How to Delete Search History in Outlook App
Deleting your search history in the Outlook app removes past search terms from the drop-down suggestions under the search bar. Nobody who sits down at your PC can then see what you looked for. Outlook saves your recent queries to help you find things faster, but clearing the list protects your privacy and removes clutter.
You can clear the whole list from the Outlook app settings in a few clicks. This only removes your past search terms. Your emails, folders and files are not touched. If you only want to get rid of a single suggestion, this guide won’t help, because the method below clears the list as a whole.
Open the Outlook app and click the Settings gear icon at top right. Go to General, select Privacy and data, then click Del history under the Search history section. Click Continue to confirm. Your search suggestions are immediately cleared.
Comparison: Deleting Search History by Outlook Version
| Outlook Version | Primary Method |
|---|---|
| New Outlook (Windows) | Settings Privacy and Data |
| Classic Outlook (Desktop) | Search Bar Recent Searches Remove |
| Outlook Web (OWA) | Settings General Privacy |
How to Clear Search History in New Outlook for Windows
To delete Outlook search history in the new Outlook app, open the settings menu with the gear icon. Go to General, choose Privacy and data, and click the Delete history button. This clears all your past search terms from the search bar straight away.
These steps are for the new Outlook for Windows. The classic Outlook desktop app has a different layout, and its settings don’t follow this path. If you don’t see the gear icon or the Privacy and data page, check which version you are running.
- Open the Outlook app on Windows 11. The app opens on your inbox.
Open the new Outlook app in Windows 11 - Click the Settings button (the gear icon) at the top right. The Settings window opens.
Add Gmail to Outlook app in Windows 11 - Click the General tab on the left. The general options appear on the right.
Outlook for Windows 11 General settings tab for search history export. - Select Privacy and data. You should now see the privacy options, including a Search history section.
Outlook app privacy and data settings - Click the Delete history button under the Search history section. A confirmation prompt appears.
Outlook app privacy and data settings delete history button - Click Continue to confirm. Outlook clears the saved searches. Click in the search bar to check. The list of recent searches should now be empty. You can’t undo this, but new searches will start building a fresh list.
Advanced Troubleshooting: Registry and AppData Fixes
This is an advanced fix. You close the app, open the registry tool from the Run dialog box, and delete the key that stores your past searches. Try the settings method again first, and update Outlook if the Delete history button does nothing.
Before you start, back up the registry. In Registry Editor, click File Export, choose a location, and save the file. If something goes wrong, double-click that file to restore it. You also need an administrator account, and Windows may show a User Account Control prompt when you open Registry Editor.
- Close Outlook completely. Check that it is not still running in the background.
- Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Click Yes if User Account Control asks for permission. Registry Editor opens.
- Navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Profiles. - Locate your profile folder and delete the Search subkey if present. To do this, right-click the key, choose Delete, and confirm. If there is no Search subkey, leave everything as it is and close Registry Editor.
- Restart your computer. Then open Outlook and click the search bar to check that the old suggestions are gone.
Summary
Clearing your search history is a simple way to keep your Outlook app private. The Settings menu is enough for most people. The registry edit is a last resort for when the button doesn't work. Either way, removing your search history keeps your workspace clean and secure.
Keep Outlook updated. Bugs in older builds can stop the history from being deleted. If you share your PC or sign in on a work machine, repeat this clean-up every so often.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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