbar.gif

Paul

On 28/09/2023 14:46, Big Al wrote:
> On 9/28/23 09:31, this is what MikeS wrote:
>> On 28/09/2023 09:25, Andy Burns wrote:
>>> Peter wrote:
>>>
>>>> I just noticed that when I rightclick on the Firefox icon in the
>>>> Windows
>>>> taskbar it shows every file I've ever downloaded over the years.
>>>
>>> I don't see downloads on the "jumplist" just frequent websites, and
>>> under a dozen rather than several thousand!
>>>
>>>> How do I get rid of this problem?
>>>
>>> Settings > Personalisation > Start
>>>
>>> you could try turning off the option for recent options in start,
>>> jump lists and explorer?  Then turn it back on and it might start as
>>> empty, no idea why it should "go mad" and store thousands though ...
>>>
>>>
>> Open Firefox, Ctrl J, History/Downloads at the top.
>> Delete away.
>>
> Odd.  Ctrl-J and Ctrl-K both put me in the URL search bar at the top.
> I can get history->downloads from the library icon I put on the toolbar
> but not with ctrl-J
> In Linux that is.

Click the hamburger menu at top right and see what key sequence it shows
against Downloads.

On Thu, 28 Sep 2023 08:45:47 +0100, Peter <confused@nospam.net> wrote:

>I just noticed that when I rightclick on the Firefox icon in the Windows
>taskbar it shows every file I've ever downloaded over the years.
>
>I can remove a file by right clicking first on the Firefox icon in the
>taskbar and then rightclicking on the item and then clicking on "Remove
>from this list" but there are thousands of them.
>
>There doesn't seem to be any setting inside of Windows or Firefox that I
>can find to delete them all. I can't find where this list is stored.
>
>And I don't want every single file I've ever downloaded to show up in that
>list in the first place since I don't need to know this information.
>
>Is it a Windows problem?

I'd say so... but stand corrected.

>Or a Firefox problem?
>
>How do I get rid of this problem?

I show absolutely zilch downloads/recent items by right clicking the
Ffox icon (Win 11, Ffox 118.0.1).

Ffox is set to clear cookies and site data each time it's closed.

My Windoze settings from hitting Start with right click: Settings >
Personalisation > Start and that has the *Default* radio button
chosen... with all four possibles below as *Off*... and all entries in
the Folders side-opening pullout likewise all *Off*.

Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:
>> How do I get rid of this problem?
>>
>
> Does it look like this ?
>
> https://i.postimg.cc/W32CCX8G/firefox-right-click-taskbar.gif

Yes. This is what it looks like https://i.postimg.cc/9FVPvH6M/Clipboard.jpg

It's mostly PDFs but I deleted scores and scores and scores of them and
more show up with each deletion. It seems to know every PDF I've ever
downloaded.

All the settings people are suggesting don't have any effect.

How did YOU get rid of all those Firefox entries once and for all?

Am 29.09.23 um 04:40 schrieb Peter:
> Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:
>>> How do I get rid of this problem?
>>>
>>
>> Does it look like this ?
>>
>> https://i.postimg.cc/W32CCX8G/firefox-right-click-taskbar.gif
>
> Yes. This is what it looks like https://i.postimg.cc/9FVPvH6M/Clipboard.jpg
>
> It's mostly PDFs but I deleted scores and scores and scores of them and
> more show up with each deletion. It seems to know every PDF I've ever
> downloaded.
>
> All the settings people are suggesting don't have any effect.
>
> How did YOU get rid of all those Firefox entries once and for all?

In the security and privacy section of FF. Delete history when closing FF.

--
De gustibus non est disputandum

J�rg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.net> wrote:
>> All the settings people are suggesting don't have any effect.
>>
>> How did YOU get rid of all those Firefox entries once and for all?
>
> In the security and privacy section of FF. Delete history when closing FF.

Do you see the problem on your Windows Firefox taskbar pinned icon or not?

