Windows keeps a list of shortcuts to all recent files used.  This list will grow as long as you use your computer.  A computer used for years can have thousands of unneeded shortcuts in this list.

The only effect that deleting these shortcuts will have is that they will not be listed in the Recent Documents part of the Start Menu.  But only the most recent shortcuts are shown in this section, so older shortcuts are not needed.

A danger of not deleting these shortcuts is that other people can look in the Recent List and see what files you have been using, so it can compromise your privacy.  If you are doing things that you do not want others to know about, you should maintain this list regularly.

A1 Cleaner's main scan (Clean PC, Remove Tracks, and Run Settings) cleans older shortcuts in this list.

When the Recent List section is first displayed, the shortcuts must be loaded, so depending on how many there are, it may take a while before they are displayed.

This section allows you to clean them all out or to clean out selected ones.  To clean out selected shortcuts, select the shortcut (only one shortcut may be removed at a time) and click on the "Delete the Selected Item >>" button.  To clean out all of the shortcuts in the Recent List, click on the "Delete All" button.