How to stop Preview from opening past documents

[southerndoc]

This seems to have come about with the macOS 12.2 update. When I now open a document with Preview, it brings up past documents that were open (if I didn't close the window). It even brings up documents that I've trashed and even emptied the trash.

Does anyone know where the setting is to stop this from occurring?

 

[chscag]

Preview -> File -> Open Recent -> Clear Menu.

 

[southerndoc]

Preview -> File -> Open Recent -> Clear Menu.

Do you have to do that every single time that you close Preview?

 

[chscag]

I don't think so. At least I can't remember having to do that each time.

 

[southerndoc]

Unfortunately, it's still occurring.

 

[rbwca]

I'm not seeing that behaviour on MacOS 12.2 If I open a file in Preview, and then Cmd-Q to quit, there are no files open when I restart Preview. The important part of your original post is "It brings up past documents (if I didn't close the window)". If you don't close the file, Preview keeps it open.

 

[chown33]

Try holding down the OPTION key when you quit Preview with windows open.
The next time Preview opens, it should be without the prior windows.

If you click the Close box on any open window with the OPTION key down, it should close all windows. This also works with the ⌘W key, i.e. hold down OPTION and press ⌘W, and all windows should close.

To see more actions affected by the OPTION key, hold it down, then click a menu and see what the menu-item names change to.

 

[southerndoc]

I'll try the option key. With previous macOS versions, I didn't have to do this. If I opened a document, it wouldn't open past documents + the document I intended to open. Now it does unless I close the window/document prior to closing Preview. I believe it's a bug. I don't close Word files individually when I close Word. If I had 9 documents open when I close Word, it saves them. When I reopen Word, it doesn't bring up all 9 documents. Preview does.

 

[deepdrop]

I hope it's ok if I ask a question that is similar, but not exactly the same as the OP's question. I usually leave Preview open. I use it often, so I leave the Preview application open but I minimize the documents and they reside in the right side of the dock, out of the way, but I can click on them to open them, OR I can click on Preview/Open recent documents/ and open them that way.
Suppose that Preview is open in the background, all my open Preview documents are minimized (maybe 3-4 total). Now, suppose I want to make Preview the active, "front" application. I click on the Preview app on the left side of the dock which brings it to the front, but it always opens one of the documents that are minimized in the dock. For some reason this bothers me.
I guess I could just click on the minimized document that I want to open, but for me it is quicker to bring Preview to the front, and use "open recent" to open a recent document, even if it is sitting in its minimized state on the right side of the dock. As I write this, it seems to make less and less sense as a process, but what can I say? It's how I do it.
Anyway, is it possible to click on the Preview app to bring it to the front, without having it open one of my minimized apps? Thanks for any help!

 

[LLMJ]

Try holding down the OPTION key when you quit Preview with windows open.
The next time Preview opens, it should be without the prior windows.

If you click the Close box on any open window with the OPTION key down, it should close all windows. This also works with the ⌘W key, i.e. hold down OPTION and press ⌘W, and all windows should close.

To see more actions affected by the OPTION key, hold it down, then click a menu and see what the menu-item names change to.

Hello, thank you for this tip! It works, but unfortunately I have to use this command every time I close preview, otherwise it opens all recent docs since the last time the command was used. Do you know if there is a workaround for this? Thank you in advance, Linda