If you don't see the problem like Paul and I see the problem, you won't be
able to realize there's nothing in the Firefox settings that affect it.

If it were that simple, I would never have asked the question at all.
https://i.postimg.cc/JzSXdS5M/Clipboard01.jpg

No. It's not likely to be in the Firefox settings at all.

It's something to do with how Windows taskbar icons interact with Firefox.
https://i.postimg.cc/9FVPvH6M/Clipboard.jpg

But what?

MikeS <MikeS@fred.com> wrote:
>> Odd.� Ctrl-J and Ctrl-K both put me in the URL search bar at the top.
>> I can get history->downloads from the library icon I put on the toolbar
>> but not with ctrl-J
>> In Linux that is.
>
> Click the hamburger menu at top right and see what key sequence it shows
> against Downloads.

I think it's something in Windows more than it's something in Firefox.

I don't think there is any setting inside of Firefox which controls this.
https://i.postimg.cc/9FVPvH6M/Clipboard.jpg

Every delete and don't save option in Firefox has long ago been set.
https://i.postimg.cc/JzSXdS5M/Clipboard01.jpg

There is nothing in the firefox download history (and there never was).
https://i.postimg.cc/65rB6q9d/Clipboard02.jpg

If you don't see this issue, you'll probably never be able to understand it
but it seems that Paul has the same issue - so he might figure it out.
--
Note: The "managed by your organization" part is due to the updates turned
off (there is no "organization" except lowly old me on my home desktop).

On 9/28/2023 10:40 PM, Peter wrote:
> Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:
>>> How do I get rid of this problem?
>>>
>>
>> Does it look like this ?
>>
>> https://i.postimg.cc/W32CCX8G/firefox-right-click-taskbar.gif
>
> Yes. This is what it looks like https://i.postimg.cc/9FVPvH6M/Clipboard.jpg
>
> It's mostly PDFs but I deleted scores and scores and scores of them and
> more show up with each deletion. It seems to know every PDF I've ever
> downloaded.
>
> All the settings people are suggesting don't have any effect.
>
> How did YOU get rid of all those Firefox entries once and for all?
>

Apparently, the control for this is in the wrong place.

Instead of being a control for the TaskBar, it's a control for a Start Menu (which it is not).

Google sez...

*******

" Go to Settings > Personalization.

Step 2: Click Start in the left pane and then switch the option –

Show recently opened items in Jump Lists on
Start or the taskbar from on to off.
"

[Picture]

https://i.postimg.cc/kMBZQDgw/recent-frequent-disableby-Settings-Personalize-Start-bottom-item-W10.gif

Paul

On 9/29/2023 1:01 AM, Peter wrote:
> MikeS <MikeS@fred.com> wrote:
>>> Odd.  Ctrl-J and Ctrl-K both put me in the URL search bar at the top.
>>> I can get history->downloads from the library icon I put on the toolbar
>>> but not with ctrl-J
>>> In Linux that is.
>>
>> Click the hamburger menu at top right and see what key sequence it shows
>> against Downloads.
>
> I think it's something in Windows more than it's something in Firefox.
>
> I don't think there is any setting inside of Firefox which controls this.
> https://i.postimg.cc/9FVPvH6M/Clipboard.jpg
>
> Every delete and don't save option in Firefox has long ago been set.
> https://i.postimg.cc/JzSXdS5M/Clipboard01.jpg
>
> There is nothing in the firefox download history (and there never was).
> https://i.postimg.cc/65rB6q9d/Clipboard02.jpg
>
> If you don't see this issue, you'll probably never be able to understand it
> but it seems that Paul has the same issue - so he might figure it out.
>

It's a Windows 10 setting that's in the wrong place. See other post.

