Your search history is a record of the terms you’ve typed into the Windows search bar, which is stored to provide faster and more relevant search results. However, there may be times when you want to clear this search history for privacy reasons or simply to start fresh. In this article, we’ll guide you on how to clear your search history on Windows.

Why Clear Search History?

Clearing your search history can help protect your privacy, free up storage space, and ensure that your searches don’t impact future search results. You might want to clear your search history if:

  • You want to prevent others from seeing your previous searches.
  • You’re concerned about privacy and don’t want your data saved.
  • You want to reset search suggestions that may have become irrelevant or outdated.

Now, let’s look at the different ways to clear your search history.

How to Clear Search History in Windows 10 and 11

1️⃣ Using Windows Settings

To clear your search history directly from the Windows Settings app, follow these steps:

📌 Steps for Windows 10/11:

  1. Open Settings by pressing Win + I.
  2. Select Privacy (Windows 10) or Privacy & Security (Windows 11).
  3. In the left menu, click on Activity History.
  4. Scroll down to the Clear activity history section.
  5. Click Clear to remove the history stored on your device.

This action removes local search history related to Cortana and other search activities stored by Windows.

2️⃣ Using the Search Bar History

You can also clear your search history directly from the Windows search bar:

📌 Steps:

  1. Click on the Search bar in the taskbar.
  2. In Windows 10, click on the three dots next to the search box and select Search History.
    In Windows 11, click on Search and then Recent Searches.
  3. You’ll see a list of recent searches. Click Clear History to delete it.

This will remove the search history from the search bar, so your recent queries are no longer visible.

3️⃣ Clear Search History from Microsoft Edge

If you use Microsoft Edge as your browser, your search history may also be synced with your web activities. To clear your search history from Edge:

📌 Steps:

  1. Open Microsoft Edge.
  2. Click on the three dots (ellipsis) in the upper-right corner and select Settings.
  3. In the left menu, click Privacy, search, and services.
  4. Scroll down and select Choose what to clear under Clear browsing data.
  5. Select Browsing history, then click Clear now.

This will remove your search history from Microsoft Edge, ensuring your web searches don’t appear when using the browser.

4️⃣ Disable Search History Tracking

If you don’t want Windows to track your search history at all, you can disable it completely:

📌 Steps:

  1. Go to Settings > Privacy > Activity History (Windows 10) or Settings > Privacy & Security > Activity History (Windows 11).
  2. Toggle off Let Windows collect my activities from this PC.

Disabling this option ensures Windows no longer tracks or saves your search history.

5️⃣ Clear Search History in Cortana

If you use Cortana to search and interact with your PC, it may store search history as well. Here’s how you can clear it:

📌 Steps:

  1. Open Cortana by clicking on the Cortana icon or pressing Win + C.
  2. Click the three dots in the upper-left corner of the Cortana window and select Settings.
  3. Scroll down to Clear my Cortana data and click Clear.

This will erase all search history stored by Cortana, including searches and other interactions.

Final Thoughts

Clearing your search history on Windows is simple and quick. Whether for privacy, decluttering, or simply resetting your search preferences, the steps outlined above will ensure your search history is wiped from your system.

By following these methods, you can control the data Windows stores and protect your privacy while using your PC. Keep your system clean and up-to-date by clearing your search history regularly!