Use recently used for automatic return to things the user actually operated, recently viewed for opened-item history, favorites for deliberate saved preference, and pinned items for stable prominence.
Use recently used for automatic return to things the user actually operated, recently viewed for opened-item history, favorites for deliberate saved preference, and pinned items for stable prominence.
Practice the judgment: Imagine this situation: Removing a recent-use entry deletes the underlying file, app, workspace, or command configuration. Write the person's goal, choose one of these patterns, and show the state that helps the person continue. Use the decision rules and source trail below to explain your choice.
Review the underlying principle →| Dimension | Recently used | Recently viewed | Favorites | Pinned items |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UI or UX | UI + UX - Automatic list of targets the current user meaningfully operated or used recently | UI + UX - Automatic list of items the current user opened recently | UI + UX - User-marked preferred items gathered into a recognizable return-access list | UI + UX - Deliberate user or owner-selected items kept in a stable prominent position |
| UI guidance | Render a labelled Recently used area with target name, type, location or workspace, last-used time, use scope, availability, and a remove-from-recent-use control near each entry. | Render a labelled list or rail of items the current user actually opened, ordered most recent first, with enough identity to recognize each item such as name, type, thumbnail or icon, location, status, and last-viewed time. | Show a clearly labelled Favorites or Starred area with item identity, item type, location, ownership or scope, selected favorite state, and an unfavorite control that is visually tied to each item. | Render pinned items in a clearly labelled section, top zone, or fixed order with item identity, type, owner or scope, pin state, and an unpin path visible near each item. |
| UX guidance | Use recently used when users benefit from returning to the tools, files, commands, apps, workspaces, or tasks they actually operated, especially in products with many possible work surfaces. | Use recently viewed to reduce re-finding effort when users compare items, pause work, resume documents, or return to records they inspected during the current or recent sessions. | Separate favorites from pinned items, recently viewed, saved views, subscriptions, collections, and recommendations so users can predict whether starring affects quick access, display prominence, delivery, public signals, or only a personal saved list. | Use pinned items when users or workspace owners deliberately keep a small set of high-priority objects, files, links, repositories, records, or widgets easy to return to. |
| Good UI | A document editor Insert link flow shows Recently used cloud files with file type, folder, last-used time, and a Browse all files option. | A procurement dashboard shows Recently viewed records with title, record type, status, project, last-viewed time, and a remove control for each row. | A file hub has a Favorites section with file names, file types, folder paths, owner labels, filled star buttons, and an explanation that removing a favorite keeps the file in its folder. | A document library has a Pinned section at the top with three highlighted files, each showing file name, type, modified date, owner, Move left, Move right, and Unpin actions. |
| Bad UI | Removing a recently used workspace deletes the workspace instead of clearing the recency shortcut. | Recent history becomes a surveillance surface on shared accounts or screen shares. | Unfavorite deletes or hides the underlying object. | Pinned items are indistinguishable from favorites or recently viewed items. |
| Good UX | A user on a managed shared laptop clears recently used files before handing off the device and sees that Favorites and pinned files remain unchanged. | A user on a shared account removes an unexpected document from the recent list and understands that Favorites are stored separately. | A developer stars a repository to return to it later, understands that watching handles notifications separately, and can find all starred repositories from a personal saved list. | A profile owner selects public projects to pin, previews how visitors will see them, and replaces a stale pinned repository with a newer gist. |
| Bad UX | A reporting app treats viewing a dashboard as using it, so the recently used tools list fills with dashboards the user only inspected. | Users trust a Recently viewed rail as a recommendation and choose an irrelevant item because sponsored content was mixed into history. | A user removes a favorite and loses the underlying record because the product treated unfavorite as delete. | A team pin can be reordered by anyone, so shared navigation changes unexpectedly for every teammate. |
| Best fit | Users repeatedly operate a broad set of tools, files, commands, apps, workspaces, or tasks. | Users inspect multiple objects and often need to return to one they recently opened. | Users need to mark preferred or personally important objects for later return. | Users need stable quick access to a small set of known high-priority objects. |
| Avoid when | The target list is small enough that recent-use history adds noise. | The team wants to promote products, recommend next actions, or show related content rather than return personal history. | The goal is to keep a small set at the top or in a stable user-defined order. | The item list should be automatic history, popularity, recommendation, or search ranking. |
| Required state | Empty or hidden state before any qualifying use event exists. | Empty or hidden state before any qualifying item has been viewed. | Favoritable item state, favorited item state, favorite pending, unfavorite pending, and failed-save states. | Pinned section with item identity, type, scope, position, and unpin controls. |
| Accessibility burden | Use a heading or labelled region that names the scope and target type, such as Recently used tools or Recently used files. | Use a heading or labelled region that describes the scope of the list. | Use an accessible name and state such as Add to favorites, Remove from favorites, or Starred instead of relying on a star icon alone. | Use text and accessible state for Pin, Pinned, Unpin, Move earlier, Move later, and Replace actions instead of relying on a pushpin icon alone. |
| Common misuse | Counting views, hovers, previews, suggestions, ads, or recommendations as use. | Filling recently viewed with recommendations, ads, popular items, or related content. | Removing, archiving, hiding, or deleting the item when users only meant to unfavorite it. | Mixing pinned items with automatic recents, favorites, saved searches, subscriptions, and recommendations in one ambiguous list. |