How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows
This wikiHow teaches you how to clear the app usage history, File Explorer history, search history, and Internet browsing history on a Windows computer. Right-click the taskbar. The taskbar is the bar at the bottom of the screen. Doing so...
Part 1 of 7:
Deleting App Usage History
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 1
Right-click the taskbar. The taskbar is the bar at the bottom of the screen. Doing so invokes a pop-up menu. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 2
Click Task Manager. It's near the bottom of the pop-up menu.- Alternatively, press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Esc.
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 3
Click App history. This tab is at the top of the Task Manager window. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 4
Click Delete usage history. It's a link near the top of the window. Doing so will reset the usage clock for each app on your computer to zero.
Part 2 of 7:
Clearing File Explorer History
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 5
Open File ExplorerHow to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 6
- You can also click Start
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 7
- You can also click Start
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 8
Click View. This tab is in the top-left section of the File Explorer window. You should see a toolbar appear at the top of File Explorer. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 9
Click Options. It's a box-shaped icon in the upper-right side of the File Explorer window. Doing so opens the Folder Options window.- If clicking Options prompts a drop-down menu, click Change folder and search options in the drop-down menu before you proceed.
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 10
Click the General tab. You'll see this option in the upper-left corner of the Folder Options window. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 11
Click Clear. It's in the "Privacy" section toward the bottom of the window. Doing so will remove your recent searches from the File Explorer.- If you pinned any folders or files to the File Explorer, they won't be cleared. You can remove a pinned folder or file by right-clicking it and then clicking Unpin from Quick access.
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 12
Consider hiding your future search history. To do so, uncheck both the "Show recently used files in Quick Access" and "Show recently used folders in Quick Access" boxes in the "Privacy" section. Doing so will prevent future searches from appearing in the File Explorer. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 13
Click OK. It's at the bottom of the Folder Options window. Your File Explorer history should now be clear.
Part 3 of 7:
Clearing Start Search History
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 14
Click Cortana's Search box. It's on the left side of the taskbar, just right of the Windows logo. The Cortana window will pop up.- If you don't see this option, right-click the taskbar, select Cortana, and click Show search box before you proceed.
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 15
ClickHow to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 16
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 17
Click the Permissions & History tab. You'll find this option on the left side of the window. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 18
Click Clear my device history. It's in the middle of the window. Doing so clears your computer's Cortana search history. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 19
Click Search history settings. This link is below the "My search history" heading. Clicking this link opens a Bing page with all of your searches listed in chronological order.- You must be connected to the Internet in order to view this page.
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 20
Click View and delete search history. It's a teal button near the top of the Bing page. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 21
Click Clear activity. This link is on the far-right side of the page.- You may first have to sign into your Microsoft account by clicking Sign in in the top-right corner of the page and then entering your email address and password. If so, click the Activity history tab near the top of the window before you proceed.
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 22
Click Clear when prompted. Doing so will remove any web results from your Start search history.
Part 4 of 7:
Clearing Internet History on Chrome
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 23
OpenHow to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 24
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 25
Click ⋮. This icon is in the top-right corner of the Chrome window. Clicking it will prompt a drop-down menu. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 26
Select More tools. It's near the bottom of the drop-down menu. Selecting it opens a pop-out menu. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 27
Click Clear browsing data…. It's near the top of the pop-out menu. Your browsing history page will open. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 28
Select a time range to clear. Click the "Time range" drop-down box at the top of the menu, then click a time (e.g., Last hour for which you want to delete your browsing history.- Selecting the beginning of time will delete all the recorded browsing history.
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 29
Make sure "Browsing history" and "Download history" are checked. Both of these categories make up your browsing history. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 30
Click CLEAR DATA. This is a blue button at the bottom of the window. Clicking it will promptly clear your browsing and download history.
Part 5 of 7:
Clearing Internet History on Firefox
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 31
Open Firefox. Click or double-click the Firefox app, which resembles a blue globe with an orange fox wrapped around it. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 32
Click ☰. It's in the top-right corner of the page. A drop-down menu will appear. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 33
Click Library. This option is in the middle of the drop-down menu. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 34
Click History. It's near the top of the menu. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 35
Click Clear Recent History…. This is near the top of the menu. Clicking it opens a pop-up window. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 36
Select a time range to clear. Click the "Time range to clear" drop-down box, then click a time span (e.g., Last Hour).- Selecting Everything in the drop-down menu will ensure that all of your history is cleared.
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 37
Click the "Details" drop-down icon. It's a downward-facing arrow to the left of the "Details" heading. A menu will appear. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 38
Check the "Browsing & Download History" box. You'll find this at the top of the menu.- You can uncheck every other box in this menu if you please.
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 39
Click Clear Now. This option is at the bottom of the menu. Doing so clears your Firefox history for the selected time range.
Part 6 of 7:
Clearing Internet History on Edge
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 40
Open Microsoft Edge. Click the Microsoft Edge app icon, which resembles a dark-blue box with a white "e" on it (or, in some cases, a dark-blue "e"). -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 41
Click ⋯. This option is in the top-right corner of the Edge window. Clicking it prompts a drop-down menu. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 42
Click Settings. It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 43
Scroll down and click Choose what to clear. This button is beneath the "Clear browsing data" heading. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 44
Make sure "Download History" and "Browsing History" are checked. You can check other items here as well, but these two items must be checked in order to clear your Edge history. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 45
Click Clear. It's in the middle of the menu. Doing so will delete your Edge browsing and downloads history.
Part 7 of 7:
Clearing Internet History on Internet Explorer
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 46
Open Internet Explorer. Click the Internet Explorer app icon, which resembles a light-blue "e" icon. - Click "Settings"
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 47
-
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 48
Select Safety. You'll see this icon near the top of the drop-down menu. Clicking it will prompt a pop-out menu to appear. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 49
Click Delete browsing history…. It's at the top of the pop-out menu. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 50
Make sure "History" and "Download history" are checked. These two options will ensure that you clear all aspects of Internet Explorer's history. -
How to Delete Your Usage History Tracks in Windows Picture 51
Click Delete. It's at the bottom of the window. This will clear your Internet Explorer browsing history.
5 ★ | 1 Vote
You should read it
- How to add 'Open command window here as administrator' to the right-click menu on Windows 10
- How to add 'Open PowerShell window here as administrator' to the right-click menu on Windows 10
- How to Delete Run History in Windows
- How to add Open command window here to Windows 10 right-click menu
- How to fix the loss of the New menu in the right-click menu
- How to Delete History on Your Computer
- How to delete and improve the right-click menu
- How to View Your Browser History on a Mac
- How to Find the Library Folder on a Mac
- How to Customize the Windows 10 Start Menu
- How to Change the Volume on a Mac
- How to Activate Incognito Mode