To clear your project history in Visual Studio, you can use the devenv.exe /resetuserdata command-line option. This will reset your Visual Studio user data, including recent project lists and other user-specific settings.
Here's how to do it:
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Close Visual Studio. Make sure all instances of Visual Studio are closed before proceeding.
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Open PowerShell (or Command Prompt): You can open PowerShell by searching for it in the Windows search bar.
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Navigate to the Visual Studio IDE Directory: Use the
cdcommand to navigate to the directory wheredevenv.exeis located. The path will depend on the Visual Studio version and edition you have installed. A common path is:cd "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community\Common7\IDE"- Replace
2022with your Visual Studio version (e.g.,2019,2017). - Replace
Communitywith your Visual Studio edition (e.g.,Professional,Enterprise). If you are unsure which you have, navigate to theC:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studiodirectory and look for the appropriate folder.
- Replace
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Execute the Reset User Data Command: Run the following command:
.\devenv.exe /resetuserdata- The
.\is required to executedevenv.exefrom the current directory.
- The
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Wait for Completion: The command will execute, and Visual Studio will reset your user data. This process might take a few minutes.
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Restart Visual Studio: After the command completes, restart Visual Studio. Your project history and other user-specific settings should be cleared.
Important Considerations:
- /resetuserdata resets all user-specific settings, not just the project history. This includes things like window layouts, keyboard shortcuts, and other customizations. You'll need to reconfigure these settings after running this command.
- Back up any important settings before running
/resetuserdataif you want to be able to restore them later. Visual Studio allows you to export and import settings. - Ensure you have the correct path to
devenv.exe. An incorrect path will result in an error.