I got mine to switch off, so there's no reason to be trashing
the History on Firefox to make it stop :-)

Paul

Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:
>>> Does it look like this ?
>>>
>>> https://i.postimg.cc/W32CCX8G/firefox-right-click-taskbar.gif
>>
>> Yes. This is what it looks like https://i.postimg.cc/9FVPvH6M/Clipboard.jpg
>>
>> It's mostly PDFs but I deleted scores and scores and scores of them and
>> more show up with each deletion. It seems to know every PDF I've ever
>> downloaded.
>>
>> All the settings people are suggesting don't have any effect.
>>
>> How did YOU get rid of all those Firefox entries once and for all?
>>
>
> Apparently, the control for this is in the wrong place.
>
> Instead of being a control for the TaskBar, it's a control for a Start Menu (which it is not).
>
> Google sez...
>
> *******
>
> " Go to Settings > Personalization.
>
> Step 2: Click Start in the left pane and then switch the option �V
>
> Show recently opened items in Jump Lists on
> Start or the taskbar from on to off.
> "
>
> [Picture]
>
> https://i.postimg.cc/kMBZQDgw/recent-frequent-disableby-Settings-Personalize-Start-bottom-item-W10.gif
>
> Paul

How the hell did you figure that out?

Before https://i.postimg.cc/FH4Fftcn/Clipboard03.jpg
After https://i.postimg.cc/NjMJkF1y/Clipboard04.jpg

Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:
>> If you don't see this issue, you'll probably never be able to understand it
>> but it seems that Paul has the same issue - so he might figure it out.
>>
>
> It's a Windows 10 setting that's in the wrong place. See other post.
>
> I got mine to switch off, so there's no reason to be trashing
> the History on Firefox to make it stop :-)

You are a genius because only you and I knew it was more of a Windows thing
than a Firefox thing - but you figured where it was when I couldn't do it.

Windows+I -> Personalization -> Start -> SroiiJLoSottaiFEQA = on/off
Where SroiiJLoSottaiFEQA = "Show recently opened items in Jump Lists
on Start or the taskbar and in File Explorer Quick Access"

I knew it was related to Windows and that it was related to the task bar,
but what threw me off the scent was that _some_ web browser links pinned to
the taskbar did it but other browser links pinned to the taskbar did not.

That's how I knew it was only tangentially related to Firefox but I
couldn't find any setting on my own in Windows that affected it.

1. The problem set https://i.postimg.cc/9FVPvH6M/Clipboard.jpg
2. It's not Firefox settings https://i.postimg.cc/JzSXdS5M/Clipboard01.jpg
3. It's not Firefox history https://i.postimg.cc/65rB6q9d/Clipboard02.jpg
4. It's the Jump List! https://i.postimg.cc/FH4Fftcn/Clipboard03.jpg
5. Turn that sucker off! https://i.postimg.cc/NjMJkF1y/Clipboard04.jpg

You found what nobody else could.
I don't know how you did it.

How did you find it?

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
>> How do I get rid of this problem?
>
> Settings > Personalisation > Start

I should acknowledge this was the correct solution to the problem set.
(When I first saw this, I was still concentrating on Firefox settings.)

1. The problem set https://i.postimg.cc/9FVPvH6M/Clipboard.jpg
2. It's not Firefox settings https://i.postimg.cc/JzSXdS5M/Clipboard01.jpg
3. It's not Firefox history https://i.postimg.cc/65rB6q9d/Clipboard02.jpg
4. It's the Jump List! https://i.postimg.cc/FH4Fftcn/Clipboard03.jpg
5. Turn that sucker off! https://i.postimg.cc/NjMJkF1y/Clipboard04.jpg

Thanks!

Nobody <jock@soccer.com> wrote:
> My Windoze settings from hitting Start with right click: Settings >
> Personalisation > Start and that has the *Default* radio button
> chosen... with all four possibles below as *Off*... and all entries in
> the Folders side-opening pullout likewise all *Off*.

I should acknowledge this was the correct solution to the problem set.
(I had seen Paul's answer first - but you & Paul & Andy were on target).

