How to clear search history on Microsoft Edge?

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Clearing your search history in Microsoft Edge can help maintain privacy, free up space, and enhance browsing speed. Whether you want to remove individual items, or erase your entire browsing history, Edge provides an easy and straightforward way to do so. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to clear your search history in Microsoft Edge.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Edge

First, ensure you have Microsoft Edge open on your PC or device. You can do this by clicking on the Edge icon from your desktop, taskbar, or Start menu.

Step 2: Open Edge Settings

  1. In the top-right corner of Edge, click on the three dots (ellipsis) to open the menu.
  2. From the menu, select Settings.

Step 3: Go to Privacy, Search, and Services

  1. In the Settings window, on the left-hand side, click on Privacy, search, and services.
  2. Scroll down until you reach the Clear browsing data section.

Step 4: Choose What to Clear

  1. Under the Clear browsing data section, click on Choose what to clear. This will open a pop-up window where you can select what types of data you want to remove.

Step 5: Select Data to Clear

In the pop-up window, you’ll see various options for what you can clear, including:

  • Browsing history: Includes your search history, websites you’ve visited, and URLs.
  • Download history: The list of files you’ve downloaded.
  • Cookies and site data: Any cookies or site data saved from websites.
  • Cached images and files: Temporary files that help websites load faster.
  • Passwords and autofill data: Saved passwords and form data.
  • Site permissions: Settings for sites like notifications and location access.

To clear your search history, ensure Browsing history is selected. You can select other data types to clear as well, based on your preference.

Step 6: Choose the Time Range

  1. In the Time range dropdown, choose how much history you want to clear:
    • Last hour
    • Last 24 hours
    • Last 7 days
    • Last 4 weeks
    • All time (to clear everything from the beginning)

For clearing search history completely, select “All time” to ensure no search data is left behind.

Step 7: Clear the Data

Once you’ve selected the data you want to clear and chosen the time range:

  1. Click the Clear now button at the bottom of the pop-up window.
  2. Edge will start clearing the selected data, which may take a few moments depending on the amount of history stored.

Step 8: Disable Search History (Optional)

If you’d like to prevent Edge from saving your search history in the future, you can disable this feature:

  1. Go back to Settings.
  2. Under the Privacy, search, and services tab, scroll down to the Services section.
  3. Turn off the toggle under Search history to stop Edge from saving your searches.

Step 9: Clear Individual Items (Optional)

If you want to remove specific search queries or items rather than clearing everything:

  1. Open a new tab in Microsoft Edge.
  2. Start typing in the address/search bar.
  3. Use the down arrow key on your keyboard to navigate through the suggestions.
  4. Highlight the search or URL you want to delete, then press Shift + Delete to remove it.

Step 10: Verify the History is Cleared

To ensure your history has been cleared, you can try searching or browsing again:

  1. Type in the search bar and check if previously visited sites or search suggestions are gone.
  2. If you chose “All time,” there should be no history remaining.

Bonus: Use InPrivate Mode to Avoid Saving Search History

To browse without leaving a trace, you can use InPrivate mode:

  1. Click on the three dots in the top-right corner of Edge.
  2. Select New InPrivate window.
  3. InPrivate mode prevents Edge from saving browsing history, cookies, and search data.

Conclusion

Clearing your search history in Microsoft Edge is an essential privacy measure, especially if you share your computer with others or want to avoid targeted ads and recommendations. By following these simple steps, you can remove unwanted search history and ensure your browsing data is kept private. Additionally, you can disable history-saving features or use InPrivate mode for future browsing sessions.

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