Does VLC media player store the files or its history in a hidden location?

Does VLC media player store the played files hidden somewhere? I share my computer with a fellow student and do not want him to see what I have been watching.

Is the history or files of what's played in VLC stored or logged anywhere on the computer?

I want to know if there is a hidden file somewhere that shows what I have been watching through the media player, and vice versa, show what my roommate may have been watching.

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5 Answers

On a Linux system, there is a file $HOME/.config/vlc/vlc-qt-interface.conf which contains the entry named [RecentsMRL], which contains the recent history.

0

In VLC 2.1.4 you will have to access the advanced settings.

1. VLC menu
2. Preferences...
3. Show all (button, bottom left corner)
4. ► Interface
5. ► Main interfaces
6.      macosx
7. ☐ Keep recent items

2

There is a "recently used" list that is saved by VLC. And there are two answers for your question.

The "easy" way you are probably expecting: You can disable the behavior by opening the Tools -> Settings dialog, selecting the "Interface" section (would usually be preselected) and deactivating the "Save recently played items" option.

The "hard" way you should consider for your own good: simply set up a different non-admin account for your roommate on this computer, set up a complex password and never, under any circumstances, give it away to anyone else. Better yet, use EFS to encrypt all data in your profile directory - just in case somebody manages to get an administrative account on this machine.

2

On Windows (7) the Recent Media list is stored in the %appdata%\vlc\vlc-qt-interface.ini file. Open it and look for a line that says [RecentsMRL]. You should see the list below it

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All applications that store a recently used list do so within an .automaticDestinations-ms file:

%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations\<name>.automaticDestinations-ms

To disable VLC's/other application's recently used list/jumplists:

1. Navigate to: %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations
   ^{(View: detailed | Sort: ascending date)}
2. Open a file in VLC/other application
   ^{(Note what .automaticDestinations-ms file moves to the top of the list as currently modified)}
3. Close VLC/other application → Open the .automaticDestinations-ms file in a text editor
4. Select all: Ctrl+A → Del → Save changes: Ctrl+S
5. Make the .automaticDestinations-ms file Read-Only:

   Cmd /c Attrib +R "%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations\<name>.automaticDestinations-ms"

   
   
6. Verify correct .automaticDestinations-ms file was modified
   ^{(Open a file in VLC/other application and it will remain 0KB)}

   PS $ Cmd /c Dir "%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations\9fda41b86ddcf1db.automaticDestinations-ms" Volume in drive C is System Volume Serial Number is xxxx-xxxx Directory of C:\Users\JW0914\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations 2018.02.07 08:50 0 9fda41b86ddcf1db.automaticDestinations-ms 1 File(s) 0 bytes

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