Windows 10 collects and saves your desktop and cloud activity history, from browsing history to location information to everything. Luckily, Microsoft makes it easy to see all the data being stored, and it’s easy to delete it as well.
If you use HealthVault or a Microsoft Band device from Microsoft, any activity collected through that service is also stored. Microsoft says it collects this data to provide you with results and more relevant content that interests you.
How to view the activity history of Windows 10
- Go to Settings> Privacy> Activity History and click Manage my activity info.
- A browser window will open, and you may be prompted to sign in to your account if you haven’t already. You can also access this page by going to account.microsoft.com/privacy/activity-history.
- Here, you’ll see your data broken down into categories listed above: Browsing History, Search History, Location Activity, Voice Activity, Cortana Laptop, and Activity Health Movement. You can view and delete data in each section by clicking on the exact data button corresponding to each section and clicking on the button to confirm that you want to delete it.
You can also click the Activity History tab to see a complete list of data types: voice, searches, browsing history, and location information. Microsoft also makes it easy to filter each category by clicking on it.
How to delete Activity history using Settings
To remove activities that allow you to continue apps, documents, and websites on other devices, do the following:
- Open Settings.
- Click Privacy.
- Click Activity history.
- Under “Clear activity history”, click on the Clear button.
Activity history settings on Windows 10
- Click the OK button to confirm.
Once you’ve completed the steps, activities, Windows 10 collects about you to continue working on other devices is removed from your Microsoft account.
If you no longer want these activity types to connect, under “Collect activities,” turn off Windows to have to Collect my activities switched.