Windows 10 quietly tracks your activity—apps you open, files you access, and websites you visit (especially if you’re signed in with a Microsoft account). This helps features like Timeline and Your Phone, but not everyone wants their activity stored.

Whether you’re doing cleanup or just curious, here’s how to view and clear your Windows 10 activity history in a few easy steps.

🧠 What Is Activity History in Windows 10?

Activity History is a log of everything you’ve done on your device, including:

• Files opened
• Apps used
• Websites visited (if using Edge)
• Activity across devices if synced with a Microsoft account

This data can be stored locally and optionally sent to Microsoft if sync is enabled.

👀 How to View Your Activity History

You can see parts of your activity history through:

1. Windows Timeline (if enabled)

1. Press Win + Tab to open Task View
2. Scroll to view past activities by date

Note: Timeline only shows limited history and is disabled in recent Windows 10 builds by default.

2. Microsoft Privacy Dashboard

1. Visit https://account.microsoft.com/privacy
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account
3. Go to Activity history

There, you can view:

• Browsing history
• Search history
• App and service activity
• Location data
• Voice and media usage

🧹 How to Clear Your Activity History

Option 1: Clear Locally Stored Activity History

1. Go to Settings → Privacy → Activity history
2. Scroll down and click Clear under “Clear activity history”

This deletes the activity stored on your device.

Option 2: Clear Activity Stored in the Cloud

If you’re using a Microsoft account and syncing is on:

1. Go to Microsoft Privacy Dashboard
2. Navigate to each activity category
3. Click Clear under each section

You can also download your activity data before deleting it.

📴 Bonus: Turn Off Activity History Tracking

Don’t want Windows to store your activity at all?

1. Go to Settings → Privacy → Activity history
2. Uncheck:
   • “Store my activity history on this device”
   • “Send my activity history to Microsoft”

This stops future tracking, both locally and in the cloud.

✅ Final Thoughts

Whether you’re cleaning up your digital footprint or improving privacy, checking and clearing your activity history in Windows 10 only takes a few minutes. Microsoft collects and syncs a lot—so it’s smart to stay in control of your data.

Need help finding or managing a specific type of activity history (like search or location)? Drop a comment below—I’ve got your back.