Windows 10 stores your browsing and search history on your device, and if you’re signed in with your Microsoft account, the history is stored in the Cloud as well.
Where deleting Windows 10 history stored on your device is a simple and straightforward process, deleting the history in the Cloud requires a few additional steps.
Here’s how you can delete your browsing and search history from both your device and Cloud:
Method 01: Delete History from Device
Click Clear. This deletes the browsing history stored on your Windows 10 device. Depending on the size of data, deletion process may take a while.
Method 02: Delete History from Cloud
Scroll down the Overview page to the other sections and click their corresponding buttons to clear your other data stored in the Cloud. This erases all the traces of your activities from the Cloud. Although this step is optional, clearing other data may help in maintaining your privacy, especially when a single PC is used by other family members or friends.
Note: In addition to scrolling down to different sections on the Privacy dashboard’s Overview page to clear the history, you can also stay on the Activity history page, and click the categories directly from the expanded Filter by data type list under the Explore your data section.
In addition to the above, you should also consider clearing activity history in your Windows 10 PC. The tutorial as how it can be done can be found here.
Where deleting Windows 10 history stored on your device is a simple and straightforward process, deleting the history in the Cloud requires a few additional steps.
Here’s how you can delete your browsing and search history from both your device and Cloud:
Method 01: Delete History from Device
- ■Get to Microsoft Edge’s settings
Launch Microsoft Edge from the taskbar, click the More icon (icon with three horizontal dots) from the top-right corner of the window, and click Settings from the bottom of the menu. This opens the Settings pane of the web browser. From here you can manage various browser settings.
■Select data to delete
Click Choose what to clear from the Clear browsing data section, and check the boxes representing the unwanted data. This selects the data that needs to be cleared from the history.
■Delete the history
Click Clear. This deletes the browsing history stored on your Windows 10 device. Depending on the size of data, deletion process may take a while.
Method 02: Delete History from Cloud
- ■Get to the Privacy window
Click Start, click the Settings icon, and click the Privacy tile from the Windows Settings window. This opens the Privacy window with the General category selected by default. From this window, you can manage all your privacy settings such as your location activities, microphone configuration, etc.
■Access your history in the Cloud
Click Manage my info that’s stored in the cloud from the General category, click SIGN IN WITH MICROSOFT on the web page that opens up in your default web browser, enter the password for your Microsoft account, and click Sign in. This opens the Overview page of your account’s Privacy dashboard on the Microsoft’s website. From here you can view and manage your browsing, search, location, and voice history and activities stored in the Cloud.
■Clear browsing history
Click VIEW AND CLEAR BROWSING HSITORY from the Browsing history section, click Actions from the right-end of the Explore your data section of the Activity history page, and click Clear activity. This deletes the entire browsing history of your account stored in the Cloud.
■Clear other history
Scroll down the Overview page to the other sections and click their corresponding buttons to clear your other data stored in the Cloud. This erases all the traces of your activities from the Cloud. Although this step is optional, clearing other data may help in maintaining your privacy, especially when a single PC is used by other family members or friends.
Note: In addition to scrolling down to different sections on the Privacy dashboard’s Overview page to clear the history, you can also stay on the Activity history page, and click the categories directly from the expanded Filter by data type list under the Explore your data section.
In addition to the above, you should also consider clearing activity history in your Windows 10 PC. The tutorial as how it can be done can be found here.