How to Stop Microsoft Edge from Saving History in Windows 10?

Looking for easy ways to stop Microsoft Edge from saving history in Windows 10?

Browsers save your history to keep a track of your searches and help you revisit the pages that you find interesting. However, there are times when you may want to prevent them from doing so, such as when you want to prevent websites from tracking you on the Internet or you want to ensure your privacy is maintained when your PC is shared by multiple users.

Luckily, Microsoft Edge allows you to do so. 

If you are looking for ways to stop Microsoft Edge from saving history in Windows 10, you are in the right place.

In this guide today, we will be walking you through all the methods of stopping Microsoft Edge from saving history in Windows 10 in detail.

Let’s get started. 

1. Modify Microsoft Edge’s Settings. 

If you want to stop Microsoft Edge from saving history in Windows 10, then one of the easiest ways of doing so is by modifying Microsoft Edge’s settings. 

Microsoft Edge allows users to personalize their browser experience by providing a wide range of customizable features. Accessing these features is relatively simple, so even if this is your first time modifying Microsoft Edge’s settings, you will do just fine. 

Here is what you need to do:

  1. Launch Microsoft Edge on your PC and click on the More button (three dots) on the top-right corner of your window.
  2. Select Settings from the list of options available and then choose Privacy, search, and services from the left panel.
How to Stop Microsoft Edge from Saving History in Windows 10
  1. Click on the Choose what to clear every time you close the browser option and turn on the toggle switch against Browsing History.

As simple as that!

This should stop Microsoft Edge from saving history in Windows 10 on your PC. 

2. Use Group Policy Editor. 

It may come as a surprise to many, but Windows lets its users customize their operating systems the way they want to a great extent using several tools and features. 

One such feature available to advanced users is Group Policy Editor, which gives users additional control over their operating system. 

If due to any reason Method 1 did not work for you, try using the Group Policy Editor to stop Microsoft Edge from saving history in Windows 10. 

Here is what you need to do:

  1. Visit Microsoft’s official website
  2. Scroll down the window and select the version details of your Microsoft Edge. 
  3. Click the GET POLICY FILES button to download the policy files. 
Get Policy Files
  1. Once the download is complete, extract the downloaded file and then open the folder. 
  2. In the folder, navigate to the location mentioned below.
MicrosoftEdgePolicyTemplates\windows\admx
  1. Copy the msedge.admx and msedge.adml files and paste them in the C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions folder. 
How to Disable ‘End Process’ in the Browser Task Manager on Microsoft Edge
  1. Once you have pasted the files, restart your PC. 
  2. Upon reboot, open a Run dialogue box by pressing Windows + R keys on your keyboard simultaneously. 
  3. Inside the text field of the dialogue box, type ‘gpedit.msc‘ and hit Enter. Doing so will launch the Group Policy Editor on your PC. 
  1. In the Group Policy Editor window, navigate to the location mentioned below. 
User Configuration\ Administrative Templates\ Windows Components\ Microsoft Edge\
  1. Locate Allow Saving History in the right pane and double-click on it. 
How to Stop Microsoft Edge from Saving History in Windows 10
  1. Finally, choose Disabled and click on Apply to save the changes you just made. 

Doing so will prevent Microsoft Edge from saving history in Windows 10. If in case you want to enable this feature in the future, simply follow the method mentioned above again and choose Enabled in the 12th step. 

3. Try Using CleanMyPC.

If you are unable to stop Microsoft Edge by using the methods we have mentioned above,  then there is a high chance that a virus or corruption error within your system is preventing you from doing so.

This problem often occurs on computers that have too many unwanted junk files. You might want to consider decluttering your Windows registry and other system files if you haven’t done it in quite some time. In order to accomplish this, we recommend using a good PC cleaner and if you need a suggestion, we recommend CleanMyPC.

Install CleanMyPC on your PC

You’ll find several system maintenance tools in CleanMyPC, including a Cleaner, Multi Uninstaller, Performance Booster, and more. Once you have installed the tool on your PC, you need to run a scan. 

CleanMyPC will not only diagnose the potential issues but will attempt to repair them with minimal user input. If this is something your PC desperately needs, download CleanMyPC now


Try CleanMyPC Now!


4. Use Registry Editor. 

Another easy method to stop Microsoft Edge from saving history is by using the Registry Editor. 

Like the Group Policy Editor, Registry Editor also allows the users to tweak their operating system’s operations according to their requirements. 

It is likely that you will find using the Registry Editor to be more convenient than using Group Policy Editor for the issue at hand, so if Method 2 seems complicated to you, proceed with this Method. 

Here is what you need to do:

  1. Open a Run dialogue box by pressing Windows + R keys simultaneously. 
  2. Inside the text field of the dialogue box, type ‘regedit’ and hit Enter. Doing so will launch Windows Registry on your PC. 
  1. In the newly launched window, navigate to the location mentioned below. 
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\MicrosoftEdge\Main
  1. If you cannot locate the Main key, right-click on the MicrosoftEdge key and select New > Key option. 
  2. Name this newly created as Main
  3. Now double-click on the Main key and right-click anywhere in the right pane. 
  4. Select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value option and name this value as AllowSavingHistory
  5. Double-click on this newly created value and type 0
How to Stop Microsoft Edge from Saving History in Windows 10
  1. Finally, restart your PC. 

That’s it. 

Following the steps mentioned above will help you stop Microsoft Edge from saving history in Windows 10.

This brings us to the end of our guide on ways to stop Microsoft Edge from saving history in Windows 10. We tried walking you through all the steps in detail and hope that one of the methods mentioned above did the trick for you. In case you still have any confusion about the methods, please let us know in the comment section below!

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • Zainab Falak

    Zainab Falak is a staff writer for Saint and an expert in Microsoft Windows, having authored more than 200 posts. She has a Bachelors in Actuarial Sciences and her passion for computers extends to exploring various aspects, from UI customization to the Windows registry and exploring error codes. Twitter LinkedIn

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *