After you launch Settings, select the Personalization tile. When the Personalization window appears, select the Start tab to access the settings shown in Figure D. Then, toggle off the Show Recently Opened Items In Jump Lists On Start Or The Taskbar option. As soon as you do, all the Recent items will be cleared.

In File Explorer, click the "File" menu and then choose the "Change folder and search options" command. On the General tab of the Folder Options dialog, click the "Clear" button to immediately clear your File Explorer history. You're given no confirmation dialog or anything; the history is cleared immediately.