Removing Word jump links in Windows 8.1

I had a problem recently where I could not remove a document from the list of documents pinned to the Word app icon on my taskbar in Windows 8.1.  I hunted around the web and found various solutions which were either inaccurate or went too far.  This is my solution based on my own experimentation but as usual, YMMV.  (Note that it is preferable to try using the right-click and "unpin from this list" option before doing this but that did not work for me). 

First, navigate to %Appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations.  One point some solutions do not make clear is that you pretty much have to paste that text into your File Explorer address bar or into the run dialog box (Win key + R).  I could not navigate using point and click on the directory tree because the "Automatic Destinations" folder did not show up, even though I have File Explorer set to show system and hidden folders. 

Secondly, find the file that holds the information for the app that you wish to clean up.  Some solutions just say to delete all files in the AutomaticDestinations folder.  That will work but it will get rid of your pinned items for all programs, which is excessive if you are only having a problem with one program, say Word, like me.  For 32-bit Word 2010, the file is called a7bd71699cd38d1c.automaticDestinations-ms.  Note that the file is different for each app and indeed it seems, each version of each app. You can find a handy list of the IDs from which the file name can be constructed here. 

Thirdly, delete that file or perhaps more cautiously, move it to another location.  This should leave you with a Word icon on the taskbar with no recent files and no pinned items.  If you realise moving it was a mistake, I expect you can copy the file back, but I have not tested that.

One of the solutions I found suggested that it was possible to edit the automaticDestinations-ms files to fix errors but I could not work out how to do that.  While you can read the files in a text editor, they have a swag of unreadable characters so I would not be confident about that.

Persisting with Windows Phone

As threatened, I sold off my Lumia 1020 64GB.  I went with my iPhone 4S for a while but Windows Phone called me back.  Based on careful scrutiny of gsmarena, I came to the conclusion that the best equipped device was the Samsung ATIV SE.  Why?  It has the equal highest pixel density for any Windows Phone (same as Lumia 930 and HTC M8); it is the only WP phone with such a high pixel density that also has a card slot; the camera is fast; it is lighter than the competition; it has a removable battery.  In practice, it has some real problems in Australia.  The 4G is the wrong band to work here.  Because it is Verizon exclusive, the MMS does not work.  The IR blaster which is virtually unique only works with Samsung's WatchOn software which does not work in Australia.  So, it is really a makeshift solution for now.  I do like Samsung's nifty red and green LEDs to indicate charging.  I hate the ease with which one can accidentally press the search button and activate Cortana.  I really like the physical home key.  I love the screen.  What I can conclude from all this is that if Samsung's next WP phone is not exclusive to any operator, it will be the WP phone to beat.