diff --git a/components/SettingsUI.tsx/UISettings.tsx b/components/SettingsUI.tsx/UISettings.tsx
index c33556f..82d293e 100644
--- a/components/SettingsUI.tsx/UISettings.tsx
+++ b/components/SettingsUI.tsx/UISettings.tsx
@@ -92,17 +92,6 @@ export const UISettings: React.FC<Props> = ({ settings, onChange }) => {
 				/>
 			</SettingItem>
 
-			<SettingItem
-				name="Exclude unassigned notes from status pane"
-				description="Excludes unassigned notes from status pane for better performance. Recommended for large vaults."
-			>
-				<input
-					type="checkbox"
-					checked={settings.excludeUnknownStatus || false}
-					onChange={handleChange("excludeUnknownStatus")}
-				/>
-			</SettingItem>
-
 			<h4>Unknown Status Customization</h4>
 
 			<SettingItem
diff --git a/constants/defaultSettings.ts b/constants/defaultSettings.ts
index 2dbdbb4..a987418 100644
--- a/constants/defaultSettings.ts
+++ b/constants/defaultSettings.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ export const DEFAULT_PLUGIN_SETTINGS: PluginSettings = {
 	useMultipleStatuses: true,
 	tagPrefix: "obsidian-note-status",
 	strictStatuses: false, // Default to show all statuses from frontmatter
-	excludeUnknownStatus: true, // Default to exclude unknown status files for better performance
 	quickStatusCommands: ["active", "completed"], // Add default quick commands
 	// Unknown status customization
 	unknownStatusIcon: "❓",
diff --git a/integrations/views/grouped-dashboard-view.tsx b/integrations/views/grouped-dashboard-view.tsx
index 335f432..0063157 100644
--- a/integrations/views/grouped-dashboard-view.tsx
+++ b/integrations/views/grouped-dashboard-view.tsx
@@ -166,8 +166,7 @@ export class GroupedDashboardView extends ItemView {
 					key === "useCustomStatusesOnly" ||
 					key === "customStatuses" ||
 					key === "useMultipleStatuses" ||
-					key === "strictStatuses" ||
-					key === "excludeUnknownStatus"
+					key === "strictStatuses"
 				) {
 					onDataChange();
 				}
diff --git a/integrations/views/grouped-status-view.tsx b/integrations/views/grouped-status-view.tsx
index c7a74eb..54cf3f2 100644
--- a/integrations/views/grouped-status-view.tsx
+++ b/integrations/views/grouped-status-view.tsx
@@ -151,8 +151,7 @@ export class GroupedStatusView extends ItemView {
 					key === "useCustomStatusesOnly" ||
 					key === "customStatuses" ||
 					key === "useMultipleStatuses" ||
-					key === "strictStatuses" ||
-					key === "excludeUnknownStatus"
+					key === "strictStatuses"
 				) {
 					onDataChange();
 				}
diff --git a/integrations/views/status-dashboard-view.tsx b/integrations/views/status-dashboard-view.tsx
index 41cc319..96ae084 100644
--- a/integrations/views/status-dashboard-view.tsx
+++ b/integrations/views/status-dashboard-view.tsx
@@ -334,8 +334,7 @@ export class StatusDashboardView extends ItemView {
 					key === "useCustomStatusesOnly" ||
 					key === "customStatuses" ||
 					key === "useMultipleStatuses" ||
-					key === "strictStatuses" ||
-					key === "excludeUnknownStatus"
+					key === "strictStatuses"
 				) {
 					handleVaultChange();
 					handleFileChange();
diff --git a/types/pluginSettings.ts b/types/pluginSettings.ts
index b338ffc..adcc1c7 100644
--- a/types/pluginSettings.ts
+++ b/types/pluginSettings.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ export type PluginSettings = {
 	useMultipleStatuses: boolean; // Whether to allow multiple statuses per note
 	tagPrefix: string; // Prefix for the status tag (default: 'status')
 	strictStatuses: boolean; // Whether to only show known statuses
-	excludeUnknownStatus: boolean; // Whether to exclude files with unknown status from the status pane
 	quickStatusCommands: string[];
 	// Unknown status customization
 	unknownStatusIcon: string; // Custom icon for unknown status
diff --git a/wiki/Configuration Guide.md b/wiki/Configuration Guide.md
index 6827c52..d959f46 100644
--- a/wiki/Configuration Guide.md	
+++ b/wiki/Configuration Guide.md	
@@ -107,17 +107,6 @@ Icon Position: [Before name | After name]
    After name: Shows status after filename (default)
 ```
 
-#### Status Pane Options
-
-```
-☐ Default to compact view
-   Starts status pane in dense layout mode
-
-✅ Exclude unassigned notes from status pane
-   Skips files with "unknown" status
-   CRITICAL for performance with large vaults (>5000 notes)
-```
-
 ### Status Behavior
 
 #### Multiple Status Support
@@ -303,14 +292,6 @@ Ctrl+Shift+S  →  Change status of current note
 
 ### Performance Tuning
 
-#### Large Vault Settings (5000+ notes)
-
-```
-✅ Exclude unassigned notes from status pane
-✅ Hide unknown status in file explorer
-Items per page: 50 (reduce from default 100)
-```
-
 #### Memory Optimization
 
 ```
diff --git a/wiki/Performance Tuning.md b/wiki/Performance Tuning.md
index a9926e4..71d9410 100644
--- a/wiki/Performance Tuning.md	
+++ b/wiki/Performance Tuning.md	
@@ -4,14 +4,6 @@ Optimize Note Status for large vaults (tested up to 40k notes).
 
 ## Quick Wins
 
-### Essential Settings for 5k+ Notes
-
-```
-✅ Exclude unassigned notes from status pane
-✅ Hide unknown status in file explorer
-Pagination: 50-100 items per page
-```
-
 ### Disable Heavy Features
 
 ```
@@ -24,7 +16,6 @@ Pagination: 50-100 items per page
 ```json
 {
 	"showStatusIconsInExplorer": false,
-	"excludeUnknownStatus": true,
 	"hideUnknownStatusInExplorer": true,
 	"enabledTemplates": ["minimal"]
 }
diff --git a/wiki/Quick Start Guide.md b/wiki/Quick Start Guide.md
index 732d529..87224ba 100644
--- a/wiki/Quick Start Guide.md	
+++ b/wiki/Quick Start Guide.md	
@@ -82,15 +82,6 @@ Enable a template for instant statuses:
 - Select multiple files for batch updates - ![Status Pane Screenshot](images/batch-updates.png)
   ![File Explorer Screenshot](images/file-explorer.png)
 
-## Performance Setup (Large Vaults)
-
-If you have 1000+ notes, set the settings:
-
-```
-✅ Exclude unassigned notes from status pane
-✅ Hide unknown status in file explorer
-```
-
 ## Frontmatter Format
 
 The plugin stores statuses in YAML frontmatter: