How to View and Delete Browser History in Microsoft Edge

How to Clear Your Browsing Data

Once you have decided whether to clear data on this device only or on all synced devices, you can start the clearing process. If you want to look over what is stored first, press Ctrl+H in Edge to open the history list. Then find the right area in Edge's settings.

Step 1Go to the Clearing Tools

These steps show how to delete search history in Microsoft Edge, along with the rest of your browsing history. The first four steps get you to the tools in Edge's main settings menu:

1. Start Microsoft Edge. Any open window will do.
2. Click the Settings and more button. It is the three dots ... in the top-right corner, and a menu drops down.
3. Click Settings. The Settings page opens in a new tab.
4. Click Privacy, search, and services in the left sidebar. The privacy options appear on the right, including a section for clearing browsing data.

Step 2Start Clearing Data

In the privacy settings, find the clearing section. The next step opens a window where you decide exactly which types of data to remove, so you are not leaving it to the browser.

5. Click Choose what to clear. A window opens with a time range and a list of data types.

That option clears a basic set of data right away. Choose what to clear gives you broader control, and the steps here use it.

Step 3Choose Your Time Range

In the window that opens, you choose how far back to delete. A shorter range lets you wipe recent visits without losing older records you may still need.

6. Open the Time range drop-down. A list of ranges appears.
7. Select a time range. The options are the last hour, the last 24 hours, the last 7 days, the last 4 weeks, or all time.

• Last hour: Good for a quick cleanup if you were just browsing something you don't want saved.
• Last 24 hours: A good option for general tidying up from the day before.
• Last 7 days: Useful for a weekly reset.
• Last 4 weeks: For a bigger cleanup over the past month.
• All time: This is the big one. If you want to delete all your browsing history and related data since you started using Edge, choose this option.

Practical Tip: If you are unsure, start with a shorter range like Last 24 hours or Last 7 days. You can always come back later and clear All time.

Step 4Select What Data to Delete

Below the time range is a list of checkboxes. You can clear browsing history, download history, cookies, and more in one pass. Only the boxes you tick are deleted.

8. Tick the data types you want to delete. Leave the others unticked.

Here is what each option does:

• Browsing history: This is the list of all the websites you have visited, with the dates and times. Most people want to clear this.
• Download history: This only removes the list of files you have downloaded from the internet in Edge. It does not delete the actual files from your computer.
• Cookies and other site data: Cookies are small files that websites save on your computer. They remember things about you, like your login details or items in a shopping cart. Clearing these will sign you out of most websites.
• Cached images and files: When you visit a website, Edge saves copies of images and other parts of the page on your computer. This makes the site load faster the next time you visit. Clearing the cache means Edge will have to download these elements again. This can sometimes fix problems with how a website looks.
• Passwords: If you saved your website passwords in Edge, checking this box will remove them. Leave it unticked unless you are sure you know your passwords or have them stored elsewhere.
• Autofill form data (includes forms and cards): This includes information you typed into web forms, like your name, address, or credit card details that Edge offered to save.
• Site permissions: These are permissions you gave to websites, like letting them use your camera or send you notifications. You can manage these one by one in another settings area, but clearing them here resets those permissions.
• All data from the previous version of Microsoft Edge: If you recently updated Edge or switched from an older version, this option helps clear out old data from that previous version.
• Media Foundation data: This is more technical. It relates to licenses and keys used for playing media content in Edge. Clearing this usually requires restarting the browser.

For a typical privacy cleanup, tick Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, and Cached images and files. To keep your saved passwords and autofill data, make sure those boxes stay unticked before you start the clear.

Searches you made on Bing while signed in to a Microsoft account are also stored with that account. Clearing browsing data in Edge does not remove that copy. You manage it separately from your Microsoft account's privacy settings.

Step 5The Final Click - "Clear now"

When your time range and checkboxes are set, you are ready to delete. Edge removes the selected items straight away and the window closes. If sync is still on, the deletion also applies to your other signed-in devices.

9. Click Clear now. The window closes and the selected data is deleted.

This step cannot be undone. Once you click the button, the selected browsing records and website data are gone for good. If you cleared cookies, expect to be signed out of most sites.

Clearing browser history in Microsoft Edge permanently removes the data, and there is no undo. If you deleted something important, such as a page you needed to revisit, you will have to find the address again yourself or restore it from a backup if you have one.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/view-and-delete-browser-history-in-microsoft-edge

Summary

To manage Microsoft Edge browsing data, first check your sync settings. Then use the Clear browsing data tool to clear history on one device or on all of them.