1. The problem set https://i.postimg.cc/9FVPvH6M/Clipboard.jpg
2. It's not Firefox settings https://i.postimg.cc/JzSXdS5M/Clipboard01.jpg
3. It's not Firefox history https://i.postimg.cc/65rB6q9d/Clipboard02.jpg
4. It's the Jump List! https://i.postimg.cc/FH4Fftcn/Clipboard03.jpg
5. Turn that sucker off! https://i.postimg.cc/NjMJkF1y/Clipboard04.jpg

Thanks!

Peter wrote:

> 4. It's the Jump List! https://i.postimg.cc/FH4Fftcn/Clipboard03.jpg
> 5. Turn that sucker off!

Given that it seems to be working the same for you, as it does for me
(i.e. only displaying a handful of entries in the 'Recent' jump list,
what makes you think it's wrong?

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
> Given that it seems to be working the same for you, as it does for me
> (i.e. only displaying a handful of entries in the 'Recent' jump list,
> what makes you think it's wrong?

I thank you for being the first person to point out it's the "jump list",
which I hadn't ever thought about until I tried to solve this problem.

I don't think "it's wrong" is a characterization that fits this problem set
simply because the issue is based on a setting - so my setting was on but
my setting should have been off for what I wanted to happen in Windows.

For other people, maybe they enjoy seeing all the files they've ever
downloaded but personally I have no need to see those files again & again.

As Paul stated though, the setting appears to be in the "wrong location",
as it should be a taskbar setting since it affects taskbar pinned icons.

When you say it's "only displaying a handful of entries", I don't think you
have as many as I do - where mine displays about ten entries - but - if you
delete those ten - another ten will show up - and if you delete that ten -
another ten after that - and if you delete those - ten more will show up.

Until you've exhausted every file you ever downloaded from showing up.
And no, you can't do a "select all" or even a sweep of ten.

You have to manually delete each entry one by one as far as I can tell.
That's a thousand times you have to delete the files if you do it that way.

Easier to set the setting to off.

What makes the setting more ignoble is that some web browsers pinned to the
taskbar (Firefox being one of them) show all the files you've ever
downloaded in that list (ten at a time of course) while other web browsers
pinned to the taskbar do not seem to show all the files you've ever
downloaded. At least that is how it seemed when I was debugging earlier.

So I had figured it was a Mozilla setup issue with Windows.
And it still might be for all I know.

For me, I'm perfectly happy to never see again in the taskbar a listing of
all the thousands of files (mostly PDFs) I might have downloaded over the
years using the Firefox web browser on Windows. I'd rather not see them.

For you - you'd rather see them - but bear in mind that there are a lot
more that you aren't seeing which will only show up when you delete those
that you are seeing. How far back it goes, I don't know. Seemingly forever.

You want to see all those thousands of files. I do not.
You want to see them ten at a time. I do not.

So it's not so much the setting is wrong.
It just means the setting of "on" is right for you but wrong for me.

Likewise, I presume my setting of "off" is right for me but wrong for you.
It's all good as long as I know what setting controls the action seen.

Peter wrote:

> When you say it's "only displaying a handful of entries", I don't think
> you have as many as I do - where mine displays about ten entries - but -
> if you delete those ten - another ten will show up - and if you delete
> that ten - another ten after that - and if you delete those - ten more
> will show up.

Mine shows seven, all of them web sites (such as BBC, wayback machine,
youtube, amazon) not specific downloads, if I delete one, it disappears
and nothing else takes its place (until I visit a site or two)

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
>Peter wrote:

>>I just noticed that when I rightclick on the Firefox icon in the Windows
>>taskbar it shows every file I've ever downloaded over the years.

>I don't see downloads on the "jumplist" just frequent websites, and
>under a dozen rather than several thousand!

>> How do I get rid of this problem?

>Settings > Personalisation > Start

>you could try turning off the option for recent options in start, jump
>lists and explorer? Then turn it back on and it might start as empty,
>no idea why it should "go mad" and store thousands though ...

I've read through this thread.

