Privacy and Security Clear Activity History in Windows 11


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Activity_History_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to clear activity history for your account in Windows 11.

Activity history helps keep track of the things you do on your device, such as the apps and services you use, the files you open, and the websites you browse. Your activity history is stored locally on your device, and if you’ve signed in to your device with a Microsoft account or work or school account and given your permission, Windows sends your activity history to Microsoft. Microsoft uses the activity history data to provide you with personalized experiences (such as ordering your activities based on duration of use) and relevant suggestions (such as anticipating what your needs might be based on your activity history).

You can clear and delete both the activity history stored on your device and the activity history that's sent to the Microsoft cloud.

Reference:


Contents

  • Option One: Clear Activity History in Settings
  • Option Two: Clear Activity History from Microsoft Account Privacy Dashboard




Option One

Clear Activity History in Settings


1 Open Settings (Win+I).

2 Click/tap on Privacy & security on the left side, and click/tap on Activity history on the right side. (see screenshot below)


Clear_activity_history_Settings-1.png

3 Click/tap on Clear history. (see screenshot below)

Clear_activity_history_Settings-2.png

4 Click/tap on Clear to confirm. (see screenshot below)

Clear_activity_history_Settings-3.png

5 You will now see a checkmark to the left of the Clear history button to indicate your activity history has been cleared. (see screenshot below)

Clear_activity_history_Settings-4.png

6 You can now close Settings if you like.




Option Two

Clear Activity History from Microsoft Account Privacy Dashboard


1 Open the Privacy Dashboard site at Microsoft in your web browser, and sign in with your Microsoft account if not already.

2 Expand open the category (ex: "App and service activity") you want to clear. (see screenshot below step 3)

3 Click/tap on the Clear all ... activity link. (see screenshot below)

If wanted, you can click/tap on the Delete (trash can) icon of recent activities to delete specific activity history instead of all.


Clear_activity_history_Microsoft_account_privacy_dashboard-1.png

4 Click/tap on Clear to confirm. (see screenshot below)

Clear_activity_history_Microsoft_account_privacy_dashboard-2.png

5 When finished clearing your activity history from any other categories, you can close your Privacy Dashboard page.


That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

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FeatureDetails and mitigationDeprecation announced
Timeline for Microsoft Entra accountsCross-device syncing of Microsoft Entra user activity history will stop starting in January 2024. Microsoft will stop storing this data in the cloud, aligning with the previous change for Microsoft accounts (MSA) in 2021. The timeline user experience was retired in Windows 11, although it remains in Windows 10. The timeline user experience and all your local activity history still remains on Windows 10 devices. Users can access web history using their browser and access recent files through OneDrive and Office.October 2023
 

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