How to Clear or Delete Your Search History in Microsoft Edge

To clear your search and browsing history in Microsoft Edge, press Ctrl + Shift + Delete, choose a time range, check Browsing history, and select Clear now. To remove just a few searches or pages, press Ctrl + H, open the full History page, and delete the entries you want.

This guide covers clearing everything, deleting individual entries, what each checkbox removes, history on synced devices and in your Microsoft account, searches that keep showing up in the address bar, and clearing history automatically. The steps are for Edge on Windows 11 and Windows 10. On an iPhone, start with how to view your history in the Edge iPhone app.

Clear all browsing history in Edge

1. Select the three-dot Settings and more menu, then Settings.
2. Select Privacy, search, and services, then Clear browsing data.
3. Next to Clear browsing data now, select Choose what to clear. Pressing Ctrl + Shift + Delete opens the same box. The Clear browsing data window opens.
4. Under Time range, pick a range, such as All time.
5. Check Browsing history. Add Download history if you want that list gone too.
6. Select Clear now. The History panel (Ctrl + H) is empty for the range you chose.

These steps follow Microsoft’s guide to viewing and deleting browser history in Edge. Microsoft notes that this clears history only for the Edge profile you’re using, so repeat it in each profile if you have more than one.

What each option removes

The Clear browsing data box lists several types of data. Microsoft describes them this way:

• Browsing history: the addresses of sites you visited, with dates and times. This includes searches, since each search is a visited page.
• Download history: the list of files you downloaded. The files themselves stay on your PC.
• Cookies and other site data: what sites store to remember you, including sign-ins. Clearing it signs you out of most sites.
• Cached images and files: saved copies of pages that help them load faster.
• Passwords and Autofill form data: saved passwords, addresses, and card details. Leave these unchecked unless you mean to remove them.

Delete only some searches or pages

1. Press Ctrl + H to open History.
2. Select the three dots in the History panel and choose Open history page, or type edge://history/all in the address bar. The full History page opens.
3. Type a word in the history search box to find the pages or searches you want.
4. Select the X next to an entry to delete it, or check several entries and select Delete. Those entries disappear from the list.

History on other devices and in your Microsoft account

• Synced devices: Microsoft says that when you’re signed in with sync turned on, clearing history removes it from all your synced devices. To clear only this PC, turn off sync first under Settings > Profiles > Sync.
• Your Microsoft account: if you’ve turned on history sync or personalized experiences, Microsoft can also keep your Edge history in your account. View and clear it on the Microsoft privacy dashboard. Microsoft notes that deleting data there doesn’t delete it from your device, so clear both. See Browsing history on the privacy dashboard.
• Google: if you search with Google while signed in, Google keeps its own history in your Google Account. To make Google the search engine Edge uses in the address bar, see how to set Google as the default search engine in Microsoft Edge.

If old searches still appear in the address bar

Suggestions can come from several places. Work through these steps in order:

• Clear Browsing history for All time, and do it in every profile.
• Clear the history on the privacy dashboard as well, then sign out of and back in to Edge so sync doesn’t bring it back.
• Turn off typed-character suggestions: go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Search and connected services > Address bar and search > Search suggestions and filters, and turn off Show me search and site suggestions using my typed characters. Microsoft explains that this sends what you type to your search provider for suggestions; see Microsoft Edge, browsing data, and privacy.
• If suggestions come from Bing, Microsoft says you can turn off See search suggestions as you type in Bing’s settings.

Clear history automatically

In Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Clear browsing data, select Choose what to clear every time you close the browser and turn on Browsing history. Edge wipes your history each time you close all its windows.

To browse without saving history at all, open an InPrivate window with Ctrl + Shift + N. Microsoft says Edge deletes browsing history, cookies, and site data when you close all InPrivate windows, and address bar suggestions are turned off while you use it.

Frequently asked questions

Does clearing history delete my downloaded files?

No. Clearing download history only removes the list in Edge. The files stay in your Downloads folder.

Will clearing history sign me out of websites?

Not unless you also check Cookies and other site data.

Can I recover history after clearing it?

Not from Edge. Once cleared, the entries are gone from the History page. If sync was on, they’re also removed from your other devices.

What’s the difference between history and cache?

History is the list of pages you visited. The cache is saved copies of pages and images. If a site looks outdated or won’t load, see how to clear the cache in Edge. To stop Edge from saving form entries, see how to turn off autofill in Edge.

Want to manage which sites can use cookies or pop-ups instead? Here’s how to add trusted sites in Edge on Windows 11.