Are those PDFs being downloaded speculatively to get the Web page to
load faster? When that happens, are they downloaded into a temporary
directory?

I am aware that in order to display a PDF in Firefox, it's download
first to a temporary directory then displayed. Therefore I have it set
to save PDFs. If I want one, I manually download it to avoid the
download into the temporary directory of the ones I don't want.

about:preferences > General > Applications > PDF > Save File

Is there an indexing process in the temporary directory taking place
which is the reason why these file names display in the jump list? Isn't
there a way to tell Windows 10 not to index certain directories? I'm
guessing that's what the underlying issue is.

I'm not using Windows 10, just Windows 8.1.

On Fri, 29 Sep 2023 11:00:26 +0100, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
wrote:

>Peter wrote:
>
>> When you say it's "only displaying a handful of entries", I don't think
>> you have as many as I do - where mine displays about ten entries - but -
>> if you delete those ten - another ten will show up - and if you delete
>> that ten - another ten after that - and if you delete those - ten more
>> will show up.
>
>Mine shows seven, all of them web sites (such as BBC, wayback machine,
>youtube, amazon) not specific downloads, if I delete one, it disappears
>and nothing else takes its place (until I visit a site or two)

Is that possibly because of variations in Peter's and your choices
with *Personalisation > Start > Folders*?

As I wrote, I see just six entries under the heading *Tasks* by
right-clicking the Ffox icon.

Am 29.09.23 um 06:53 schrieb Peter:
> Jörg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.net> wrote:
>>> All the settings people are suggesting don't have any effect.
>>>
>>> How did YOU get rid of all those Firefox entries once and for all?
>>
>> In the security and privacy section of FF. Delete history when closing FF.
>
> Do you see the problem on your Windows Firefox taskbar pinned icon or not?

I do not use such crappy OSs. But this is not relevant because FF reacts
the same for all OSs.

--
De gustibus non est disputandum

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
>> When you say it's "only displaying a handful of entries", I don't think
>> you have as many as I do - where mine displays about ten entries - but -
>> if you delete those ten - another ten will show up - and if you delete
>> that ten - another ten after that - and if you delete those - ten more
>> will show up.
>
> Mine shows seven, all of them web sites (such as BBC, wayback machine,
> youtube, amazon) not specific downloads, if I delete one, it disappears
> and nothing else takes its place (until I visit a site or two)

Paul's shows mostly files.
Yours shows mostly web sites.
Mine shows mostly PDFs.

I think it depends on what you do (or, more accurately, did) with Firefox.
In conjunction, of course, in how you set up Windows+I > Personalization.

1. Visualizing the problem set https://i.postimg.cc/9FVPvH6M/Clipboard.jpg
2. It's not Firefox settings https://i.postimg.cc/JzSXdS5M/Clipboard01.jpg
3. It's not Firefox history https://i.postimg.cc/65rB6q9d/Clipboard02.jpg
4. It's the Win10 Jump List! https://i.postimg.cc/FH4Fftcn/Clipboard03.jpg
5. Turn that sucker off! https://i.postimg.cc/NjMJkF1y/Clipboard04.jpg
6. Hell, turn everything off! https://i.postimg.cc/wjrJvLy7/Clipboard05.jpg

It may matter that I have never used the Windows 10 Start Menu since
I keep my personal menu folder pinned to the start bar that starts my apps.

In addition, I have Windows+R commands which start frequent apps for me.
Besides, it's just too much work to keep the Windows 10 Start Menu clean.

On 29/9/2023, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

>>>> All the settings people are suggesting don't have any effect.
>>>>
>>>> How did YOU get rid of all those Firefox entries once and for all?
>>>
>>> In the security and privacy section of FF. Delete history when closing FF.
>>
>> Do you see the problem on your Windows Firefox taskbar pinned icon or not?
>
> I do not use such crappy OSs. But this is not relevant because FF reacts
> the same for all OSs.

Why did you respond then when you had nothing to offer?