Bug 501802

Summary:	File activity in KDE applications is recorded in recently-used.xbel, even if System Settings > Recent Files > Remember open documents is set to "Do not remember"
Product:	[Frameworks and Libraries] frameworks-kio	Reporter:	Josh <kde.isolating320>
Component:	general	Assignee:	KIO Bugs <kio-bugs-null>
Status:	CONFIRMED ---
Severity:	normal	CC:	adam.m.fontenot+kde, contact, dolphin-bugs-null, john.kizer, kde-bugs, kdelibs-bugs-null
Priority:	NOR
Version First Reported In:	6.6.0
Target Milestone:	---
Platform:	Kubuntu
OS:	Linux
See Also:	https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=470026
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Josh 2025-03-20 18:50:42 UTC

SUMMARY
I have disabled recent files but Dolphin still creates a recently-used.xbel file.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE

1. In System Settings > Recent Files, set "Remember opened documents" to "Do not remember".

2. Move the existing recently-used.xbel file:
mv ~/.local/share/recently-used.xbel ~/.local/share/recently-used.xbel.old

3. Open Dolphin and launch a file. (I opened a text file in Kate to be sure I wasn't launching a non-QT app).

4. Verify that a file has been created:
ls -al ~/.local/share/recently-used.xbel

5. Open the file in Kate to show that it contains a list of recently opened files:
kate ~/.local/share/recently-used.xbel


OBSERVED RESULT
~/.local/share/recently-used.xbel is created when Recent Files have been set to "Do not remember".


EXPECTED RESULT
~/.local/share/recently-used.xbel should not be created when Recent Files have been set to "Do not remember".


SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Operating System: Kubuntu 24.10
KDE Plasma Version: 6.1.5
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.6.0
Qt Version: 6.6.2
Kernel Version: 6.11.0-19-generic (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: Wayland

Comment 1 Josh 2025-03-20 18:55:29 UTC

Additionally, "~/.local/share/RecentDocuments/" remains empty as expected when opening files in Dolphin and Recent Files are disabled.

Comment 2 John Kizer 2025-04-07 19:18:03 UTC

Hi - I can reproduce this on Fedora KDE 41. This seems to occur even when opening a file directly in Kate, so I don't think it's a Dolphin issue strictly speaking - I'm not 100% sure which product this belongs in, but I think it would fall under Frameworks?

Comment 3 Adam Fontenot 2025-05-12 14:18:43 UTC

I noticed this too in my Bug 470026. Also, for me, using the "Clear History" option "Forget everything" doesn't delete recently-used.xbel, or even remove entries from the file.