This article was reviewed by Stan Kats and by wikiHow staff writer, Travis Boylls. Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
If you want to delete your search history on Microsoft Edge, there are multiple ways to do it. You can clear your local browser data to delete your browsing history, or you can delete your search history in Bing, Google, or both. Additionally, you can clear your Windows search history. Keep reading to learn how to delete your search history in Microsoft Edge on your PC or Mac.
Clear Edge Search History
- To clear your browsing history, go to ••• > Settings > Privacy, search, & services > Clear browsing data, choose what to clear, and click Clear Now.
- To clear your Bing search history, go to account.microsoft.com, go to Privacy > Browsing and Search > Search history > Clear all activities.
- To delete your Google search history, log in to myactivity.google.com, click Delete on your search history, and choose what to delete.
Steps
-
Open Microsoft Edge and click the menu ••• . It’s the icon with three dots in the upper-right corner.[1]
-
Click Settings. It’s near the bottom of the Microsoft Edge menu. This opens the Settings menu.Advertisement
-
Click Privacy, search, & services. It’s the third option in the settings menu to the left. This opens the page that allows you to clear your browser data.[2]
- If you don't see this in the left sidebar, click the three-line menu ☰ at the upper-left corner of the page to display it.
-
Click Clear browsing data. You'll see this near the top of the right panel.
-
Click Choose what to clear. It’s the button next to “Clear browsing data now” at the top of the search menu.
-
Select what you want to delete. Click the checkboxes next to the type of history you want to delete from Edge. Here's what you can delete:
- Browsing history: The saved history of all the websites you have visited.
- Download history: The files you've downloaded.
- Cookies and other site data: Identifying files from websites that help keep you signed in and use their personalized features.
- Cached images and files: Stored website graphics and other files that help websites load faster.
- Passwords: Saved passwords you use to log in to different websites. We don't recommend selecting this option if you use Edge to manage your passwords.
- Autofill form data: Autofill form data, including things you've typed into fields on websites, names and addresses, and billing information.
- All data from previous version of Microsoft Edge: Any data carried over from a previous version of Edge.
- Media Foundation Data: Stored certificates, licenses, encryption keys, and other data issued by Microsoft and other corporations.
-
Select All time from the "Time range" menu. This ensures you're deleting your entire search history. Alternatively, you can select a time from which data will be deleted, like “Last hour,” “Last 24 hours,” “Last 7 days,” or “Last 4 weeks.”
-
Click Clear now. It’s the blue button at the bottom. This deletes the data you selected.
-
Log in to your Microsoft account. To do so, go to account.microsoft.com in a web browser and click Sign In (if you’re not already signed in). Log in with the username and password associated with your Microsoft account.
-
Click Privacy. It’s in the menu bar to the left. This opens the Privacy dashboard.
-
Click Browsing and Search. It’s the second option below the “Empower your Productivity” header. This allows you to manage your browser and search history.
-
Click Search History. It’s the second option below the “Manage browsing and search data.” This displays your recent search history.
-
Click Clear all activities under "Search history". It’s the blue text below on the right side, below your recent search history. If you don't see this option below "Search history," click Search history first to expand your recent searches.
-
Click Clear to delete your search history. This clears all Bing search history saved to your Microsoft account.
- If you'd like, you can follow the on-screen instructions to choose whether to delete your search history automatically.
-
Delete your browsing history (optional). If you also want to delete the history of the websites you've viewed on Edge while signed in with your Microsoft account, click Clear all activities under "Browsing history", then click Clear to confirm.
-
Go to the Google My Activity page. To do so, go to myactivity.google.com in a web browser. If you use Google to do any internet searches, you may want to delete your Google search history.[3]
- If you are not signed in to your Google account, click Sign In in the upper-right corner and sign in with the email and password associated with your Google account.
- If needed, you may need to click Verify and sign in to your Google account again to view your history.
-
Click Delete above your search history. You'll see your search history in the right panel. A menu will expand.
-
Select a time range. To delete your entire history, select All Time. If you only want to delete your searches from a specific time period, you can select Custom Range, Last Hour, or Last Day instead.
- If you select All time, you will be asked to select which activities and Google products you want to delete. Make sure you have at least “Search” selected.
-
Click Delete. It’s at the bottom of the pop-up window. This deletes the search history from the time frame you selected.
-
Open the Windows Settings menu . To do so, click the Windows Start menu and then click the Settings/Gear icon.
- You can use this method to delete the history of things you've searched for using the Windows search bar, as well as other Windows activity histories.
-
Click Privacy & Security. It’s towards the bottom of the Settings menu to the left.
-
Click Search. It’s the last option below the “Windows Permissions” settings.
-
Click the toggle switch next to “Search history.” It’s the first option at the top of the page. This disables Windows from saving your search history.
-
Click Clear. It’s the button below the toggle switch to disable search history. This clears your Windows search history.
Expert Q&A
Video
Tips
References
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/view-and-delete-browser-history-in-microsoft-edge-00cf7943-a9e1-975a-a33d-ac10ce454ca4
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/view-and-delete-browser-history-in-microsoft-edge-00cf7943-a9e1-975a-a33d-ac10ce454ca4
- ↑ https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/6096136?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform=Desktop&oco=0


























